ViP2's Coaches' Corner

[Michel Kane]

The Middlesex & London F.A.

[Flojo]

Interesting article about Meulensteen and how he worked with Ronaldo to improve his game.

 

 

Ronaldo’s rise accelerated under Sir Alex Ferguson and the coach Rene Meulensteen at Manchester United particularly at the start of the attacker’s phenomenal 2007-08 season.
“Don’t underestimate the importance of the manager, the father figure,” emphasised Meulensteen on the shaping of the then 22-year-old Ronaldo, “but it’s also about details.
"That season we won the Champions League, at the beginning, Ronaldo was suspended for three games [after being sent off at Portsmouth], so I stayed behind to work with him. I knew what Ronaldo wanted. He wanted to be the best player in the world. I told him: ‘I can help you with that. There’s nothing wrong with your work ethic, it’s a wave pushing you forward.’ So I drew this diagram for him, pointing out his details as a player.

“There’s the ‘tactical’ bit, awareness, understanding, decision-making. There’s the ‘physical’; everyone has his peak fitness, especially Ronaldo, his pace, strength, stamina and agility. There’s the ‘personality’, winning mentality and attitude. The last bit is ‘technical’, the basics, passing, shooting, moves, turns, and other skills to dominate the one to one. I asked Ronaldo: ‘Where are you good at?’ He said: ‘Skills.’ ‘OK, so with one-touch and two-touch play, plus the moves you have, will make you unpredictable and therefore very hard to defend against.’“

Meulensteen addressed another issue. “I told him: ‘The problem is also your attitude and therefore your decision-making. At the moment you’re playing to put yourself into the limelight, to say “look at me, how good I am”. Therefore, Mr Ronaldo, you are doing a lot that doesn’t mean anything for your team-mates’. He accepted this. I said: ‘You need to score more goals. Targets, aims.

 

"Cristiano, I’ve looked at your goals last season, and you only scored 23 because you want to score the perfect goal all the time. ‘Look at me! Top corner!’ The most important individuals are the ones who elevate the team, not themselves. You think it’s the other way round. No, no, no. Elevate the team and the team will then elevate you.’”

The Dutchman asked United’s No 7 to set a goal target. “Ronaldo said: ‘I think I can score between 30 and 35 goals.’ ‘OK,’ I said. ‘I think you can go over 40. This week, in these training sessions, I’m going to work on your way of finishing.’”

They first discussed Ronaldo’s mindset when approaching goal. “I told him: ‘Look at Shearer, Lineker, Solskjaer and Van Nistelrooy: who say give me the ball, that goes in the back of the net.’“
Ronaldo was focused more on the spectacular. “He was thinking: ‘That ball comes to me, I hit it top corner.’ I needed him to get out of that. I told him: ‘It doesn’t matter how you score, where you score, as long as the ball goes in the net.’” It was time to score ugly goals as well as beautiful ones.

“We worked on positions, which zone he was in, 1 (in front of goal), 2 (to the sides) or 3 (further out). We worked on what type of finish. One-touch. Do you need to control it? Volley it. Pass it in. Side-foot it in. Chip it in. We worked on certain goalkeepers. Did they have a certain trend? It’s details. When [post-Ronaldo] we played Schalke away in the Champions League semi [in 2011], we knew that Manuel Neuer, a good goalkeeper, was like Peter Schmeichel and would come out with a star jump [spreading himself]. So we worked on finishes low to either side, low through the legs.’’ Ryan Giggs scored.

Back in that early-season period at Carrington in 2007, Meulensteen and Ronaldo worked on different goalscoring scenarios every day but with one staple for each drill. “It was four repetitions, move on, four repetitions, move on,” Meulensteen explained. “That’s what I’ve learned from experience. People hold their concentration for 1 2 3 4 Bang.’’

Ronaldo was educated to create an image of the situation and the desired outcome: “Where am I [position]? Where’s the ball coming from? Where’s the goalkeeper? Where’s the finish?” Meulensteen gave colours to the four corners of the goal. “Cristiano had his back to the goal. He had to shout which colour, green whichever, he was aiming for, so subconsciously working his brain. He knew his target in advance.’’

By the end of January, Ronaldo had scored 27 for United. “You have to reset your target because you have already achieved it,’’ Meulensteen said to Ronaldo at Carrington. “You can now do two things, you can take your foot off the pedal, say ‘I’m happy with this’, or break your personal best and then you have March, April, May to come and that’s when these things are won.” Ronaldo was determined to continue his upward trajectory. “Now we worked on ‘attitude’,’’ continued Meulensteen.
“I put a video together for him about top professionals like Muhammad Ali, Pele with little quotes from them. ‘Just have a look at this video,’ I told him, ‘I know you have a big TV. Read the clips. It will put you in good stead.’ There were little quotes about hard work and focus: focus on performance rather than outcome, focus on putting your qualities for the team and also body language. There were loads of times with Cristiano when he shrugged his shoulders, so I put a video clip together.”

The clips were of Ronaldo’s body language. “Do you realise how important an impact body language and facial expressions have on the millions watching?’’ Meulensteen asked Ronaldo at Carrington one day. “What do you mean?’’ Ronaldo replied.

Meulensteen continued: “Do you remember the goal you scored against Sporting [Lisbon on Nov 27, 2007] at home, the free-kick? You turned around to the camera, and did this [spreads hands out]? What were you trying to say? Sorry? Or were you trying to say ‘look at me, nobody else can do that’?’’
One of United’s kit-men was present.
“I asked him what he thought the gesture meant,” Meulensteen recalled. “I’m the best,” was the kit-man’s take on Ronaldo’s stance. So Meulensteen turned to Ronaldo and said: “That’s what the millions think. They look at you as arrogant. You do the same thing when you get hacked down, ‘ahhh’, toys out the pram: ‘You can’t kick me, I’m Cristiano Ronaldo.’ You need to learn to play football the way Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer play tennis. Ice-cold. The moment people stop kicking you is because they’ve found another way to stop you. You want people to kick you. You need to make sure you see it coming. Make sure you’re clever’.”

It was back to the video-room. “I showed him clips of Johan Cruyff, an expert at avoiding tackles. He saw them coming, would change direction, and people would slide in front of him. I told Cristiano: ‘The most important thing is your facial expression, don’t react at all. Stand up, brush yourself off, and that defender thinks, ‘what can I do next?’ Overpower him with your qualities as a footballer, belittle him with your skill. You’re in control, not someone else.’

“If you look back to the season, he was tremendous. He scored 42 goals. Look back to the Champions League final: he scored the header, fantastic, apart from one moment when he let himself down, the [missed] penalty. That’s when Ronaldo thought: ‘It all comes down to me, that’s what I want.’ What happens? He loses focus. I mentioned it to him afterwards but he knew.”

So what of Bale’s arrival at the Bernabéu? “I don’t think it will affect him [Ronaldo] that much,” Meulensteen said. “In my opinion, Bale is nowhere near on the same level, absolutely not. Ronaldo is a far more complete player. Bale will still be important. He has time to settle in. It will make Real Madrid stronger, even more powerful. But if for whatever reason Bale came and Ronaldo would leave it would make Real Madrid weaker.”

[i5_PRODUCER]

Rene>>

Good read

[Flojo]

Meulensteen's official website

 

http://www.renemeulensteen.co.uk/

[Michel Kane]

New assistant coach for the 1st team at my old uni (Westminster)

We're pretty high in the BUCS leagues, out of 8-9 leagues in the south of England, we're 2nd tier which is very high actually, teams above us are proper sports schools like Leeds, Reading, Brunel, etc...anyway.

I actually applied for the actual 1st team coach position. I thought given I'd been there for 4 years, played & won the league as captain on top of my coaching experience/qualifications, I'd get it but they went with someone more experienced which is fair enough albeit younger at 23.

So Wednesday, everyone's on the coach coming back from the first round of trials right, got all the freshers & players in what seems to be customary 'Gerrard vs. Lampard' debate & swear down the coach was about to suggest Giggs was a better CM than both of them. He then went on to say he thinks Neymar is shit.

*sighs*

It's gonna be a long season, can't wait till I RUN a side.

[Michel Kane]

Johan Cruyff >>>

Johan Cruyff begins in typically strident fashion, but finishes with something of a romantic flourish. The 66-year-old is asked about the style of football that he helped to define, and whether he thinks there has ever been a tactic created to trump the passing-pressing game that Ajax, Barcelona, Spain and now Bayern Munich have gone on to dominate the sport with.

"Well, I don’t think so," Cruyff shrugs -- but his reasoning isn’t totally expected, nor is it completely to do with just finding out the best way to win.

"I think the way Barcelona played, it’s a pleasure for everybody who likes football, because the technical qualities are the highest standard and every little child can try to do the technical qualities. It’s not like somebody runs 100 yards in nine seconds [and] if you can’t do it, you don’t count. You always count because you can always get better. If you want to play basketball you’ve got to be two metres. Otherwise you can’t play. Here, everyone can play and everyone can develop. That’s the nicest thing about the game of football."

The way Cruyff thinks remains almost as enthralling as the way he used to play or manage. He has become one of football’s sages, arguably the most influential figure in its history. That becomes clear when he starts to elaborate on the Total Football approach first instilled on Ajax in the late ‘60s, and how it all remains so recognisable.

"We said, 'OK, where are the best players?'" Cruyff says of the pressing aspect of their game that suddenly changed the very perceptions of a pitch. "'There'. Technically, yeah, in the positions very good but also with the ball -- so attack them there. What’s the difference between a good player and bad player? It’s the speed of [control], so if you’ve got to speed them up, it's to provoke mistakes. And the main thing is that the quicker you can change your mentality, offensive [to] defensive, the first defender is the centre-forward. He's the nearest by, so the quickest he can put the pressure on, start defending.

"And you run less. You don’t run more. You run less ... of course, you've got to do possession. It's a way of thinking and it's the way you can re-organise the whole thing."

"Because, who’s got the ball, who scores the goal?"

It was when Cruyff returned to Barcelona as manager in 1988, making the same move from Ajax he did as a player in 1973, that the philosophy was properly put in place in modern terms. That transformation set the path to Wednesday night and the magnificent manner in which Pep Guardiola’s Bayern toyed with Manchester City. It is all the more remarkable when you consider that Barca were so crisis-ridden for most of the 28 years leading up to Cruyff’s appointment, and an example no-one would choose to follow. He talks about such a quantum leap as if it was elementary.

“When I came in, [barcelona] were bad. We had to change. There was no sense to continue something that goes wrong.

"I had a big advantage that I played there. You know the mentality, you know what they do, what they think, so it was quite easy to make some rules.

"The players were there, they were good players. You had to put in some character. We brought some players from the Basque country that you know for sure will give it. So it’s a question of compensation in the things you need."

Cruyff has essentially become the figurehead of one of the game's two main opposing philosophies, a dichotomy that was brought to a head in the notorious 2010 World Cup final. Then, his native Netherlands took Jose Mourinho’s reactive approach at Internazionale to extreme levels, as they sought to interrupt the Spanish style initially set in place by Cruyff. The Dutchman himself ended up castigating his country for attempting "anti-football" and vocally announcing his support for Spain.

On the day of this interview, as he relaxes after a round of golf at the Alfred Dunhill Links in St Andrew’s to promote his charity, the Cruyff Foundation, he is a little less dogmatic.

"You can’t say this or that, or this is better than that. You’ve all kinds of different players. A lot of people make comparisons between [Leo] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. They’re completely different. You can’t compare them. They’re both great in the things what they do, and they’re different.

"You can say who do you prefer as a way of playing. Do you prefer a [more] technical one or do you prefer somebody who is technical, who is physical and who can shoot very high. It's totally different and that’s why it's so good that the differences are there because you can see that a lot of people make a wrong decision in choosing the team where they go. It's if the team fits with the quality you have."

Cruyff still views the game from a truly unique perspective, and continues to feel so much of it it could be done differently.

"[Football] has always been narrow-minded because we say 'he's a football player' but in baseball we say he's a pitcher, he's a catcher, he's a third baseman ... but why is he a footballer? It's all different. But, as a coach to direct a team, you've got to look at the individual qualities. That's why I see the game totally different."

He offers the example of a specific European club’s transfer policy.

"I read in the paper that this team are watching this player, this player, this player. Well, they're idiots because they're so different that how can you look at three different players in the same position?

"There are too many different things in football. People who are buying, people who are selling or people accepting to go one place or another -- it's not like that. It's what the team needs.

"It's absurd.

"You can look at these three, or these three, but you can never look at these three. It's impossible. What are you looking for? Somebody who's called a defender or a type of defender?

"It’s a big difference, such a big difference.

"A lot of times people don’t see the quality of the individual, and this individual should function good in the team and the way the team plays ... in the end, the best player will never come out of a team who loses too much. It’s impossible."

This is the other enduring impression of Cruyff. For all that he represents the game at its most sophisticated and often speaks in contradictions, so much of what he says is applicable to any level of football.

"The main thing is, a lot of people think that making a mistake is a problem. No, I don’t think so. Making a mistake is to make you better, as long you learn from your mistake. So I think making a mistake for me is never a problem. It's a perfect thing, as long as you learn from it and don't make the same mistake again. The only way you can learn is from your mistakes. You can never learn from the things you did well. It's impossible.

"That's what we learned [at Ajax]. You tried something, that didn’t work for that [reason] and that. Do it again. Do something different.

"Football is a game of mistakes and, if you analyse a mistake, you can say OK. If I put somebody where the mistakes come from, with his quality, you’re going to make less mistakes and if you make less mistakes you've got more possibilities.

"So it's a different way of thinking. It's not like we think this pass is good or bad. If this was the best pass why didn't he do it? Did he see or didn't he see it or wasn’t he capable of executing it.

"So it's not a lot of times that you're going to discuss or analyse what he did. Most of the time you’ve got to analyse why he didn't do the other thing.

"That's where it all starts, how you see totally different the game. If you analyse it, you can train on it."

This idea of the individual fitting into the collective, of the truly social aspect of football, is something that still engages him. It is the guiding principle of his charity, which is all about enriching lives through sport.

"What is sport, besides the physical education you do for yourself? It's playing together, trying things out, getting better every day, winning together, losing together, helping somebody out. It's life. It's totally life, 100 percent.”

For all the rigour, he remains something of a romantic.

[Zizouz]

Marcelo Bielsa’s tactical influence on Mauricio Pochettino | Tactics

 

 

 

The list of former pupils who attended the school of Marcelo “El Loco” Bielsa appears to be doing quite well these days: Barcelona’s Gerardo Martino and Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino are both amongst that long-list.

So when Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Southampton manager last season, there were high hopes and he quickly won fans over with a high pressing game and an emphasis on fluid movement – two of the attributes that make up the Marcelo Bielsa approach; Pochettino’s philosophy is certainly one that satisfies the ‘taste’ of those football fans than look for football to be played in this way and for most fans, Pochettino comes from the same vineyard as Bielsa.

In the words of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, “taste is a matter of ignorance. If you know what you are tasting, you don’t have to taste”. This article is to question whether Mauricio Pochettino really does look to emulate El Loco’s tactical methods or whether we have all become ignorant because we think we know that Pochettino is directly inspired by Bielsa – as we tick off the high pressing and fluid movementboxes from the checklist – blinded to the remainder of the checklist due to our ignorance.

It’s unlikely that the Southampton manager will ask teenage boys to climb trees near the opposition’s training ground and spy on the upcoming opponents (reminder: “El Loco” isn’t a nickname to take lightly) but, by comparing how the two set up with their positional systems and look to build up out from the back, we can draw a more meaningful comparison.

Bielsa’s preferred approach is one that looks to overload the defensive third with his ‘spare-man philosophy’ when in possession and in the final third Bielsa is known to employ an un enganche y tres punta (one playmaker and three forwards) system. The former Chile and Athletic Bilbao tactician also looked to cut the time taken in transition (the time in between the two formations – (1) defensive and (2) attacking), an idea that Pep Guardiola took from Bielsa (who Guardiola called “the best manager in the world” – 2012) and implemented at Barcelona.

 

Therefore by analysing Bielsa’s two positional systems and comparing the outcomes to Southampton’s approach vs. Sunderland from this weekend, we can begin to understand how his high pressing methods are applied, how he treats particular areas of the field and just how Bielsa cuts the transitional times down to the minimum. The following images are the author’s own analysis from two different games: Malaga vs. Athletic Bilbao (September 2011) and an international fixture with Chile in 2010 – both are examples where Bielsa employed near identical positional systems. While Bielsa also employed a formation with four defenders (leaving two at the back as the team pushes forward), Bielsa’s principles are better portrayed by explaining his 3-3-1-3 formation“As you will be aware, during a game, FC Barcelona tend to excel when in ‘transition’. However, La Masia coach Sergi Domenech informed me that FC Barcelona try to avoid playing in transition. FC Barcelona see transition as time lost. FC Barcelona are either attacking or defending and are not in transition.”

 

 

Gareth Richards, youth team football manager – reference 1

MARCELO BIELSA (CHILE 2010)

BIELSA IN-POSSESSION FORM: 3-6-1 (central overloads and attacking 1 vs. 1’s) vs. 4-4-2 formation. This formation was also used as the high-pressing positional systems when immediately out of possession (the defensive transition).

Source: own image. Jed Davies’ interpretation of Bielsa’s attacking set up for Chile 2010. Image supported with notes related to annotations

Notes taken from the author’s own document

DEFENSIVE TRANSITION: THE HIGH PRESSING GAME

• Three pressing players with an attacking midfielder. This means that the wide midfielder should look to cover in central midfield until the number ten can fall back into the defensive block from the attacking form. Bielsa is a big believer in winning the ball high up the field and therefore will press aggressively for the majority of the opponent’s possession in their own half, before falling back – it is therefore important that the pressing trio and their immediate support/cover are proactively positioned before they even lose the ball
• Pressing triggers apply when the ball enters the middle third. In the opponents first third, the triggers are instead a matter of being well positioned – if the players are there, then pressing to win the ball is applied. In the central third pressing may be used as a way of delaying the opponents, as Bielsa’s team fall back into the defensive block
• High tempo patterned movement is the cornerstone to Bielsa’s high pressing approach – high levels of football fitness are imperative

BIELSA OUT-OF-POSSESSION FORM

5-3-2 (imbalanced for delays) vs. 4-4-2 formation. Note the number of vertical passing options for when the ball is won (the attacking transition) – achieves options on both wings and offers two angles on the half way line at a minimum. 

Source: own image. Jed Davies’ interpretation of Bielsa’s defensive set up for Chile 2010. Image supported with notes related to annotations

Notes taken from the author’s own document

ATTACKING TRANSITION: THE FAST TRANSITIONS AND SUPPORT

• The central forward and attacking winger are key players in the fast transition moments. These players should be immediately supported by the midfield’s movements, and only if these components are in play should the fast vertical transitional passes be played long and flat to feet.
• The central forward and attacking winger should look to work with the pattern of fast five to eight yard sprints, away from their defenders, and work in pairs so that their movement is complimentary
• Should the attacking winger or attacker be one of the two players involved in winning the ball back when in a defensive block, the immediate option has to be to find a way of playing out of trouble and looking to build and probe through the central overloads
• The vertical balls thereafter may be to either winger or any advanced player who has found space and has immediate support – where a short passing and possession mentality will be kept.
• The whole pitch is to be used while in possession.

AN IDENTICAL 3-3-1-3 SYSTEM vs. MALAGA (September, 2011)

Possession formation: Muniain falls back into the midfield central trio in defence, before joining in as a late arriving player in the attacking areas – finding himself space centrally. The flanking attackers would also be expected to take part in the deep defensive block – but in the high block, the same pressing principles apply as in Chile 2010.

Bielsa’s approach really does come down to the details in his approach and his obsessive approach to details overarch every aspect of his philosophy – he even explains every aspect of play to his players as they have to sit through hours of analysis and try to grasp each detail Bielsa throws at them.

 

 There are 36 different forms of communicating through a pass.

 

Marcelo Bielsa

 

 

At first he seems tough and he may even annoy you with his persistence and don’t-take-no-for-an-answer resilience, but in the end he is a genius.

 

Former Athletic Bilbao Striker, Fernando Llorente

 

 

 

MAURICIO POCHETTINO, Southampton FC

POCHETTINO IN-POSSESSION FORM vs. Sunderland (24th August 2013): 2-4-1-3 vs. 4-4-1-1 formation. This formation was also used as the high-pressing positional systems when immediately out of possession (the defensive transition).

DEFENSIVE TRANSITION: THE HIGH PRESSING GAME

• High pressure while still in the attacking form.
• The front four players are expected to immediately press upon losing the ball. Nearest man presses, next two support the pressing player, while team mates further back look to cover.
• Full-backs are the first to drop back and pressure is a mixture between pressure to delay and pressure to win the ball.

POCHETTINO OUT-OF-POSSESSION FORM vs. Sunderland (24th August 2013): Deep block

Lines detail the relationship of ‘in-possession’ positions

ATTACKING TRANSITION: THE FAST TRANSITIONS AND SUPPORT

• Rodriguez/Osvaldo were often the last to drop back into the defensive block. Enabling Southampton to play on the counter attack should the ball be won (when Rodriguez/Osvaldo hadn’t yet dropped back).
• It wasn’t often that Southampton had to fall back into their defensive shape given their high percentage of possession.

CONCLUSION

The attacking changes in the second half brought Pochettino’s Bielsa-like methods to life through positional play and the fluidity of the attack. Like Bielsa, Pochettino employed three principles: always have at least one man spare when building up from the back, play many vertical balls, rather than just side-to-side possession when building up from the back or through the middle and an identical shape (to Bielsa’s preferred formation) in the final third, comprising of an attacking midfielder and three players ahead of him (un enganche y tres punta).

Southampton’s 67% possession is by no means a product of having better players alone, the positional systems that both Bielsa and Pochettino employ allow for overloads in advanced areas – resulting in the opposition playing a deeper defensive block. While the four moments discussed in this article are intriguing, it was the fifth moment of the game (set pieces) that produced both the goals in the match.

Like Bielsa, Pochettino isn’t afraid to set his team up for the crossing game because he knows he can get players in the box through his positional system. Against Sunderland, Southampton made 27 crosses and had a high 37% cross completion rate for the high number of crosses (a 25% cross completion rate is generally considered to be good – Ward-Prowse put in 7 accurate crosses from 14 attempts, mostly in the first-half). Southampton also played 56 accurate long passes (from the 77 attempted) in the game which showed that Pochettino’s approach to vertical passes is different from other possession-based teams in the league; Arsenal, for example, only made 37 accurate long passes (from 54 attempts) against Fulham on the same day of Premier League action – in fact, no other team in these first two weeks of the Premier League has played more long balls than Southampton against Sunderland, apart from, Southampton themselves, against West Brom in their opening fixture; in that game, they attempted 83 long passes. These aren’t long balls pumped up field, they’re Bielsa inspired vertical passes, or “fast transitional passes” which statistically have been recognised as long passes.

Mauricio Pochettino has certainly been inspired by the genius of Bielsa and the half time changes show that like Bielsa, Southampton’s manager isn’t afraid to experiment and try new things. The total fluid positional inter-exchanges between the front four is certainly unique to the Premier League at the moment and I can’t remember the last time I had so much trouble trying to figure out who was playing where in the final third! Lambert dropped deep, picked up the ball out wide on both flanks and played as a central figurehead in the front four – as did all four other players.

There is no doubt about it, Mauricio Pochettino has been influenced by all aspects of Marcelo Bielsa’s philosophy of play – far beyond just the pressing approach. We may never see Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League, so it’s about time we all started to enjoy the closest thing we will get to him: Mauricio Pochettino.

REFERENCES

Gareth Richards’ quote from a personal interview for my upcoming book. Richards is a former Chester Football Club Development Manager who was invited to spend some time to study Barcelona’s La Masia as well as spending some time at Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Espanyol.

 

[Michel Kane]

[Zizouz]

 

 

The level of detail that goes into games still, to this day, amazes me.

Every player has his own script, what to do, when to do it, information on the player he's up against...We memorise every single set piece, where we have to stand, run and end up.

We even memorise this for the other players so we know where everyone else will be at any given time. “You know that pass when you say to yourself: ‘How did he spot that?’

Often he didn't need to; he knew the player would be there because, the night before in the hotel, he read about the runs he would be making.

It's exactly the same pass after which sometimes you might find yourself saying: ‘Who was that to?’ The receiving player either forgot to be there or was taken out of the game by a tactical manoeuvre by his opposite number. Football at this level is very chess-like, maybe not to those outside of football but certainly to those inside.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jan/29/secret-footballer-andy-gray-pundits

 

excerpt from the secret footballer 

[Agony]

Guardiola – The Architect of the Future Game

Guardiola's philosophy is shaping football's future

The clash between Man City and Bayern in the Champions League was billed as the biggest test of Guardiola's Bayern career so far. It looked easy and he passed with flying colours. There we no signs of the 'emotionless' style of football which Matthias Sammer has accused Bayern of playing this season. Bayern’s success over City was so impressive and while this does not represent success, this will be judged by next May, what it did prove was that Guardiola is the most visionary and progressive coach in the game today.

The future game

Guardiola's task to evolve a team who had broken records last season and played in a manner which many believed was not possible to improve was never going to be an easy task. The expectations on him was not only to defend the Champions League but improve on the performances and style. After watching Bayern dominate Pellegrini's star studded Manchester City many are left in little doubt to the brilliance of Pep Guardiola.

In the aftermath of Wednesday nights game there were some who said it was impossible to dissect and analyse Guardiola’s sides performance. For some it was such poetry in motion that to attempt to understand it and learn from it was almost futile. How ridiculous!

My advice - get your notebooks out, watch intently and make copious notes. Because Guardiola is giving an education in the future game.

Bayern’s performance was as brilliant as City’s was abysmal. It was almost the Champions League version of City vs United just a few weeks ago. Yet unlike Moyes being taught a lesson about the modern game and fluid systems it was Pellegrini on the receiving end this time. The hierarchy of coaches was very much highlighted in these two games.

Great sides make good teams look average and Bayern made City look distinctly mediocre. The reason is simple (yet complex), yes Pellegrini has ‘years’ over Guardiola in terms of management and coaching yet he comes nowhere near his ideas and progressive approach to the game. With Bayern Guardiola has the ability to teach us about the future game. In fact in many ways he is defining and writing the future game himself.

Totalfootball's constant influence

Arrigo Sacchi prophesied the future game to be one of universality. For him the future game will require interchangeable footballers capable of operating wherever required. Sacchi, one of Italy’s, or football's best ever coaches, believes the game of the future will require positional freedom and variability. He believes ‘universal players’ are the future of the game.

Sacchi believes that fixed position specific players (outfield) will become redundant in a game which needs and promotes rotation and fluidity. This trend did not look likely during the 2000’s, where the game become obsessed with ‘specialists’. Yet it is evident that this new decade is one of ‘fluidity’ and universality.

Sacchi’s prophecy has come true thanks to Pep Guardiola. This is no surprise when you consider the cultural influence and philosophical grounding which Guardiola received. As a player he was educated under the totalfootball philosophy of Cruyff and witnessed the might of Sacchi’s Milan side win back to back European Cups. He won the European Cup under Cruyff in 1992 yet was overcome by the same Milan (under Capello) in a 4-0 European Cup defeat in 1994. That loss ended Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ and for some perhaps totalfootball.

Post 1994 to 2005 football was dominated by ‘pragmatic’ coaches, men who believed in fixed and rigid systems. Fluidity was not the key for coaches like Capello, Lippi, Ferguson, Hitzfeld, Mourinho, Benitez or even Del Bosque. These were the dominant coaches of the late 90’s and 2000’s.

There was perhaps one exception, and that was Arsene Wenger whose philosophies were seeped in the methods of Michels, Sacchi and Cruyff (the fact he never succeeded in winning the Champions League may be a reason as to why he doesn't the credit of being a 'great' like others).

Yet Sacchi and Cruyff's philosophies had not died, they had influenced a new era of coaches who would seek to create what they had produced.

Football's new era

In 2003 a new style was emerging in particular at Barcelona where under Frank Rijkaard the team was emerging as a serious entity in Europe. With Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Deco the team were full of flair and creativity. It was a different style to what was dominant at this time and it began to ‘work’ and breed success. Arsenal had brought the philosophy to England and prospered from it. Yet Barcelona would take it to the next level. It was fitting that these two sides squared off in 2006, symbolic of the new era bearing fruit.

When Luis Aragones took Spain to European Championship success in 2008 it was evident that the new era had blossomed. Twenty years after Cruyff had laid down his vision for the future of the club it was coming to fruition.

What Barcelona needed to take it further, what Sacchi and Cruyff desired, was a man to make that dream come true. They needed a visionary to make their dream of universality real. And they found him in Pep Guardiola. It took 15 years to have a protégée and product of those two visionaries men of the late 80’s and 90’s to continue their vision and in Guardiola they had found him.

Guardiola's rise to football genius

At Barca Guardiola knocked Mourinho off his perch as the ‘modern coach’. He brought a new energy and ideas to Barcelona. He took and enhanced the philosophies of totalfootball already laid at Barcelona and took them further. Importantly he succeeded. Not only succeeded, dominated.

Due to their success and dominance Barcelona became a new blueprint for the modern game. The physicality and strength of the past decade was now seen as slow and rigid against a style of football which was sharp, quick and frighteningly efficient.

In choosing Guardiola over Mourinho Barcelona not only helped themselves but helped football’s future. Mourinho would not have achieved what Guardiola did in terms of style. He would not have brought out the skill and quality in Messi, he would not have used a false nine but more likely brought Drogba to the Camp Nou. It is not to say he wouldn’t have been successful but he would not have influenced football like Guardiola, the visionary did.

Now of course Guardiola, like most visionaries and revolutionaries took the philosophy to new levels, of which the players and team struggled. He sought near complete universality yet instead struggled to find the right players and system. Cruyff’s 3-4-3 became his desire yet he could not perfect it and ultimately the stress of being a revolutionary took its toll on him.

However Guardiola’s Barcelona pointed to the future and made many coaches and players seek to replicate their philosophy (this happened across all levels). This is what revolutionists achieve, they inspire and educate a new way of being and ultimately dictate where the future is going.

The perfect project for a visionary

Enter Bayern Munich.

Of all the opportunities to continue his vision Bayern was the perfect fit for him. A club whose past decade was one of evolution and flux in terms of style and philosophy was, just like Barca in 2008 seeking a revolutionary to take it further.

Klinsmann attempted to make them more 'English' with high tempo football. Van Gaal brought the Dutch attacking philosophy to the side, Heynckes brought the key defensive organisation and structure and Sammer added the intensity and mindset which the players and team needed.

A complete team, built over many years, consisting of home grown talent (built on the new German model) along with world class players was evidenly a well planned out and successful model. German efficiency in action once again.

Three Champions League finals in four years was somewhat ignored because of Barca’s dominance yet what in fact was happening was that Bayern were building a machine which offered the keys to the future game.

After such a dominant and successful year in which the team played a style very much in-line with the ‘modern game’ (4-2-3-1 with a double pivot, inside forwards and a strong ‘complete’forward) the club now wanted to make this team the ‘future’.

Enter Pep Guardiola.

Many were sceptical of what he would do and achieve at Bayern (and it is still early days remember). For many how could you improve on what they did last year. In terms of results perhaps it was not possible. But in terms of style, performance and ‘legacy’ the team could be enhanced.

To bring in the most visionary coach of the 21st century was the obvious solution to what Bayern wanted to achieve. They wanted to be what Barca were these past several years, successful yes, but more than that, they wanted to be iconic.

Some wondered if Guardiola would take a radical approach to the job or would he be more conservative and use what was so successful before. Those who thought the latter do not know Guardiola. Totalfootball is in his blood and his style and beliefs are evident because of this. It is almost like a religion for him. Because of this it was clear he would seek to mould Bayern in his philosophy.

Based on what Bayern have achieved so far and most notably against City he has worked his visionary magic and taken Bayern from ‘modern’ to ‘future’ in 100 days.

The need to be fluid and master space

What has he done? Well he sees the game in terms of dominating possession and mastering space. For him this is the key to football. This is why he seeks to flood and dominate his midfield areas. Yet it is not only a matter of numbers but of types and personalities.

For him the key to his style being effective is to use players with great football intelligence. Hence the emergence of Phillip Lahm in the middle of midfield.

For many he is the world’s best full back, yet for Guardiola he is a football genius, the most intelligent player he has ever worked with (some compliment when you consider Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and Messi). Therefore why put a player with such knowledge on the wings, this is a player who needs to play centrally and be a major part of the nucleus of the side.

Many thought it was foolish to move Lahm around, unnecessary and problematic. Yet for a visionary like Guardiola it is not foolish but logical. What he is teaching us is that the future game is all about intelligence. Because intelligence is required to master a world of universality.

Reactive players will not work in the future, the skills of anticipation and perception as well as mastering space and time will become the hallmark of the future game.

When you consider these elements you see Guardiola as a player and after him you see the genius of Scholes whose value was never truly appreciated in the era he played in (at least by his own nation). Scholes in his prime now would be simply mesmerising because he understands and masters these key elements of the ‘future game’.

(Are we paying attention English coaches?! - We need to plan and prepare for the future game by developing young players with the required skills to adapt to football's evolution.)

The perfect mix

It appeared that the vision at Barcelona fell short of his overall vision, yet at Bayern Guardiola has been given another chance with arguably a greater and varied side. Bayern’s owners appear to have got what they wished for, not only positive results but a man who will make them iconic.

Bayern personify the future game and its needs. A mix of physical athletes with strength, skill, speed and intelligence is the ‘perfect mix’. Looking at his setup it is clear that he sees the game going to where many have prophesied before; a 2-8-0 formation. To put it clearer it is more like a 2-3-5.

The positions of the centre backs are relatively fixed (though expect forward runs from his CB's as the season progresses) as too the single pivot in midfield. Yet in front of them the game is fluid and universal. Out wide are modern ‘wing backs’ yet as we saw these rotate. The midfield is constant flux and fluidity which makes it almost impossible to track.

The style necessitates players who can retain possession with quick combination play yet because the idea is to have several players around the ball to dominate possession the advantage is also there in transition when the ball is lost as there are 4/5 players who are capable of pressing and closing the player and ball down.

This style overwhelms and suffocates the opposition and makes it extremely difficult to find spaces through. It ends up reducing good teams into rushed and mediocre ones. Like 'good' sides did against Barca they often end up hitting hopeful long balls to their forwards in fits of desperation.

Now of course Guardiola’s style has meant the inevitable evolution of a reactive style, one which seeks to overcome ‘tiki-taka’. This is where counter-pressing has emerged through ‘reactive’ coaches like Klopp, Simeone and Mourinho. The style works and offers much in terms of success and nullifying ‘tiki-taka’ like Herrara’s Inter when they sought to nullify totalfootball with catenaccio in the 1960's.

However counter pressing is not revolutionary or visionary but merely a reactive negation to overcome the revolution which is totalfootball & Guardiola's style.

A true visionary and philosopher of the game

Based on what Guardiola has achieved in his time in management it is evident that he is the most ‘visionary’ coach and thinker of his generation. His education in football as a player and coach has given him the cultural exposure and indoctrination to become the new proponent and revolutionary of the totalfootball philosophy.

From MIchels to Cruyff to Saachi and now Guardiola football’s cycles are often bred of visionary or reactive coaches. In Guardiola we have a true visionary and we should be looking to dissect and learn from this great of football.

His lesson is clear, this kind of style emerges after years of redefining the style and philosophy as Barca and Bayern have proven. It also comes from having and developing ‘great’ players too, players suited with the skills necessary for the modern game.

What Guardiola is showing us as coaches and students of the game is that the future of football is not fixed but fluid. A world of universality is where we are going and this because Guardiola is taking us there. Through his success his style then becomes the blueprint for the future, which makes him not only a visionary but a teacher.

Guardiola is one of the deepest thinkers and students of the game who has now become a teacher and philosopher of its future.So instead of watching in awe at Bayern we should be taking notes and learning, analysing and dissecting his team and players.

As for Guardiola, no wonder he has aged so quickly, he has the future of football on his shoulders.

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

 

http://whitehouseaddress.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/guardiola-architect-of-future-game.html

 

[Michel Kane]

Pep >>>

/

Football philosophy - Stick to the plan

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great festive break!

I think I'm just about recovering from the amount games and travelling! Five games in five days over last weekend, taking in League Two, Blue Square Premier, the Championship and the Premier League. You can't get any better than that, but I'm now paying the price!

There's been a lot of focus on Steve Kean recently. I have no idea how it's going to turn out there, I have no idea about him as a manager as it's far too early and he's only just started, but it amazes me how people make assumptions on the ability of someone before they've even done anything, even at the expense of hurting the club that they support.

From the word go, Kean has been targeted by the home fans. I can't remember one time when he's had there support, but what I do know is, once it starts everyone jumps on the band wagon, fans, press and the general public.

Suddenly because it's written in a paper, talked about on the radio and on message boards, we all have an educated opinion about it! Ludicrous!! I scratch my head and wonder why people can't think for themselves and instead just herd around on the opinions of others?

Fighting against their own fans

Obviously, Blackburn are where they are, it's not good enough, but there are reasons, not excuses, why they've had a poor campaign. Losing key players and injuries for one - and of course they've had to fight against there own fans.

Time will tell if he's a good manager, but looking from the outside-in, all I can say from what I know is that in spite of all that's been thrown at him, he's handled himself in public unbelievably well - and I know many a manager who would have long broken by now and said things they may have regretted.

Football for me, is so much an illusion. Everyone has a strong opinion about it, what a manager has or hasn't, style's of play, good enough or not, yet the reality is very few have enough information to make the statements that they make.

So what you get is flippant, thoughtless remarks and statements, picked up and generated by the media, press, tv and radio.

I used to live up in Stoke as a kid and I go back regularly. On my last visit back in November I was absolutely amazed to hear the response from Stoke fans about there manager. It was laughable.

My Dad still lives up there and had prepped me on the reaction from the fans and how they were turning on Tony Pulis, and this not for the first time. It was the most amazing thing I've heard in a long time.

No one paid any notice to their chants

This from a lot of people around Stoke after a poor run in October and early November, 'He's lost the plot, he's got to go, he's no good, we've had enough, long ball, blah blah blah'. Well, not for the first time but it's a good job no one paid any notice to their chants.

Where are they now? And what has he done for that club? In the Premier League, and not just in, an established Premier League team, FA Cup finalists and Europa League.

What's the stat? If Alex Ferguson was manager at Chelsea under Abramovich he'd have been sacked 12 times by now. Something silly like that.

As this piece is geared toward coaches, what are the lessons that I take from this? I guess the recent run at Dagenham and Redbridge sums it up. They've had a terrible start to the season, bottom of the league, poor form, and of course everyone quick to give their expert and educated verdict on where they'll finish (in October!).

Well, they've a top manager in John Still, they've continued to work at their game plan (finding consistency), no major changes (consistency), they've built on the great team spirit and along the way the manager has plucked another gem of a player out from nowhere.

Changing their tune

The recent result, unbeaten in five with a huge win over big spending Gillingham and Barnet, an FA Cup game against Millwall and out of the drop zone. There's still a long way to go but isn't it funny how people start changing their tune?

So for me, it always comes back to the philosophy.

Whatever it is, stick to it. I write this as much for me as anyone else. As we know in football everyone has an opinion and we also know most people's general opinions are not there own.

History will tell us that staying composed and sticking to the plan is the most important thing.

There are so many examples of great managers and head coaches in all sports who have gone through the same thing, and one of the reasons they are great is because of this.

One of those is Bill Walsh, who is considered was one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history. When he took over at the San Francisco 49ers his record in his first season was 2-14.

Fans opinion

Halfway through the next season, and by then they had only won five and lost 21, it was the worst in the NFL. The President of the 49ers gave him time to build despite the fans opinion.

With Bill Walsh in charge they went on to win five Super Bowls in 14 years, ranking among the great achievements in sports history.

Along the way he completely changed the image of that organisation into one of the most elite outfits in the US.

Bill Walsh has a very clear philosophy, his Standard of Performance (as he called it) and during those very early days that was exactly what he focused and relied upon when there team was the laughing stock of the country. That is what is most important!

And with that early record it amuses me to think of what all those radio stations, reporters and fans would be saying about Bill Walsh? And I also wonder if he'd been given the time if managing in England today with that kind of start?

By Anthony Hudson

[Agony]

[Agony]

@14:21, shots fired @ Stoke

[Agony]

Team Focus: Everton Enjoying Changes Under Martínez

by Miguel Delaney at Thursday, Oct 31 2013 16:37

Given the near impossible job that David Moyes was offered in May, it’s consequently been much easier to overlook the extent of change his former club have experienced. Make no mistake, were this any other season, Everton’s adjustment would have been one of the stories of the early part of the 2013-14 campaign. When you think about it, how often do you see a modern club change manager after a 11 years, only to go for someone completely different?

The immense scale of the changes at Manchester United have rendered it almost irrelevant. So, however, has Roberto Martinez.

His immediate impact has been hugely impressive, to the point it’s easy to forget the club are in a process of transition. Rather than stumble after the loss of a genuine Goodison Park legend, Everton have strode forwards. Their 18 points from nine games is the club’s best start to a season since 2004-05, when they had claimed 19 at the same stage.

That has raised the early question, however, as to what exactly Martinez has changed so far. In order to keep the club this steady, did the Spaniard merely build on what Moyes put in place, or is a new approach finally freeing the players? Has Martinez just added a touch more self-expression to a solid system, or is it much more expansive than that? Are the longer-serving players maintaining a higher level, or is it just a case of two specific loan signings - Romelu Lukaku and Gareth Barry - temporarily filling gaps?

One thing is certain. In the long term, Martinez undeniably has a different football philosophy to Moyes. Whereas the Spaniard has always attempted to push limits and expand regardless of the club, the Scot has consistently accepted barriers and worked within them. Many Everton players have elaborated on this:

Seamus Coleman: “Roberto Martinez has come in and I’m sure you see that we play from the back a bit more... everyone enjoys being on the ball.”

Johnny Heitinga: “During training we do everything with the ball, much is being done with playmaking.”

Although Everton’s play has occasionally felt a little staccato, the stats undisputedly reinforce these views. Even if the caveat is that there are just nine games gone and it is still so early in the season, there is significant evidence they are starting to transform. Everton play the ball much more, and in a greater variety of ways.

Martinez’s side are playing far more short passes per game - a 29% increase from 2011-12, as they have leapt from 348 to 449. That has inevitably led to a greater share of possession, going from 48% to 57.1% since 2011-12, but more interestingly seen a superior completion rate - 77.3% to 83.7%. So, despite playing so many more passes, they are executing them better. Moreover, Everton are crossing the ball slightly less. It all points to a greater confidence on the ball, which is also reflected in a huge leap in terms of dribbles per game - 4.5 to 13.8.

Kevin Mirallas has gushed about this aspect. “Every day I have spoken with him and it’s helped my confidence.” This is not to say Martinez has completely dispensed with all previous qualities. Everton are prepared to mix it with the same amount of long balls, and the manager has clearly realised the qualities of Leighton Baines. Despite the fact they are passing the ball around more, the majority of the side’s attacks still come down that left side, with the figure staying around 40%.

It does also seem that certain signings have facilitated all this - but not just Lukaku, even if he has undeniably offered the prolific scoring to give all of this greater end product. Barry has been key to the greater possession, illustrating a huge jump in the player with the most passes per game from 49.6 to 73.4, while both he and James McCarthy have clearly been sticking their feet in with more tackles.

These stats still do not stop all the questions regarding Martinez. It remains to be seen whether, over time, his attitude to attack will diminish Everton’s durable defence. He also has far bigger tests to pass, most obviously maintaining this level until the end of the season. So far, though, passing the ball more has made it that much easier.

 

http://www.whoscored.com/Blog/ylj2mribpke-zxmradqyhw/Show/Team-Focus-Can-Martinezs-Everton-Maintain-Their-Early-Season-Form

 

[Michel Kane]

Whether we realise it or not, we have well and truly arrived in the modern football era. The same game we all grew up loving has evolved from the beautiful game into a global business. The football climate throughout the world has changed in so many ways, most notably within the last five years.

 

Worldwide media follow the game 24/7, with hundreds of websites and TV stations tracking the moves of every team, both on and off the pitch. Fans, with the help of social media outlets, are now stakeholders whose opinions have a voice. Financial rewards have multiplied and consequently spiralled out of control with colossal transfer fees, contracts, and endorsements. 

 

This has generated a society that demands success so the pressure on everyone within the game is immense. The biggest change however, is within the players themselves.

 

Today’s performers are elite athletes who, with the help of having access to the best in Sport Science and training facilities, are faster, stronger, more powerful and tactically aware than ever before. The modern professional game is played at a frightening mix of speed and quality; these changes are consequently spiralling down and beginning to affect every level of the sport. 

 

With so many changes in the game, the demands on coaches have increased significantly. Years ago, the coach was the boss, who ruled by authority along with a certain amount of fear. It could be argued that Sir Alex Feguson was the last successful prototype of this type of manager.

 

Today’s coaches must be multi-functional, and be equally competent as a manager, tactician, trainer, psychologist, physiologist, and sometimes even a counsellor.  You simply cannot coach the same way as you did ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago for a number of reasons.

 

With physical advances, the game is now faster and played at a greater speed. This has had a knock-on effect tactically and technically. With the game played at a quicker pace, players have less time on the ball and have to make quicker decisions in and out of possession. Mental qualities like concentration, confidence, and temperament are now vital requirements in order to be a top player.

 

As a result of all these changes, the type of training the game demands has altered tremendously. If players’ abilities are tested within four dimensions of a game (technically, physically, mentally, and tactically), then training exercises should be designed to do the same. Today’s training is about connecting the session to the game and developing winning habits.

 

Gruelling fitness sessions that centre only on the single physical dimension are now outdated. ‘Walk through’ or ‘shadow play’ practices that focus on simply tactical scenarios have also been made largely redundant. In order to meet the demands of the game today, all training must replicate game stimuli and therefore incorporate the four dimensions required. Sessions have to be game related, with a focus on high tempo so that the players can see the connection between the practice field and the game.

 

Another area that has changed in the modern era is how players are managed. In today’s game, old methods of motivation and communication like yelling and screaming are guaranteed to have limited effect. It can almost be demotivation in action.

 

If you want to be successful in the current climate, the modern coach must be partners with their players and sell their vision every day. Manuel Pellegrini will not get the best out of Joe Hart this season if he simple leaves him out of the squad and brings him back three weeks later. Players today need to understand the coach is working with them and not against them.

 

A coach who can cultivate high standards and a winning culture in their team, will have a huge chance of success. Whether you are dealing with multi-millionaire Champions League players or youth players, you must be able to connect and communicate.

 

With the Premier League season only three months old, there have already been two coaching casualties, and both for the same reasons. Paolo Di Canio and Ian Holloway both paid the price for similar reasons. ‘Losing the dressing room’ is fundamentally translated to the team’s failure to buy into the methods or philosophies of their coach.

 

If the players do not see value in the sessions, the coach’s ability to influence the team will be almost non-existent. It is not about being friends with the players, or even being popular, but the top coaches must communicate with the players constantly and earn credibility with their honesty.

 

So the question for coaches in the modern game is centred on how you will evolve with your training and methods to create ‘buy in’ from your players and achieve the requisite performances when they matter. Doing what was done yesterday, or doing it 5% better is no longer a formula for success.

 

To adapt this change, coaches must make it meaningful for the players. It has to be about a philosophy over results. Teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund are prime examples of this vision. Whether it is the first minute of the game, or the last minute, these teams never sacrifice their identity – regardless of the score.

 

The successful coaches in the game today are embracing the revolution. The great Italian coach, Arrigo Sacchi once said, “As long as humanity exists something new will come along – otherwise football dies.”

 

The time is upon us. Top flight coaches like Pep Guardiola, Brendan Rodgers, André Villas-Boas, Jürgen Klopp and José Mourinho are part of a dynamic group who are leading the way in the modern revolution. Don’t let the expensive suits or “special” press conferences fool you. They possess a compendium of coaching, management and leadership qualities that can only be possessed or acquired from a progressive, player centred way of thinking. 

 

It is now up to the rest of the coaching world to try and keep up with them.

 

[Fighting Weight]

I have a lot of Bielsa stuff to post here

 

Despite saying I mean not to I constantly neglect this thread

[Michel Kane]

I have a lot of Bielsa stuff to post here

 

Despite saying I mean not to I constantly neglect this thread

Bielsa >>>>>>

FFS, absolute genius.

Now if his actual MANAGEMENT skills matched his coaching skills.

[Michel Kane]

 

Page from anchellotis book on Milans 3-0 win over united

Soon as this is available in English, instant coppage.

[Fighting Weight]

I have a lot of Bielsa stuff to post here

 

Despite saying I mean not to I constantly neglect this thread

Bielsa >>>>>>

FFS, absolute genius.

Now if his actual MANAGEMENT skills matched his coaching skills.

 

Trust

 

The amount of hugely succesful and respected coaches in their own right who look up to him & his methods tells you the story alone of how brilliant he is

 

 

 

 

 

Page from anchellotis book on Milans 3-0 win over united

Soon as this is available in English, instant coppage.

 

Deffo.

[Sho'Case]

Some useful material posted here, opened up more than 10 links. Too tired to read them now but definitely checking some tomorrow.

 

Kane, what do you use to devise your own session plans?

 

Anybody coaching u11s-u18s?

[Fighting Weight]

I may be coaching u18s in a couple of weeks with any luck

 

Is that the gig you've got atm?

 

/

 

Who gets paid atm (even if it's just travel costs?) it can be hard to get done if you want the experience

[DRC]

I may be coaching u18s in a couple of weeks with any luck

 

Is that the gig you've got atm?

 

/

 

Who gets paid atm (even if it's just travel costs?) it can be hard to get done if you want the experience

 

That's just the industry in general mate

[O Fenomeno]

Portsmouth have roles

[Michel Kane]

Applied for a role with Fulham, they're going to let me know by next week Friday.

Fingers crossed.