Great Coaches...

Within the football world there is a lot of talk of coaches developing a vision and philosophy. Within world football, the best coaches do not necessarily all see or coach the game in the same way- but it is clear that they all have a clear understanding of seeing and coaching the game THEIR way.
Eleanor Roosevelt's seminal quote applies as much to football as it does any other facet of life and provides a good yardstick for the coach to test the universality and rigidity of their football philosophy

By using the game itself as both the starting point and the end point, the coach can develop an approach to the game that takes into account both the objective and subjective elements of football.

In order to be truly successful, one must both have a strong and universal philosophy that will be able to be applied successfully regardless of the players available, opposition faced or other external factors. Concurrently, it must be flexible and adaptable enough to be able to deal with these changing conditions.

In the football context, the 'great minds' are those that have clear, meaningful, applicable and successful vision and philosophy of how the game should be played- regardless of the formation and players they are in charge of or the opposition they are facing.

The next step to be taken is to discuss the 'events', in the football context this can be seen as the formation of both teams, the roles and responsibilities of units on the field, player tasks, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and the opportunities that are present within a specific game or week.

Finally, the individual players and their contribution can be taken into account, the moments of brilliance that can change a result in the blink of an eye.

Pep Guardiola presents an ideal case-study.
Despite his move between leagues and footballing cultures, his clear vision and philosophy of the way in which football is most successfully played is clear. This has not changed. At Bayern Munich he has implemented different formations to those he used at Barcelona, but the overall style remains constant. Finally, he has sought out players that will fit into the style of play he encourages. The purchase of Xavi Alonso was the final step that came at the end of the process and had an immediate impact on the success of the system.

"I have my ideas and I have to convince my players," said Guardiola, whose team dominated possession in both games against Madrid without scoring. "Following this defeat I am even more convinced of my philosophy."

Jurgen Klopp has a very different approach to football. However, he is equally sure in his OWN football philosophy. The key is to have a universal and robust philosophy.

                                                      IDEAS->EVENTS->PEOPLE

                                          PHILOSOPHY-> FORMATIONS-> PLAYERS

Those that do not have a robust philosophy underpinning their choice of formation and tactics run the risk of becoming a coach who is always reactive, chasing the latest trend, sending mixed messages to players and failing to achieve complete buy-in. Further, those that base their formation and tactics around individuals run the even greater risk of alienating the rest of the playing group or being left in a situation wherein they do not have that player at their disposal and the whole system comes unstuck.

                                              
                         

The Coaching Relationship- Surround yourself with QUALITY

“The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary.”  

-Vince Lombardi

The success of a Coach comes not just from their own knowledge, teaching or leadership skills, but also those of the people that surround them in the program and the way in which the complementary skills of all those involved can be harnessed to pull in one direction. Success does not come easy in sport, business or life. Whether the aim of the program you work in is winning games, developing players or a combination of the two, a clear, coherent and collaborative approach from those that drive the program is essential.

 

In any coaching team, it is clear that there must be one person who is ultimately accountable for the outcomes achieved by the team. However, in many cases, this leads to coaches trying to take on too much responsibility for EVERY aspect of the process that they believe leads to success.

 

 

"My model for business is The Beatles.

They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. 

That’s how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people." –Steve Jobs

 

The key is to surround oneself with people that challenge your ideas and push you towards excellence, but do so in a way that does not challenge your authority or status with the playing group. Disagreements over team direction may occur. They must occur away from the playing group. Differing opinions should be dealt with in an honest and open manner with a clear outcome reached and agreed upon.

 

Mutual respect is key. If you do not trust someone within the coaching group enough to carry out their tasks competently and independently when required, they are not the right person for the role.

 

 

Just as developing a culture of excellence and collective accountability for the success of the team amongst the playing group is essential, so too is ensuring that the coaching group (and any support staff) are also firmly committed to the philosophy of the Head Coach. In many respects, it makes sense for Coaches to surround themselves with people that boast a primary skill set that differ but their general approach and philosophy to the game are consistent.

 

Within the coaching landscape, it is extremely rare to find someone who is an expert in terms of all the key aspects of high performance; knowledge, teaching and management. Look at former school teacher Paul Clement working as Carlo Ancellotti’s assistant at Real Madrid, for an example of the manner in which Coaches from different backgrounds can operate in a symbiotic relationship.

 

 

 

Jurgen Klopp says this of Assistant Coach Zeljko Buvac:

"Assistant coach is not the right word," he says. "He is my partner, my friend … my genius-partner. We speak about football for the last 15 years each day … every day … [sometimes] do totally different things. I want to bring this player, he wants the other – everything is OK."

 

Most will know of top level coaches who have made it to the top of the sport with modestor non-playing backgrounds Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Chris Coleman, Andre-Villas Boas, Brendan Rodgers, Carlos Perreira, Arrigo Sacchi, Avram Grant, Brian Kerr are all examples of people reaching the heights of the professional game.  What this shows, is that at ANY level of the game, it is not just initial or intuitive football knowledge, but a willingness to study, learn, improve, work hard and communicate their knowledge that breeds success.

 

“A common mistake among thos who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on the x’s and o’s as compared to time spent learning about people”

- Mike Krzyzewski

 

Being a former player is no guarantee of being a great coach if you do not have the ability to teach and manage. Conversely, being a great teacher or manager will not make you a great coach if you lack football knowledge. Surely then, to provide great coaching, it makes sense for people from different backgrounds to work together to form a coaching relationship that allows them to contribute in their own area of expertise while up-skilling on those areas that are not of the same standard.

 

Being surrounded with those that simply mirror or re-enforce your own skills, or those that lack the ability to add to the success of the team in their own way is of no purpose. A ‘Yes-man’ will be great when things are going well- not nearly so great when times get tough. It is essential to identify gaps in one’s own abilities and to endeavour to work alongside those that will challenge your beliefs and complement your own skill-set while sharing your desire to drive the team forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ‘Numbers Game’- How much do formations REALLY matter?

 

 

More than any other aspect of coaching in Australia over the last few years since the introduction of the National Curriculum, the part that is far too widely debated is the use of  the 4-3-3 system. I’m sure it’s not confined to this country either. What so many seem to have missed the point of, is that the numbers themselves don’t actually matter. No football ‘system’ is going to work if you don’t have football ‘players’.

 

 

"Football is a simple game based on the giving and

taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of

making yourself available to receive a pass.

It is terribly simple." –Bill Shankly

 

Yes, 4-3-3 is used by many of the top Academies in the world; La Masia, Clairefontaine  and the Ajax Academy probably being the most famous examples.

Surely therefore, this is the way to develop the top talent!

What far too many fail to realise is that the formation, particularly during youth development, is nothing more than a vehicle to enhance players technical and tactical understanding of the game. It is the style of play that is encouraged by these institutions that has far more influence on these players. Could players also be taught to play a technically demanding, possession-based, high pressure in transition style while playing 4-4-2 or even 3-5-2? Of course they could.

If 6 and 7 year olds in America can do this, surely we don't need to be seeing defenders taking goal kicks, midfielders being told to hit the channels and strikers being told 'just run'! 

Just look at the professional game. Does a Sam Allardyce coached team play the way they do BECAUSE it is set up in a 4-4-2? Does Arsenal play the way they do BECAUSE they play a 4-3-3? And if formation has a great relevance, how do Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers continue to play in a similar manner whether they employ a 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or a 3-5-2? Pep Guardiola slides between a 4-3-3 and a 3-4-3. Jurgen Klopp plays 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2. The Bayern Munich academy teaches a 4-4-2. In fact, throughout Europe’s top Academies there are a number of formations used.

Read the ECA report on European Academies here

 

Far more important than the formation are the type of players at a coaches disposal, the team chemistry (both natural and engendered), and the playing style. All of these require player buy-in and an understanding of individual roles. Once these have been achieved, the formation should be of little consequence. Far more important than WHERE each player is, is WHAT they are doing. Playing a 4-3-3 does not equal good football, any more than any other formation necessitates bad football.

   

      Formation's popularity come and go in cycles, each in response to the previous one’s perceived  strengths and weaknesses.

 

In Australia, far too many coaches have missed the point of the Curriculum, especially at the youth level. It isn’t about the 4-3-3. It is about developing footballers. Playing a 4-3-3 won’t make your players any more adept for elite football than a 4-4-2, 3-5-2 or any other formation you can imagine (read inverting the pyramid) if they are not being taught to be technically proficient, play with both feet, treasure possession, play in tight areas and see the right pass at the right time. The formation you play shouldn’t affect players ability to make the pitch big in possession, create angles, play with width and depth, find space between lines, play killer passes, take on opponents 1v1 at appropriate times, recycle possession, press aggressively, defend as a unit, close passing channels or provide cover and balance. Time for all these things to be the focus and stop worrying about how many triangles your particular formation creates on a whiteboard.

After all, if all your team are doing is defending then going aimlessly long early, you may as well set up as a 5-0-5.     

Youth Development: Professional Coaching in the Amateur Environment

Whether you are a youth football coach at a local grassroots club or in the Academy of a major football powerhouse, the role of the professional coach remains the same: achieve the maximum amount of improvement and performance from a player as possible while they are under your guidance.

No matter the environment in which you are coaching, the most important attribute you can have is a desire for self-improvement and improving those around you.

To be a professional coach, you must be a successful coach. To be a successful coach takes far more than attending a course, watching hundreds of games or having pretty session plans. It takes far more that just mean winning. It means educating, motivating, inspiring and facilitating players to push their own boundaries and improve to a greater degree than they could have done under anyone else’s tutelage. Anyone can win with all the best players. Far more challenging is to have every player achieve to the height of their potential.

Quality coaches working in quality programs can drive a cultural shift within any football environment. Coaches are the key link between the club and the player and should be seen as one any clubs most prized assets. The standards, expectations and behaviours of the coach should reflect those that are expected of the players. Once this is achieved, the football will look after itself.

Being a ‘professional’ coach means holding oneself to a higher standard than an ‘amateur’ coach, and being comfortable that others will do the same.

 

 

“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to

be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.”

- Mark Caine

 

 

Cultural Change: Treat players and parents in the same way you would if you were a youth coach at a professional club. The standard of the football may not be the same, but that doesn’t mean players shouldn’t look like footballers, behave like footballers and train like footballers. Being on time, dressed appropriately, respectful of coaches and a strong desire to improve aren’t just characteristics of the elite.

 

Coach Behaviour: Regardless of the players, every session should be conducted like you are being assessed. Arrive early, be setup before players arrive, have a clear plan of the topic you are covering and how you will do it and make sure the key the points of the session are conveyed precisely and concisely.

 

High Expectations: Not every player can be the best, but they can be their best. Don’t expect or accept that players cannot achieve a higher level of performance.  Constantly challenge players to be better- then show them how to be.

 

High Standards: Don’t compromise you own standards. The standard of player you are working with doesn’t impact the standard of person they are. Set the standards off the pitch that you feel are acceptable and expect the players to reach them. If you’re not prepared to do it yourself- don’t expect it of them.

 

High Performance begins with the Coach

 

 

‘Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect’ –Vince Lombardi

 

In the pursuit of sporting excellence at all levels, it is not only the players, but also the coaching staff that must constantly strive for improvement in both performance and results. Just as is the case with players, the hard work is often done long before the spotlight is focussed on game day. Preparation is not solely done in the change room prior to kick off, nor is it done just in the days or even weeks preceding.

Attaining consistent, high quality performance and results requires leadership from an individual who not only possesses the specific football knowledge required to equip players with the necessary technical and tactical proficiency. They must also have the ability to teach those skills in a manner in which knowledge transfer is optimised and the leadership to ensure that a positive and collective culture of excellence is both attained and maintained.

It is critically important that any coach is able to self-reflect on their own strengths, weaknesses and capabilities and seek to fill gaps in their own competencies through either up-skilling or engaging others in the role of assistants to complement their own assets. Ideally, in the search for coaching excellence, it will be a combination of both these options.

The three key attributes of a high performance coach are rarely found in an individual coach and can take many years to develop. This process can be accelerated through critical self-evaluation and constantly striving for ‘perfect’.

 

 

Football Knowledge:

‘There is no right and wrong. The game is always changing. Never stop learning’

 

- Expand your knowledge-base from a wide range of sources and determine if and how it is applicable to your own style and vision.

- Surround yourself with people that will constantly challenge your understanding, beliefs and methods while being confident enough to defend your own philosophy.

- Seek and embrace assistance from those that have greater knowledge in specific areas, then learn from them too.

 

Teaching and Communication:

‘Say what you mean and mean what you say’

 

- View mistakes as stepping stones to achievement and realise your own accountability for the shortcomings of players.

- Employ clear, precise and concise future-oriented instruction utilising question-based learning to ensure knowledge transfer.

-  Promote enjoyment, confidence and individual value in all players regardless of their status in the team or squad.

  

Cultural and Organisational Leadership:

 

‘Ensure everyone is pulling in the same direction’

 

- Achieve player buy-in and accountability through consultation on elements of team development, expectations and player roles and responsibilities.

- Foster intrinsic motivation, both individually and collectively, by encouraging judgement of progress by levels of mastery, improvement and performance rather than focussing purely results.

- Ensure the behaviours of the coaching group reflect the culture you are promoting in the playing group and that everyone in the organisation embraces a collective conscience.