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.
