It takes a particular breed of manager to be successful at the national team level. Gustavo Matosas is not one of those people.
The 52-year-old Uruguayan made that abundantly clear as he stepped down on Wednesday after less than a year on the job, saying during a press conference that he did not anticipate the particular struggles he faced personally as national team coach.
“I didn’t know being a national team manager was so boring,” Matosas said. “I don’t regret it and I don’t leave frustrated because I gave my best. I won’t manage a national team again. I can’t only have the players every two months. It’s not for me.”
That doesn’t leave much up for interpretation. Matosas said he was so bored, he felt unfulfilled, preferring a club job where he can coach more and scout less.
“I realized that in the national side I feel unproductive even though I kill myself watching videos,” Matosas said. “It’s not what I like to be doing.
“It’s tough not having players in the day-to-day to train them. I only have the players for a week every two months and it’s killing me. I didn’t know it was so hard. I thought I would be able to somehow endure it.”
Matosas was hired last October to replace Oscar Ramirez who stepped down after the World Cup. He took charge of eight matches, winning three and losing four. Before his appointment with Costa Rica, Matosas managed club teams such as Club America, Queretaro, Atlas, Al Hilal, Danubio, and Estudiantes. He never spent more than two seasons at any position.
After his departure from Costa Rica, there were reports he would be hired at Liga MX side Atletico San Luis, but the club president denied the rumor.
