"Play the ball with a message"
Frank de Boer began his playing career as a left back at Ajax before switching to centre back, a position he made his own for many years in the national team. He won both the UEFA Cup and Champions League while at Ajax. In 1998 both Frank and his twin brother Ronald, joined FC Barcelona for 22 million pounds. However, they were unable to repeat their earlier triumphs. Frank briefly moved to Galatasaray in the summer of 2003 before joining the Rangers in January 2004. He left Rangers in 2004 after Euro 2004 to play the rest of his football career in Qatar with Al-Rayyan. Furthermore, he represented his national team 112 times, making him the most capped player in the history of the Netherlands national team, until Edwin van der Sar surpassed him. De Boer made his debut for the Netherlands in September 1990 against Italy and announced his retirement from football in April 2006.
In 2007 de Boer took up a coaching role at his former club Ajax where he was in charge of the club's youth academy. During the 2010 World Cup, he was the assistant of the Netherlands national football team, with fellow retired player Phillip Cocu. On 6 December 2010, after the resignation of Martin Jol, de Boer was suddenly appointed head coach of Ajax. His first game in charge was a UEFA Champions League match against AC Milan. There he was on the edge of his seat in the dug-out of the immense San Siro stadium. He eagerly directed his team and was continuously making forward movements with his hand, the attacking play worked and de Boer and his team managed to beat AC Milan in their own home.
His debut was in one word overwhelming. In front of the cameras, but most of all on the field. The poor, partially uninspired AC Milan were at times even outplayed on their home soil. The final score was 'only' 0-2, but De Boer and co left behind a great impression on that eighth of December! With Christian Eriksen as a guide on the field and de Boer on the sidelines Ajax entertained football fans around the world with a classic showcase of Ajax football.
De Boer smiles when he is confronted with that evening. Modest as always he reacts: “Yes, it was a beautiful evening, though we're far from not there yet. As a head coach you're mostly looking to the future. It's not just a matter of thinking lets continue with this group. You're already thinking about transfers. Players that want to leave or players that get an offer. So you always need a contingency plan. Another thing that's new for me are all the meetings and consultations; with the medical staff and the general director. With the U19s this was only twice a week. I haven't really talked to the board of directors yet, they showed their support for me when I was first assigned, but they already know me. I have been here for four and a half years.”
After two years with the U13s and two and a half years with the U19s he suddenly became the head coach just before the Champions League match against the Italians. Martin Jol resigned a couple of days before. ”It's not ideal of course”, De Boer admits. ”But on the other hand, there are always different phases. One moment you think you can do it - lets go for it, the next you know it's not all that easy. I might still make mistakes, but I'm in such an important position for a reason. I think I control enough aspects of this job to coach at this level. But I still need to gain a lot of experience. That's logical. And my tasks have changed. I'm not training in the academy anymore, now I must just perform. With the U19s you are stimulated when you are told to hand over your best player to the first or second team. That is the most important thing for that player. Now I'm working with the end product, that's something else.”
Youth coach
At the youth he began with a clean slate. He did everything on feeling. His ideas and exercises came from his years as a top player and as a apprentice under various coaches. For a brief period of time, only a month, he gained some experience as a head coach in Qatar, when the former head coach of Al-Shamal was sacked. “That was nice, yes. I just did the types of training sessions that I believed to be good for the group. Look, if you're 25 or 26 years old, you live more conscious as a football players. You think about your body, you look at the training session, etcetera. Than you save a lot of things on your 'hard disk'. But when I went to Galatasaray in Turkey, I thought; like this anyone can become a coach. I learned nothing from the head coach, Fakim Terim. Except that he came to the training every day in different clothes. Every day, for a half year! Unbelievable.”
"IF YOU HAD TO SPRINT TILL THE CONE, I SPRINTED UNTIL THE CONE AND DIDN'T SLOW DOWNFIVE METERS IN FRONT"
van Gaal
Louis van Gaal was his big example. Ajax won the club world cup in the nineties with Louis van Gaal at the helm. “Wherever he stood, you would noticed that that group was training sharper than the other group. He demanded a lot from the players. I do that too. But that's just in me. I have always,every training, done my absolute best. If you had to sprint till the cone, I sprinted until the cone and didn't slow down five meters in front. Louis is also like that. And besides that you tell the boys that, although they have a professional contract, they aren't there yet. You can always improve.”
Hiddink
De Boer also learned from other trainers. You pick up on details. “Hiddink for example could create a certain atmosphere, whereby everything in the team would fall into place. I read in an interview once with Björn van der Doelen that he, in his time at PSV, always had the feeling he was very important. But he never played. And nevertheless he always had the feeling that he was part of the team. Admirable. That is something intangible in the sub consciousness. Hiddink is a real 'people manager'. From Dutch national team coach Bert van Marwijk, with whom he worked closely the last two years as an assistant, De Boer learned other things. “Van Marwijk is clear and really likes respect. He likes a good preparation, which you must do together. Involving the staff and really thinking about what you're doing.”
Under Van Gaal De Boer did a lot of small sided games like five or six versus three. Something you will see back in the matches, when you repeat it endlessly in training sessions. “We would practice it a thousand times”, laughs De Boer. “It had to become automatic.” De Boer is the same way. With this you get even more efficiency out of passingshooting exercises. Where Martin Jol, his predecessor, saw this as a nice warmingup exercise, with De Boer this is top priority. “First of all I want a rolling ball. Because when the ball is rolling your teammate will start to react. The man off the ball decides. The ball is never dead. At most with a free kick. My strongest point was that I could think three steps ahead as a player. But Van Gaal told me that not everybody was able to do that and that I had to take that into account. That is what I do now.”
Sugar cubes
A number of sugar cubes are positioned on the table by Frank de Boer, he wants to explain why he trains so much on being open to receive the ball between the lines. You do not want to receive the ball between your opponents, but you also do not want to sprint forward to be open to receive the ball. A few steps back and you lose your opponent. If you receive the ball in that position (in between the lines), you simply turn around and you're gone. Jari Litmanen in his Ajax-time was a beautiful example. Although De Boer says that it wasn't practiced in much detail under Van Gaal.
Ajax-school
Everything with a ball. Of course the preparation of a season looks a bit different and than he listens to his conditional trainers. But, de Boer believes sprinting eight times forty meters is more effective with a ball. Than it becomes fun. Remarkably enough De Boer wasn't directly informed of the vision at the academy when he started four years ago. De Boer: ''Look, I of course know the training philosophy at Ajax. Summarized: very demanding, without losing your creativity. A lot of position play with passing- shooting and individual actions. We're very critical on how you play the ball. You must play the ball with a message. At the Dutch national team I can easily see who comes from the Ajax school. Those players pass the ball much harder. Apparently we focus much more on that than at Arsenal, PSV or another club. Further we play in a 4-3-3 system, that's clear. But we can, if needed, also play 3-4-4 or 4-3-3 with the point forward or backward. The Ajax youth doesn't adjust to the opponent, but we do watch where we can get an advantage. We always pressure forward. If you can get a player free by playing with the point backwards, you must do that. Trainers here, at De Toekomst (which means 'the future' and is the name of the Ajax youth academy - ed.), surely don't all have the same exercises, but they do all have the same intention, the same message. You must pass the ball to the correct foot and with the right speed. The right speed doesn't always mean very hard, it can also be a sensitive through pass. That is what they demand from every trainer here.”
De Boer calls the youth academy of Ajax mentally heavy. In the morning players leave their mothers home at seven and they get back in the evening at eight or nine. After school there is a training, the lunch, homework, a training and than homework again. Compare that to the players in the first team, who in principal only train in the morning at ten thirty till eleven thirty. After the lunch they can go home again. During a week when they play on Sunday-Wednesday- Sunday, they train even less. De Boer: “Don't forget: rest is also training. And everywhere, in Scotland, Turkey, Qatar or Spain they do the same. Short, intensive training with full concentration. At Barcelona too. Only we at Ajax always try to get better by the training. That's the difference. Look, you have more training hours than match hours. So take advantage of that. I saw my U19s really make steps forward by training a lot. That's how the automatisms we're trained. Than you can sit more relaxed in the dugout during a match and that is what you want to achieve as a trainer.”
Pedagogy
De Boer got became calmer over time. Where he in his first period sometimes thought that go could yell his U13s to the Champions League final, he with time learned to take a step back. On the other hand, during a training where a hundred balls are passed, he sees it as the ultimate goal to pass them all correctly. If someone isn't concentrated, he has a problem with De Boer. The hardest part for de Boer when training the U13s was knowing what to expect from 13 year olds. De Boer had never received child development training during his education as a coach. De Boer actually believed his education was too short. But on the other hand he adapted quickly. He worked a lot with Jan Old Riekerink, the head of the youth academy at Ajax. They worked on De Boers weaker aspects: being alert and the communication to the group. “If I burned a player down, I didn't tell that to the leader first. Little, but very important things. Besides that I talked a lot in the I form. I should have said 'we'. Or Bob and I. Little things like that, but very important.”
Trust
Another important aspect is trust. In his Barcelona time De Boer claimed that eigthy percent of a sport performance is based on trust. During his time at Camp Nou he had a three week period in which he played very poor, which all started after the Catalan press blamed him for everything bad that happened at Barça. As an example De Boer points from his chair to the office door, 3 meters away from us. “If that door was wide open back than, I wouldn't have been able to shoot the ball through it. I was the 'son' of Louis van Gaal and became the scapegoat. If Puyol lost a heading duel and I was positioned on the other side of the field, I would still be blamed for it. That was a really bad period for me and it all had to do with trust. You don't just forget how to play football all of a sudden, it’s a mental issue.”
Christian Eriksen
De Boer will never admit it, Eriksen is De Boers favorite, his pupil. You notice that in everything. Eriksen was good against AC Milan and even better in the match after that against Vitesse. Under Jol the Danish talent had a place on the bench, or at times as a left midfielder. With De Boer Eriksen can count on a starting spot, as a central midfielder. “He's always moving, always turns to the right side. He has what Sneijder or Kaká also have. You just have to give your trust to those players.” After a final explanation about covering through and the importance of video analysis, the sugar cubes are placed back into the box. De Boer has to leave. He is the busy head coach of Ajax now...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
MARCELO BIELSA, CHILEAN NATIONAL TEAM COACH:
“In football there is no reason to be immobile”
Chile impressed in group H of the World Cup last summer with their offensive playing style against Spain, Switzerland and Honduras. The Argentine coach of Chile, Marcelo Bielsa, is very keen on entertaining the fans. From his players he demands good conditioning, motivation and responsibility. The similarities with Louis van Gaal are apparent.
In Augustus of 2009 the Chilean team travelled to Denmark for a friendly match against Morten Olsen's national squad. Denmark was flabbergasted; the two Chilean wingbacks dominated the flanks, their two wingers were positioned much wider than the Danish squad was used to, Chile had a constantly open number 10 and when in possession Bielsa's squad were always changing positions and had great movement off the ball.
On top of their great possession play the Chileans executed direct pressure on the Danes when they were in possession. The Danish squad had great difficulties with the visiting Chileans and lost 1-2, which could have easily been higher if it wasn't for the abundance of missed chances by Chile. Bielsa's reaction after the match was very van Gaal like: "I just saw a great match from my team. We played our own game, without any consideration for the opponent."
Marcela Bielsa coached the Argentinean national team from 1998 to 2004, which players like Gabriel Batistuta and Juan Sebastian Veron mark as the period in which Argentina played their best football.
Ajax-school
“I am a big fan of the football Ajax played under Louis van Gaal,” saysBielsa. “When executed properly, it is winning football and great for the fans, which is what we should all aspire to accomplish." An Argentine who gives a non-Argentinean example of great football is very rare in the proud South American country. As a coach in Argentina you should be a fan of Carlos Bilardo, World Champion with Argentina and countless clubs, not a Dutchman like Louis van Gaal.
Due to his admiration for van Gaal, Bielsa was given the nickname El Loco (the crazy) in his home country.
Argentina often played, much like Ajax in 1995, beautiful swinging football under Bielsa. Unfortunately they failed to dominate when it mattered most, like during the Copa America in 1999 and 2004 and the 2002 World Cup. This was largely attributed to injuries, but regardless of the reasons, Bielsa was asked to leave. He ended his reign of the Argentinean squad with a gold medal during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Bielsa stopped working as a coach.
Fortunately for the game of football the offensive minded coach returned to professional football in 2007, where he took over as Chilean national team coach. The Chilean football federation convinced Bielsa to return to football and he easily guided Chile to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Messi's Argentina was even more prospect less than the Danish.
Bielsa proved that this football can still be played. "Ajax always played very flexible in opponent possession. The lines adapted to the opponent's playing style, but in possession the team plays its own game. Without consideration for the opponent and of course very offensive. We are trying to do the same.”
The coach continues: “The aspect of Ajax's playing style under van Gaal I enjoyed most was probably the fact that the team played the ball back about 37 times per match. This may not seem attractive and fans generally dislike this, but it means nothing less than creating a new attempt at a great attack.” Chile played the same way up to the World Cup, always with 3 defenders and a real number ten.
Order
The coach copied the Ajax-system, both in possession and opponent possession. Bielsa, however, does not want to refer to it as mechanizing his team. “The player, like any person who deals with great pressure, has what I call a ´temor éscenico´, a fear of failure. And how can you neutralize that? By mechanizing. By letting the player do something he is used to doing, something he practiced repeatedly, allowing for a very slim margin of error.”
“The responsibility for the execution of something like this is for the coach. If the coach asks the players to do something, something they have been training on, but they are not yet able to execute it probably, then the changes of it going wrong in a match are present. A coach can only demand from a player to do something he is capable of doing.”
“This doesn't mean that if something is executed correctly during training that it is guaranteed to go well during matches. But who's fault is it then? No one really, sometimes things just go wrong. This is why I hate mechanization of a team, because it decreases the level of player responsibility. So I want a well organized team, but not a mechanized team. I want a team where certain positions are respected and communication is a norm.”
Conditioning
Bielsa demands order in his team, which means he wants players to take their responsibility. A big responsibility he demanded from the Chilean team was their conditioning. The average Chilean player is not known for enjoying runs. Bielsa was able to turn that around in his squad.
“I always tell my guys that our playing style is about movement. A player should always be moving. You can come up with a reasons for every player in every position and every circumstance, why he should be moving. In football there is no reason to be immobile.”
“I am a physical education teacher. I used to be a frustrated and average player. After a couple of matches at the Argentine premier league for Newell´s Old Boys I realized I would never be a top player. That is why I want to be a top coach. In order to accomplish this I decided I needed to specialize in physiology, which is the specialized area when it comes to movement.”
“This is where the secret of football sits. I never aspired to become a teacher, I just majored in this area to learn about movement and guiding players. I graduated after a five year study and left knowing everything I needed to know about training the human body, even medically.”
“I will never allow a player not to go for something. Players should fight for every ball during a match. De-organization or something going wrong during a match, those are acceptable mistakes, things like that just happen. But giving up or not fighting for a ball, that is unacceptable. Players who always fight for the team objective, deserve a spot in the squad.”
Hard
His education makes him even more like van Gaal, but the similarity is also very apparent when you watch him work during a training session. He passionately pays attention to every single details within the order of his team. Players who do not pay attention will not go unpunished. Arturo Vidal knows all about this. When the left wingback executed a weird move during a training session, Bielsa immediately stopped the sessions and told Vidal off: “You sir, play at Bayer Leverkusen and you believe you are something else, don't you!? But all you do is create chaos! If you wish to play for me, you will have to execute the basic tasks I demand from you. Not the tasks that you believe are necessary. We have enough so called heroes in football!" Vidal stood still for a few minutes, flabbergasted by what he was just told and was demoted to a spot on the bench for a while.
The boss
Bielsa on this incident: "Communication is the most important factor for me. I need to be able to trust my players on their word. Communication is also closely linked to hierarchy. I believe a coach should have a unique aspect: he must be able to make his players feel they are not equal to him. The coach is the boss.”
“What is a boss, or a leader? Someone who when he enters the dressing room the murmur turns to a pause of silence. When he speaks everyone else is quite and maybe most importantly someone who when he tells a joke everyone laughs, while nobody would laugh at the same joke if someone else told it.”
“Leadership is most visible when you lose, a good leader is able to deal with the stress that comes with a loss. The best time to observe this is during stressful situations. Whether I am a leader? When I am asked to speak at a guest lecture the title of my presentation is usually: leadership, norms and values.”
Results
Bielsa was able to renew Chile with his approach. Like van Gaal he has the courage to select young talents. And with result! Never before were Chilean players sold to European top clubs for great amounts, as during the Bielsa era.
Media
Bielsa doesn't like comparisons, but I have 1 more for you: his relationship with the media. It is laborious to say the least, although his good results have made Bielsa very popular in Chile. “A journalist's weapon is the written word. My weapon is the spoken word. When I use fifty sentences to explain an idea and the journalist only uses ten, I get frustrated. Although this may also have to do with the fact that I am a poor writer.”
“What I really hate is when journalists twist my words. I would rather not be known at all, then being known for the wrong me, because I am not represented or quoted correctly. This may be odd for a coach, but I care about what people think of me.”
“This is why coaching is very difficult for me; it is a difficult occupation. As a coach you are a public figure and I am constantly in the picture. I don't like it when people hate me or don't understand me, because I am not being portrait correctly. That is why I always hope that whatever is published in an interview is also what I actually said. I don't mind it if people attack me on what I think. But I don't like it when people attack me on something I don't think or believe at all." In order to make it easier on himself Bielsa rarely agrees to an interview.
World Cup
Prior to the World Cup Simon Kuper predicted that Chile would not do very well during the tournament. The author of famous football analytical books (such as Soccernomics) stated: “Bielsa plays the same way van Gaal played in 1995, with three defenders. In South America this may work, but European football has evolved.
Bielsa's football is too predictable for a World Cup. Van Gaal opted for a different style and has played 4:4:2 for quite some time now. Switzerland with Hitzfeld will be able to easily prepare for their match against Chile and I think they will win.”
Contrary to Kupers expectations Bielsa opted for a different system of play against European opponents. Chile played a 1-4-2-3-1.
(Chile is vulnerable against an opponent who plays 1:4:4:2 with deep wingers and deep wingbacks or against a 1:4:2:3:1 with deep wingers and wingback. Bielsa was also very aware of this and changed his system of play for the World Cup to a system with a four players defensive line. If Bielsa would play with his system against a 1:4:2:3:1(and deep wingers) he would be faced with a 1v1 on every field position. The risk to pressure would then be too high, as it would allow for lots of space on his defensive end. In the South American qualification Chile's opponents would rarely play with deep wingers, but European coaches do).
Bielsa's new playing style during the World Cup was very similar to Bayern München. The main difference was the fact that Bielsa opted for a right-footed right winger, Alexis Sanchez, and a left-footed left winger, Mark Gonzalez or Jean Beausejour.
Because of this there was a much lesser threat to come inside then the threat of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry on respectively Bayern's right and left wing. Bielsa's wingbacks also played a lot deeper than Bayern's. Another notable aspect of Chile's playing style was the fact that they continuously changed their system.
“I OPTED FOR WHAT I BELIEVED WAS THE BEST WAY TO PLAY AGAINST OUR OPPONENTS DURING THE WORLD CUP. THAT MEANT I HAD TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM. WE TRIED TO DICTATE THE MATCHES' PLAYING STYLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO EXECUTE QUITE WELL, EVEN AGAINST SPAIN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE MATCH. I AM VERY PROUD OF THAT. WE JUST FAILED TO SCORE MORE AGAINST SWITZERLAND AND HONDURAS. LOOKING BACK THAT COST US THE FIRST PLACE IN THE GROUP.”
Chile impressed in group H of the World Cup last summer with their offensive playing style against Spain, Switzerland and Honduras. The Argentine coach of Chile, Marcelo Bielsa, is very keen on entertaining the fans. From his players he demands good conditioning, motivation and responsibility. The similarities with Louis van Gaal are apparent.
In Augustus of 2009 the Chilean team travelled to Denmark for a friendly match against Morten Olsen's national squad. Denmark was flabbergasted; the two Chilean wingbacks dominated the flanks, their two wingers were positioned much wider than the Danish squad was used to, Chile had a constantly open number 10 and when in possession Bielsa's squad were always changing positions and had great movement off the ball.
On top of their great possession play the Chileans executed direct pressure on the Danes when they were in possession. The Danish squad had great difficulties with the visiting Chileans and lost 1-2, which could have easily been higher if it wasn't for the abundance of missed chances by Chile. Bielsa's reaction after the match was very van Gaal like: "I just saw a great match from my team. We played our own game, without any consideration for the opponent."
Marcela Bielsa coached the Argentinean national team from 1998 to 2004, which players like Gabriel Batistuta and Juan Sebastian Veron mark as the period in which Argentina played their best football.
Ajax-school
“I am a big fan of the football Ajax played under Louis van Gaal,” saysBielsa. “When executed properly, it is winning football and great for the fans, which is what we should all aspire to accomplish." An Argentine who gives a non-Argentinean example of great football is very rare in the proud South American country. As a coach in Argentina you should be a fan of Carlos Bilardo, World Champion with Argentina and countless clubs, not a Dutchman like Louis van Gaal.
Due to his admiration for van Gaal, Bielsa was given the nickname El Loco (the crazy) in his home country.
Argentina often played, much like Ajax in 1995, beautiful swinging football under Bielsa. Unfortunately they failed to dominate when it mattered most, like during the Copa America in 1999 and 2004 and the 2002 World Cup. This was largely attributed to injuries, but regardless of the reasons, Bielsa was asked to leave. He ended his reign of the Argentinean squad with a gold medal during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Bielsa stopped working as a coach.
Fortunately for the game of football the offensive minded coach returned to professional football in 2007, where he took over as Chilean national team coach. The Chilean football federation convinced Bielsa to return to football and he easily guided Chile to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Messi's Argentina was even more prospect less than the Danish.
Bielsa proved that this football can still be played. "Ajax always played very flexible in opponent possession. The lines adapted to the opponent's playing style, but in possession the team plays its own game. Without consideration for the opponent and of course very offensive. We are trying to do the same.”
The coach continues: “The aspect of Ajax's playing style under van Gaal I enjoyed most was probably the fact that the team played the ball back about 37 times per match. This may not seem attractive and fans generally dislike this, but it means nothing less than creating a new attempt at a great attack.” Chile played the same way up to the World Cup, always with 3 defenders and a real number ten.
Order
The coach copied the Ajax-system, both in possession and opponent possession. Bielsa, however, does not want to refer to it as mechanizing his team. “The player, like any person who deals with great pressure, has what I call a ´temor éscenico´, a fear of failure. And how can you neutralize that? By mechanizing. By letting the player do something he is used to doing, something he practiced repeatedly, allowing for a very slim margin of error.”
“The responsibility for the execution of something like this is for the coach. If the coach asks the players to do something, something they have been training on, but they are not yet able to execute it probably, then the changes of it going wrong in a match are present. A coach can only demand from a player to do something he is capable of doing.”
“This doesn't mean that if something is executed correctly during training that it is guaranteed to go well during matches. But who's fault is it then? No one really, sometimes things just go wrong. This is why I hate mechanization of a team, because it decreases the level of player responsibility. So I want a well organized team, but not a mechanized team. I want a team where certain positions are respected and communication is a norm.”
Conditioning
Bielsa demands order in his team, which means he wants players to take their responsibility. A big responsibility he demanded from the Chilean team was their conditioning. The average Chilean player is not known for enjoying runs. Bielsa was able to turn that around in his squad.
“I always tell my guys that our playing style is about movement. A player should always be moving. You can come up with a reasons for every player in every position and every circumstance, why he should be moving. In football there is no reason to be immobile.”
“I am a physical education teacher. I used to be a frustrated and average player. After a couple of matches at the Argentine premier league for Newell´s Old Boys I realized I would never be a top player. That is why I want to be a top coach. In order to accomplish this I decided I needed to specialize in physiology, which is the specialized area when it comes to movement.”
“This is where the secret of football sits. I never aspired to become a teacher, I just majored in this area to learn about movement and guiding players. I graduated after a five year study and left knowing everything I needed to know about training the human body, even medically.”
“I will never allow a player not to go for something. Players should fight for every ball during a match. De-organization or something going wrong during a match, those are acceptable mistakes, things like that just happen. But giving up or not fighting for a ball, that is unacceptable. Players who always fight for the team objective, deserve a spot in the squad.”
Hard
His education makes him even more like van Gaal, but the similarity is also very apparent when you watch him work during a training session. He passionately pays attention to every single details within the order of his team. Players who do not pay attention will not go unpunished. Arturo Vidal knows all about this. When the left wingback executed a weird move during a training session, Bielsa immediately stopped the sessions and told Vidal off: “You sir, play at Bayer Leverkusen and you believe you are something else, don't you!? But all you do is create chaos! If you wish to play for me, you will have to execute the basic tasks I demand from you. Not the tasks that you believe are necessary. We have enough so called heroes in football!" Vidal stood still for a few minutes, flabbergasted by what he was just told and was demoted to a spot on the bench for a while.
The boss
Bielsa on this incident: "Communication is the most important factor for me. I need to be able to trust my players on their word. Communication is also closely linked to hierarchy. I believe a coach should have a unique aspect: he must be able to make his players feel they are not equal to him. The coach is the boss.”
“What is a boss, or a leader? Someone who when he enters the dressing room the murmur turns to a pause of silence. When he speaks everyone else is quite and maybe most importantly someone who when he tells a joke everyone laughs, while nobody would laugh at the same joke if someone else told it.”
“Leadership is most visible when you lose, a good leader is able to deal with the stress that comes with a loss. The best time to observe this is during stressful situations. Whether I am a leader? When I am asked to speak at a guest lecture the title of my presentation is usually: leadership, norms and values.”
Results
Bielsa was able to renew Chile with his approach. Like van Gaal he has the courage to select young talents. And with result! Never before were Chilean players sold to European top clubs for great amounts, as during the Bielsa era.
Media
Bielsa doesn't like comparisons, but I have 1 more for you: his relationship with the media. It is laborious to say the least, although his good results have made Bielsa very popular in Chile. “A journalist's weapon is the written word. My weapon is the spoken word. When I use fifty sentences to explain an idea and the journalist only uses ten, I get frustrated. Although this may also have to do with the fact that I am a poor writer.”
“What I really hate is when journalists twist my words. I would rather not be known at all, then being known for the wrong me, because I am not represented or quoted correctly. This may be odd for a coach, but I care about what people think of me.”
“This is why coaching is very difficult for me; it is a difficult occupation. As a coach you are a public figure and I am constantly in the picture. I don't like it when people hate me or don't understand me, because I am not being portrait correctly. That is why I always hope that whatever is published in an interview is also what I actually said. I don't mind it if people attack me on what I think. But I don't like it when people attack me on something I don't think or believe at all." In order to make it easier on himself Bielsa rarely agrees to an interview.
World Cup
Prior to the World Cup Simon Kuper predicted that Chile would not do very well during the tournament. The author of famous football analytical books (such as Soccernomics) stated: “Bielsa plays the same way van Gaal played in 1995, with three defenders. In South America this may work, but European football has evolved.
Bielsa's football is too predictable for a World Cup. Van Gaal opted for a different style and has played 4:4:2 for quite some time now. Switzerland with Hitzfeld will be able to easily prepare for their match against Chile and I think they will win.”
Contrary to Kupers expectations Bielsa opted for a different system of play against European opponents. Chile played a 1-4-2-3-1.
(Chile is vulnerable against an opponent who plays 1:4:4:2 with deep wingers and deep wingbacks or against a 1:4:2:3:1 with deep wingers and wingback. Bielsa was also very aware of this and changed his system of play for the World Cup to a system with a four players defensive line. If Bielsa would play with his system against a 1:4:2:3:1(and deep wingers) he would be faced with a 1v1 on every field position. The risk to pressure would then be too high, as it would allow for lots of space on his defensive end. In the South American qualification Chile's opponents would rarely play with deep wingers, but European coaches do).
Bielsa's new playing style during the World Cup was very similar to Bayern München. The main difference was the fact that Bielsa opted for a right-footed right winger, Alexis Sanchez, and a left-footed left winger, Mark Gonzalez or Jean Beausejour.
Because of this there was a much lesser threat to come inside then the threat of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry on respectively Bayern's right and left wing. Bielsa's wingbacks also played a lot deeper than Bayern's. Another notable aspect of Chile's playing style was the fact that they continuously changed their system.
“I OPTED FOR WHAT I BELIEVED WAS THE BEST WAY TO PLAY AGAINST OUR OPPONENTS DURING THE WORLD CUP. THAT MEANT I HAD TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM. WE TRIED TO DICTATE THE MATCHES' PLAYING STYLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO EXECUTE QUITE WELL, EVEN AGAINST SPAIN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE MATCH. I AM VERY PROUD OF THAT. WE JUST FAILED TO SCORE MORE AGAINST SWITZERLAND AND HONDURAS. LOOKING BACK THAT COST US THE FIRST PLACE IN THE GROUP.”
Sunday, January 30, 2011
DENIS IWAMURA, PERFORMANCE ANALYST SANTOS FC
"Facilitate the transformation of information into a training reality"
Santos FC finished in first place after the first half of 2010 Brazilian competition. This success can be attributed to the individual talent of some of their young stars and the self-sufficiency of their coach, Dorival Júnior. Santos played a very offensive game, scoring 100 goals in this first half of the season and managed to win the São Paulo State Tournament 'Campeonato Paulista'. In addition to the magic brought by Robinho, Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso, the technical department was also strengthened by performance analyst Denis Iwamura’s two years ago. The former university and amateur athlete came over from Coritiba FC, where he was in charge of performance analysis for the youth teams as well as the first team. Denis assisted the conditioning and technical coaches with statistic match and training analyses.
At Santos FC Denis now assists the technical department and is specialized in sports technology mechanisms. He sizes up the technical and tactical variables and passes them on to the coach. Denis' main objective is to facilitate the transformation of information into a training reality and is doing so with good results.
Career
"I was an amateur and university athlete. I started my physical education degree in 1998 and my former coach was working as a conditioning trainer at the Coritiba FC youth academy. He invited me to join the department as a trainee. I started as a nonremunerated trainee working with the U15s. In the 2000 I became a physical trainer to the U11s and U13s. A year later I was working as the primary conditioning coach for the U15s and another year later I was asked to move up to the first team, at that time coached by Róbson Gomes. I became part in the technical staff for the first team at Coritiba FC working as the conditioning trainer's assistant. Due to this previous experience with performance analysis in youth teams, I also got to assist the performance analysis department at the club. In 2006 and 2007 I became responsible for the department and continued to work as a conditioning trainer's assistant. In 2008, I switched to focus solely on performance analysis, an occupation I currently carry out at Santos FC."
Scouting
"The scouting department at Coritiba started as a pilot project. We worked, me and Érielton Pacheco (Pachequinho), in a two-person team at that time. We were trying to standardize observation and catalog the competitions and players of the various divisions in professional Brazilian football (and its youth teams), generating a database of players including a complete map of their performance throughout their careers. This data served as the basis for the Board of Directors and technical department to assess players they were looking to recruit. Parallel to this work, we also helped out the technical department with the observation and analysis of the opponents the club would face in various competitions throughout the year."
Function
"A performance analyst is a technical assistant that can also work directly in the field. I am specialized in sports technology mechanisms and use the technical and tactical variables to inform the coach about players and opponents. Denis' main objective is to facilitate the transformation of information into a training reality. My specific function is to translate the technical and tactical performance data, both individual and collective, of our team, throughout the season."
Tools
"We use several tools, including 'FootStats' (statistical mapping of the movements of each and every player in a game), video analysis, longitudinal follow-up of competitions and some indicators we established internally to evaluate the performance of our players. Also I am responsible, along with other technical assistants, to analyze the performance, both technically and tactically, of Santos FC's opponents. We have a team working on the observation of live games, an editing room where all games are recorded and, subsequently, we review all material that we collected."
Link between theory and practice
"The most important step is how we present the information to the coach and our players. We translate information to facilitate their understanding, giving priority to the quality of the information, and not the quantity. This information is then used by the coach, his assistants, the conditioning trainers, physiologists, directors and the press office. All of them seeking to achieve, as much as possible, a better integration between their areas, each respecting their own procedures and contributing to the development of the overall team performance."
Difficulty of implementation in Brazil
"Sports technology is still a bit frowned upon by Brazilian clubs. This is due to two main factors. First, the lack of willingness in Brazilian football culture to utilize these tools, which are very commonly used in the United States and Europe. Like in basketball, volleyball, and football. In Brazil, its applicability and results are often questioned, because of the high financial investment demanded in some cases. It is a cultural barrier that is slowly changing over the years. The second restricting factor is the lack of trained professionals who can work with these tools. We still do not have adequate courses for performance analysis. What we have are highly qualified professionals in technical and tactical areas and on the other hand qualified professionals in technology, but bridging these professions is required to take steps in training performance analysis professionals."
Coritiba FC, a school
"Coritiba FC was my 'University' of performance analysis. It was the place that gave me the opportunity to work and 'test' the various analytical tools and prove their effectiveness in the everyday life of a professional team. The club opened the door to the area of performance analysis and we were able to grow together over these years. In 2009, we had an editing room, trainees to collect data from scouts, various specialized trainers and our own scouting department."
Support found at Santos FC
"Santos FC is a club with a great working structure, and I was hired to organize their performance analysis department. The main difference with Coritiba is that at Santos we have a team of analysts working solely on opponent analysis. This promotes an exchange of information, which is an asset to the growth of the technical department. We are also including technological resources in our day-to-day work to ensure the exchange of quality information to our coach."
Amisco System: is it possible in Brazil?
Rafael Benítez works with the Amisco system, would a tool like this also be applicable for use in Brazil? "I know this tool. It is very efficient for performance analysis. In the way it is performed in Europe, I believe it is still financially unfeasible for the Brazilian clubs. At the time I was working at Coritiba FC, we contacted some companies about this system, but found that it is still to big of an investment for the Brazilian market. We are currently evaluating the opportunities for a system like this at Santos FC. We are looking for support from a company who is willing to invest in the technical materials needed to implement a system such as Amisco."
Staff cooperation
"At Santos FC we have a great integration and cooperation between the technical department and all other departments at the club. I need to give credit to the abilities of Dorival Júnior, Celso de Rezende and Ivan Izzo, who are all working together and making it possible for all staff members to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Celso is head of the physical department and he has worked closely together with Dorival for many years to come to a great cooperation between the physical and technical department. They know each other very well and have a great working relationship. The physical department also works closely together with the medical and the physiology departments. The medical department provides clinical assessment and recovery of all players. They are continuously at the disposal of the technical department during training and games. The physiology departments acts as a 'compass', always seeking to assess the real situation of the players in relation to the strain the endure during the season. The physiology staff members receives this information and, together with the coach, adjust volumes and intensities of each player's training program during the duration of the season."
Santos FC finished in first place after the first half of 2010 Brazilian competition. This success can be attributed to the individual talent of some of their young stars and the self-sufficiency of their coach, Dorival Júnior. Santos played a very offensive game, scoring 100 goals in this first half of the season and managed to win the São Paulo State Tournament 'Campeonato Paulista'. In addition to the magic brought by Robinho, Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso, the technical department was also strengthened by performance analyst Denis Iwamura’s two years ago. The former university and amateur athlete came over from Coritiba FC, where he was in charge of performance analysis for the youth teams as well as the first team. Denis assisted the conditioning and technical coaches with statistic match and training analyses.
At Santos FC Denis now assists the technical department and is specialized in sports technology mechanisms. He sizes up the technical and tactical variables and passes them on to the coach. Denis' main objective is to facilitate the transformation of information into a training reality and is doing so with good results.
Career
"I was an amateur and university athlete. I started my physical education degree in 1998 and my former coach was working as a conditioning trainer at the Coritiba FC youth academy. He invited me to join the department as a trainee. I started as a nonremunerated trainee working with the U15s. In the 2000 I became a physical trainer to the U11s and U13s. A year later I was working as the primary conditioning coach for the U15s and another year later I was asked to move up to the first team, at that time coached by Róbson Gomes. I became part in the technical staff for the first team at Coritiba FC working as the conditioning trainer's assistant. Due to this previous experience with performance analysis in youth teams, I also got to assist the performance analysis department at the club. In 2006 and 2007 I became responsible for the department and continued to work as a conditioning trainer's assistant. In 2008, I switched to focus solely on performance analysis, an occupation I currently carry out at Santos FC."
Scouting
"The scouting department at Coritiba started as a pilot project. We worked, me and Érielton Pacheco (Pachequinho), in a two-person team at that time. We were trying to standardize observation and catalog the competitions and players of the various divisions in professional Brazilian football (and its youth teams), generating a database of players including a complete map of their performance throughout their careers. This data served as the basis for the Board of Directors and technical department to assess players they were looking to recruit. Parallel to this work, we also helped out the technical department with the observation and analysis of the opponents the club would face in various competitions throughout the year."
Function
"A performance analyst is a technical assistant that can also work directly in the field. I am specialized in sports technology mechanisms and use the technical and tactical variables to inform the coach about players and opponents. Denis' main objective is to facilitate the transformation of information into a training reality. My specific function is to translate the technical and tactical performance data, both individual and collective, of our team, throughout the season."
Tools
"We use several tools, including 'FootStats' (statistical mapping of the movements of each and every player in a game), video analysis, longitudinal follow-up of competitions and some indicators we established internally to evaluate the performance of our players. Also I am responsible, along with other technical assistants, to analyze the performance, both technically and tactically, of Santos FC's opponents. We have a team working on the observation of live games, an editing room where all games are recorded and, subsequently, we review all material that we collected."
Link between theory and practice
"The most important step is how we present the information to the coach and our players. We translate information to facilitate their understanding, giving priority to the quality of the information, and not the quantity. This information is then used by the coach, his assistants, the conditioning trainers, physiologists, directors and the press office. All of them seeking to achieve, as much as possible, a better integration between their areas, each respecting their own procedures and contributing to the development of the overall team performance."
Difficulty of implementation in Brazil
"Sports technology is still a bit frowned upon by Brazilian clubs. This is due to two main factors. First, the lack of willingness in Brazilian football culture to utilize these tools, which are very commonly used in the United States and Europe. Like in basketball, volleyball, and football. In Brazil, its applicability and results are often questioned, because of the high financial investment demanded in some cases. It is a cultural barrier that is slowly changing over the years. The second restricting factor is the lack of trained professionals who can work with these tools. We still do not have adequate courses for performance analysis. What we have are highly qualified professionals in technical and tactical areas and on the other hand qualified professionals in technology, but bridging these professions is required to take steps in training performance analysis professionals."
Coritiba FC, a school
"Coritiba FC was my 'University' of performance analysis. It was the place that gave me the opportunity to work and 'test' the various analytical tools and prove their effectiveness in the everyday life of a professional team. The club opened the door to the area of performance analysis and we were able to grow together over these years. In 2009, we had an editing room, trainees to collect data from scouts, various specialized trainers and our own scouting department."
Support found at Santos FC
"Santos FC is a club with a great working structure, and I was hired to organize their performance analysis department. The main difference with Coritiba is that at Santos we have a team of analysts working solely on opponent analysis. This promotes an exchange of information, which is an asset to the growth of the technical department. We are also including technological resources in our day-to-day work to ensure the exchange of quality information to our coach."
Amisco System: is it possible in Brazil?
Rafael Benítez works with the Amisco system, would a tool like this also be applicable for use in Brazil? "I know this tool. It is very efficient for performance analysis. In the way it is performed in Europe, I believe it is still financially unfeasible for the Brazilian clubs. At the time I was working at Coritiba FC, we contacted some companies about this system, but found that it is still to big of an investment for the Brazilian market. We are currently evaluating the opportunities for a system like this at Santos FC. We are looking for support from a company who is willing to invest in the technical materials needed to implement a system such as Amisco."
Staff cooperation
"At Santos FC we have a great integration and cooperation between the technical department and all other departments at the club. I need to give credit to the abilities of Dorival Júnior, Celso de Rezende and Ivan Izzo, who are all working together and making it possible for all staff members to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Celso is head of the physical department and he has worked closely together with Dorival for many years to come to a great cooperation between the physical and technical department. They know each other very well and have a great working relationship. The physical department also works closely together with the medical and the physiology departments. The medical department provides clinical assessment and recovery of all players. They are continuously at the disposal of the technical department during training and games. The physiology departments acts as a 'compass', always seeking to assess the real situation of the players in relation to the strain the endure during the season. The physiology staff members receives this information and, together with the coach, adjust volumes and intensities of each player's training program during the duration of the season."
IVO ŠUŠAK, NK ZAGREB CROATIA:
"Every competitive team sport is dependant on a good defence"
"I believe that every competitive team sport, including football, is dependant on a good defence. Why? So the team can gain ball possession as soon as possible and organize the attacking play, which is the purpose of the modern football. In this context I always insist on defending further away from our own goal, so that in transition from opponent possession to possession my team is as near as possible to the opposition’s goal. In order to achieve this, I want my team to pressure the ball, as well as their nearest individual opponent. The basis for my approach is to prepare the team so that with our own mobility we manage to create a ‘surplus’ in transition from defence to offense and vice versa in transition from offense to defence. All this can only be achieved by methodical coaching, and insisting on shortening the time for reaction from the exact moment of gaining or loosing the ball possession."
System of play
"Combining my long coaching experience in different countries and cultures, whilst following all the modern football trends I used various tactical team positioning systems such as 4-2-4, 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-4-2. I would say though that the 4-3-3- team positioning is most satisfactory to my own football philosophy. Of course, it must be stressed that the chosen system is always dependant on the choice of players available at any one moment. But I endeavour to search for and coach players that fit into my favourite 4-3-3- system."
SEVEN-DAY TRAINING CYCLE
Sunday: day after the game
- Morning training: a light ‘recuperation’ exercise for those who played yesterday
– easy ‘footing’ 22-26 minutes; stretching 10-12 minutes; football-tennis or some light technical-tactical exercise but not too intensive; massaging.
- A much higher intensity training for the group of players who did not play yesterday, usually including a two-goal match with six or seven players each side on a shortened pitch – with a variety of special tasks.
Monday: one training session and other activities
- Morning training: Joint training exercise, not too high intensity of some 60-75%. Various technical-tactical finishing exercises, with an accent on the high level of technical confidence and performance.
- Watching video footage of the last match and analysis of this. Stressing each positive, whilst negative criticism only overall. I would only discuss a specific critical point in a one-on-one with a player or a small group.
Tuesday: very important training day – 2 sessions
- 10.00: specific training 80-90 minutes, stressing on speed of movement and speed of reaction using technical and TETA exercise.
- 12.30: joint lunch for the team and coaches.
- 13:30-16:30: obligatory resting
- 17.00: high intensity training session, mostly through full pitch size play and with specific tasks – playing between two penalty areas, limited number of ball touches, playing the ball across the halfway line.
Wednesday: one training session
- Medium intensity training in groups: forwards and attacking midfielders form one group, whilst defenders and defensive midfielders are another.
- Automatic repetition of certain standard actions, which I insist upon during the play.
- Each group session last approximately 80-90 minutes with an obligatory massage afterwards.
Thursday: one or two training sessions (depending on player conditioning)
- Morning: if two sessions, morning will be light intensity 60 minute training. We will practice automatic movements and repetition in technical-tactical exercise.
Includes setplay training.
- Afternoon: higher intensity training, but not longer than 70 minutes. Always to
include a game of football on a shortened pitch.
o Tasks: one or two-touch play, normal goals play or 4 smaller (2 meter) goals without goal-keepers. These are important in achieving a quality horizontal movement of the team and the ball. Obligatory playing the ball ‘across the half-way line’ achieves better vertical movement of players with and without the ball
- When there is only one training session on this day, it will be the afternoon session – duration 90-100 minutes. This session would be a combination of technical-tactical exercises and the above described play.
Friday: day before the match; one training session
- Morning: During the week I would have already decided on my best team of eleven players for tomorrow’s match, so the task of this final training session is aimed at perfecting the tactical play for this particular match. First team will play an 11v11game against reserves.
Progression would be: passive resistance at first, and gradually increase resistance
throughout the game to full resistance.
Additionally we will refresh the setplays both offensively and defensively and the session will end with a stretching exercise. Total training time – 70 minutes, at medium intensity.
- Afterwards I will give a short presentation on the upcoming opponent and will demand full individual concentration; each player needs to ‘run a film’ in his mind about the match and every possible situation that can arise, depending on their position in the team and the individual characteristics of their direct opponents.
Saturday: the match day (if home game)
- Players arrive five-and-half hours before the start of the match. I will conduct a team meeting which will last 20-30 minutes. After the meeting we have a private lunch and then an obligatory rest of two hours. After this we go to the dressing room for individual preparation for the match.
Match preparation
"On day 1 I decide on the team system and tactics for the next match, so that all the coaching sessions during that week are adjusted to cater to the best performance and winning the next game. The system will not change much or often, as this may create confusion and lack of confidence with my own team. During the training sessions I always insure that players are fully prepared for the team positions they are playing. My job as a head-coach is also to prepare the team in such a way that the style of play is recognized as ours and is unique. I do consider the opposition, and will point out particular threat and individuals to my specific players – but in general I insist on the approach and philosophy: ‘Let us train, prepare and do all that is possible for the opponent to worry about us, and not the other way round!’
"My defensive part of the team needs to be particularly trained to act cohesively and
synchronized, not only when defending against opponent ball possession but also when our own team has the ball. For this reason I rarely give additional tasks to any individual in my defensive line-up, as this breaks the required cohesion. Whilst insisting on this team unity, I also make sure that the entire coaching staff act as a team (assistant coaches, medical/physiotherapist, back-room staff and others). In order for this to function, each member of the team and staff must know what is their role, what is expected of them as well as what they should not be doing or saying at a given time. At the beginning of each week I will give my team of assistants the week plan, including the match plan. Each assistant will be given instructions as to their role. We hold operative planning meetings for 60 minutes before each training session. Coaching assistants are briefed to give discreet information to our players about the next opponent, while also creating a positive atmosphere and confidence in the ability of our team."
Team psychology
"The positive mental strength of any team is based upon its technical-tactical qualities aided by sound physical preparation and creating higher overall performance standards. But ever so important is the psychological state of mind for each individual player and team as a whole. This is very much a result of the goals and demands you give them. Aiming unrealistically high brings an individual and the team into a state of apathy and even depression, thus resulting in instability and results below the capabilities. On the other hand, an objective as a task creates and immobilizes motivation and results in a stable and positive psychological state of
individual player and the team, which in turn aids with attaining good results, which in exceptional circumstances can even be above the realistic capability of the team."
‘An old proverb says: ‘Lucky is the one who has a thousand wishes, but common sense prevails them all!’
"I believe that every competitive team sport, including football, is dependant on a good defence. Why? So the team can gain ball possession as soon as possible and organize the attacking play, which is the purpose of the modern football. In this context I always insist on defending further away from our own goal, so that in transition from opponent possession to possession my team is as near as possible to the opposition’s goal. In order to achieve this, I want my team to pressure the ball, as well as their nearest individual opponent. The basis for my approach is to prepare the team so that with our own mobility we manage to create a ‘surplus’ in transition from defence to offense and vice versa in transition from offense to defence. All this can only be achieved by methodical coaching, and insisting on shortening the time for reaction from the exact moment of gaining or loosing the ball possession."
System of play
"Combining my long coaching experience in different countries and cultures, whilst following all the modern football trends I used various tactical team positioning systems such as 4-2-4, 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-4-2. I would say though that the 4-3-3- team positioning is most satisfactory to my own football philosophy. Of course, it must be stressed that the chosen system is always dependant on the choice of players available at any one moment. But I endeavour to search for and coach players that fit into my favourite 4-3-3- system."
SEVEN-DAY TRAINING CYCLE
Sunday: day after the game
- Morning training: a light ‘recuperation’ exercise for those who played yesterday
– easy ‘footing’ 22-26 minutes; stretching 10-12 minutes; football-tennis or some light technical-tactical exercise but not too intensive; massaging.
- A much higher intensity training for the group of players who did not play yesterday, usually including a two-goal match with six or seven players each side on a shortened pitch – with a variety of special tasks.
Monday: one training session and other activities
- Morning training: Joint training exercise, not too high intensity of some 60-75%. Various technical-tactical finishing exercises, with an accent on the high level of technical confidence and performance.
- Watching video footage of the last match and analysis of this. Stressing each positive, whilst negative criticism only overall. I would only discuss a specific critical point in a one-on-one with a player or a small group.
Tuesday: very important training day – 2 sessions
- 10.00: specific training 80-90 minutes, stressing on speed of movement and speed of reaction using technical and TETA exercise.
- 12.30: joint lunch for the team and coaches.
- 13:30-16:30: obligatory resting
- 17.00: high intensity training session, mostly through full pitch size play and with specific tasks – playing between two penalty areas, limited number of ball touches, playing the ball across the halfway line.
Wednesday: one training session
- Medium intensity training in groups: forwards and attacking midfielders form one group, whilst defenders and defensive midfielders are another.
- Automatic repetition of certain standard actions, which I insist upon during the play.
- Each group session last approximately 80-90 minutes with an obligatory massage afterwards.
Thursday: one or two training sessions (depending on player conditioning)
- Morning: if two sessions, morning will be light intensity 60 minute training. We will practice automatic movements and repetition in technical-tactical exercise.
Includes setplay training.
- Afternoon: higher intensity training, but not longer than 70 minutes. Always to
include a game of football on a shortened pitch.
o Tasks: one or two-touch play, normal goals play or 4 smaller (2 meter) goals without goal-keepers. These are important in achieving a quality horizontal movement of the team and the ball. Obligatory playing the ball ‘across the half-way line’ achieves better vertical movement of players with and without the ball
- When there is only one training session on this day, it will be the afternoon session – duration 90-100 minutes. This session would be a combination of technical-tactical exercises and the above described play.
Friday: day before the match; one training session
- Morning: During the week I would have already decided on my best team of eleven players for tomorrow’s match, so the task of this final training session is aimed at perfecting the tactical play for this particular match. First team will play an 11v11game against reserves.
Progression would be: passive resistance at first, and gradually increase resistance
throughout the game to full resistance.
Additionally we will refresh the setplays both offensively and defensively and the session will end with a stretching exercise. Total training time – 70 minutes, at medium intensity.
- Afterwards I will give a short presentation on the upcoming opponent and will demand full individual concentration; each player needs to ‘run a film’ in his mind about the match and every possible situation that can arise, depending on their position in the team and the individual characteristics of their direct opponents.
Saturday: the match day (if home game)
- Players arrive five-and-half hours before the start of the match. I will conduct a team meeting which will last 20-30 minutes. After the meeting we have a private lunch and then an obligatory rest of two hours. After this we go to the dressing room for individual preparation for the match.
Match preparation
"On day 1 I decide on the team system and tactics for the next match, so that all the coaching sessions during that week are adjusted to cater to the best performance and winning the next game. The system will not change much or often, as this may create confusion and lack of confidence with my own team. During the training sessions I always insure that players are fully prepared for the team positions they are playing. My job as a head-coach is also to prepare the team in such a way that the style of play is recognized as ours and is unique. I do consider the opposition, and will point out particular threat and individuals to my specific players – but in general I insist on the approach and philosophy: ‘Let us train, prepare and do all that is possible for the opponent to worry about us, and not the other way round!’
"My defensive part of the team needs to be particularly trained to act cohesively and
synchronized, not only when defending against opponent ball possession but also when our own team has the ball. For this reason I rarely give additional tasks to any individual in my defensive line-up, as this breaks the required cohesion. Whilst insisting on this team unity, I also make sure that the entire coaching staff act as a team (assistant coaches, medical/physiotherapist, back-room staff and others). In order for this to function, each member of the team and staff must know what is their role, what is expected of them as well as what they should not be doing or saying at a given time. At the beginning of each week I will give my team of assistants the week plan, including the match plan. Each assistant will be given instructions as to their role. We hold operative planning meetings for 60 minutes before each training session. Coaching assistants are briefed to give discreet information to our players about the next opponent, while also creating a positive atmosphere and confidence in the ability of our team."
Team psychology
"The positive mental strength of any team is based upon its technical-tactical qualities aided by sound physical preparation and creating higher overall performance standards. But ever so important is the psychological state of mind for each individual player and team as a whole. This is very much a result of the goals and demands you give them. Aiming unrealistically high brings an individual and the team into a state of apathy and even depression, thus resulting in instability and results below the capabilities. On the other hand, an objective as a task creates and immobilizes motivation and results in a stable and positive psychological state of
individual player and the team, which in turn aids with attaining good results, which in exceptional circumstances can even be above the realistic capability of the team."
‘An old proverb says: ‘Lucky is the one who has a thousand wishes, but common sense prevails them all!’
Thursday, September 16, 2010
PRE-SEASON TRAINING
‘If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’
Your season may have just finished but have you considered planning for the ‘new’ season!? A good pre-season training base can often provide the foundation for future success both for your team and individuals’ fitness. Generally, pre-season duration should be 6-8 weeks. It is vitally important for a number of reasons:
• Fitness and conditioning leading to match fitness
• Setting team and individual goals
• Discipline, boundaries and expectations
• Establishing a ‘work ethic’ and standards
• Group cohesion and team-building
• Developing team plays, tactics and strategies
• Code of conduct for the players’/staff
• Creating positive attitudes and ‘open’ environment
Pre-season is also a good time to encourage the players’ to develop strong learning habits of mind by getting them to understand the importance of resilience and resourcefulness. Their attitude, desire and dedication for self-improvement will be important along with a subjective mental assessment by the coach i.e. ‘do they really want to put in the required work’?
Many players’ have negative images of preseason training E.g. long, tedious aerobic runs with little football specific training. I and many others’ probably experienced this as a player and viewed it as a chore, but do endurance runs have a link to what actually happens in a game of football? Quite clearly, the answer is no and direction should be aimed toward interval work incorporating the complex movements within football.
Modern
Hopefully, the ‘modern’ coach has realised this and I aim to provide some possible ideas that you can implement this summer. A well planned programme should accommodate individual needs and provide variety and challenge to intrinsically motivate the players’. Rampini et al. (2007) reported that coach encouragement is a dominant variable on playing intensity. Therefore, coaches should aim to maximise motivational techniques when high training intensities are required during pre-season.
The focus needs to be on encouragement, positive reinforcement, using a competition structure and providing feedback to the players about levels of intensity.
Most activity in football lasts approximately 5-6 seconds and for about 25 yards in distance. Invasion games involve a startstop process, which utilises fast-twitch muscle fibres and has a focus towards the anaerobic system (energy system that does not use oxygen). In today’s game, elite players’ are trained ‘athletes’ and should demonstrate prowess in the key principles of fitness- speed, power, stamina, strength and flexibility. Most clubs and academies now employ fitness and conditioning coaches’ who deliver fitness specific and rehabilitation work.
Demands
Pre-season conditioning work should develop both energy systems (anaerobic and aerobic) incorporating an element of football in most activity. Through match analysis techniques researchers have studied the work-rate and activity profiles of footballers, the demands imposed on footballers during a game include:
- Runs between 6 and 10 miles
- Activity at a pace representing 70-80 % of their endurance capacity
- Walks, sprints, jogs, cruises, stretches, jumps, passes, heads, tackles and shoots
- On average an individual player has contact with the ball for 2-3minutes
- Turns approximately 400-450 times through 90> degrees during a game
Aim
The aim of establishing optimal player fitness is to reduce the risk of injury and improve a player’s overall game performance. Consider the following indicators when pre-planning your programme:
• Developing a players’ recovery capacity E.g. Recovering quickly after a period of high intensity work, enabling the player to be ready for the next ‘bout’ of activity.
• Developing the body’s capacity to manage lactic acid (a waste product of intensive work causing muscle fatigue and often a feeling of nausea).
• Variation- players’ are looking forward to what the next session might be and are challenged through diverse activity, individual goal-setting and tailored programmes to meet their needs.
• Testing- this provides an information base and facilitates assessment for learning by engaging the player on the benefits of testing and its use as an evaluative tool. This can potentially, improve individual weaknesses’ through specific one-one work. Tests can also be used as a tool to motivate players.
• Training both energy systems (aerobic and anaerobic) with specific focus on strengthening the fast-twitch fibres needed for explosion E.g. checking, turning, accelerating, jumping and side-stepping.
• Position specific work- Players in specific positions require tailored fitness work to suit the demands of where they play E.g. A central defender will differ to a striker. Relying on standard training methods for all players’ neglects to consider the specific conditioning required for individual players.
Training plan for a Centre midfield player:
- High endurance capacity (VO2 max) required. Endurance training an important focus.
- Balance: focus on balance and flexibility work
- Strength: Abrasive to frequent contact situations and physical strength important
- Agility: checking, turning and explosive work needed
- Anaerobic capacity: intermittent, high intensity activity with varying work-rest intervals
- Power: dynamic strength exercises
• Monitoring and evaluation of progress is a vital component of any training programme, and from the results specific work can be tailored to suit the needs of your squad and individuals.
Example Fintess Test
-Run from 18 yard box to 18 yard box in 10-14 seconds (target), recovery- jog the width of the penalty box in 20-25 seconds, and then repeat the 18 yard box run in target time.
-Perform 6-8, 18 yard box runs. Rest for 120 seconds and repeat x4.
-The aim of this field test is to work the players’ heart-rate at 85% of their maximum HR.
Fitness-based
Utilising football drills for conditioning has its benefits when compared with generic physical training. Players’ will be more motivated, greater physical output is generated in many cases and better transfer of match-specific fitness. The challenges for the coach is creating optimal work intensities and constructing sessions that meet fitness targets. Many coaches’ can find it challenging to plan a fitness-based football session. There are many variables to consider E.g. number of players, equipment, facilities, pitch size and rule modifications. However, if you are prepared to overcome these difficulties you will observe improvements in team motivation/morale and performance at training.
As conditioning improves, a player’s resting heart-rate should be gradually lowered.
Depending on an individual’s fitness level it is recommended that you train between 65% and 80% of your predicted heart rate reserve.
SAQ
Speed, agility and quickness can often make the difference between winning and losing E.g. a player exploding through a defensive gap, checking, turning and sidestepping to outwit defenders. Intermittent, high intensity activity with varying work-rest intervals focusing on specific elements of the SAQ continuum can better prepare players for the demands of the game.
With on-going SAQ training, the neuromuscular system is gradually re-programmed and restrictive mental blocks and thresholds are removed. Consequently, messages from the brain have a clearer path to the muscles and the result will be an instinctively quicker player.
The SAQ continuum is used to ‘kinaesthetically programme’ the performance of a specific physical activity with improved quality and control. SAQ continuum is the name of a progressive sequence of training ‘phases’ which collectively improve performance. Over a period of time you will observe improvements in explosive multi-directional speed, agility and quickness, acceleration/deceleration, quality and speed of response control. SAQ is a vital part of my training plans and below are 2 examples which can be carried out with and without a football.
Final thoughts
Football is now a ‘scientific art’ with numerous factors combining to create peak performance. Pre-season training and fitness, have become a vital cog to facilitate potential success. I will close with the following quote as you consider a new season: ‘If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’.
Your season may have just finished but have you considered planning for the ‘new’ season!? A good pre-season training base can often provide the foundation for future success both for your team and individuals’ fitness. Generally, pre-season duration should be 6-8 weeks. It is vitally important for a number of reasons:
• Fitness and conditioning leading to match fitness
• Setting team and individual goals
• Discipline, boundaries and expectations
• Establishing a ‘work ethic’ and standards
• Group cohesion and team-building
• Developing team plays, tactics and strategies
• Code of conduct for the players’/staff
• Creating positive attitudes and ‘open’ environment
Pre-season is also a good time to encourage the players’ to develop strong learning habits of mind by getting them to understand the importance of resilience and resourcefulness. Their attitude, desire and dedication for self-improvement will be important along with a subjective mental assessment by the coach i.e. ‘do they really want to put in the required work’?
Many players’ have negative images of preseason training E.g. long, tedious aerobic runs with little football specific training. I and many others’ probably experienced this as a player and viewed it as a chore, but do endurance runs have a link to what actually happens in a game of football? Quite clearly, the answer is no and direction should be aimed toward interval work incorporating the complex movements within football.
Modern
Hopefully, the ‘modern’ coach has realised this and I aim to provide some possible ideas that you can implement this summer. A well planned programme should accommodate individual needs and provide variety and challenge to intrinsically motivate the players’. Rampini et al. (2007) reported that coach encouragement is a dominant variable on playing intensity. Therefore, coaches should aim to maximise motivational techniques when high training intensities are required during pre-season.
The focus needs to be on encouragement, positive reinforcement, using a competition structure and providing feedback to the players about levels of intensity.
Most activity in football lasts approximately 5-6 seconds and for about 25 yards in distance. Invasion games involve a startstop process, which utilises fast-twitch muscle fibres and has a focus towards the anaerobic system (energy system that does not use oxygen). In today’s game, elite players’ are trained ‘athletes’ and should demonstrate prowess in the key principles of fitness- speed, power, stamina, strength and flexibility. Most clubs and academies now employ fitness and conditioning coaches’ who deliver fitness specific and rehabilitation work.
Demands
Pre-season conditioning work should develop both energy systems (anaerobic and aerobic) incorporating an element of football in most activity. Through match analysis techniques researchers have studied the work-rate and activity profiles of footballers, the demands imposed on footballers during a game include:
- Runs between 6 and 10 miles
- Activity at a pace representing 70-80 % of their endurance capacity
- Walks, sprints, jogs, cruises, stretches, jumps, passes, heads, tackles and shoots
- On average an individual player has contact with the ball for 2-3minutes
- Turns approximately 400-450 times through 90> degrees during a game
Aim
The aim of establishing optimal player fitness is to reduce the risk of injury and improve a player’s overall game performance. Consider the following indicators when pre-planning your programme:
• Developing a players’ recovery capacity E.g. Recovering quickly after a period of high intensity work, enabling the player to be ready for the next ‘bout’ of activity.
• Developing the body’s capacity to manage lactic acid (a waste product of intensive work causing muscle fatigue and often a feeling of nausea).
• Variation- players’ are looking forward to what the next session might be and are challenged through diverse activity, individual goal-setting and tailored programmes to meet their needs.
• Testing- this provides an information base and facilitates assessment for learning by engaging the player on the benefits of testing and its use as an evaluative tool. This can potentially, improve individual weaknesses’ through specific one-one work. Tests can also be used as a tool to motivate players.
• Training both energy systems (aerobic and anaerobic) with specific focus on strengthening the fast-twitch fibres needed for explosion E.g. checking, turning, accelerating, jumping and side-stepping.
• Position specific work- Players in specific positions require tailored fitness work to suit the demands of where they play E.g. A central defender will differ to a striker. Relying on standard training methods for all players’ neglects to consider the specific conditioning required for individual players.
Training plan for a Centre midfield player:
- High endurance capacity (VO2 max) required. Endurance training an important focus.
- Balance: focus on balance and flexibility work
- Strength: Abrasive to frequent contact situations and physical strength important
- Agility: checking, turning and explosive work needed
- Anaerobic capacity: intermittent, high intensity activity with varying work-rest intervals
- Power: dynamic strength exercises
• Monitoring and evaluation of progress is a vital component of any training programme, and from the results specific work can be tailored to suit the needs of your squad and individuals.
Example Fintess Test
-Run from 18 yard box to 18 yard box in 10-14 seconds (target), recovery- jog the width of the penalty box in 20-25 seconds, and then repeat the 18 yard box run in target time.
-Perform 6-8, 18 yard box runs. Rest for 120 seconds and repeat x4.
-The aim of this field test is to work the players’ heart-rate at 85% of their maximum HR.
Fitness-based
Utilising football drills for conditioning has its benefits when compared with generic physical training. Players’ will be more motivated, greater physical output is generated in many cases and better transfer of match-specific fitness. The challenges for the coach is creating optimal work intensities and constructing sessions that meet fitness targets. Many coaches’ can find it challenging to plan a fitness-based football session. There are many variables to consider E.g. number of players, equipment, facilities, pitch size and rule modifications. However, if you are prepared to overcome these difficulties you will observe improvements in team motivation/morale and performance at training.
As conditioning improves, a player’s resting heart-rate should be gradually lowered.
Depending on an individual’s fitness level it is recommended that you train between 65% and 80% of your predicted heart rate reserve.
SAQ
Speed, agility and quickness can often make the difference between winning and losing E.g. a player exploding through a defensive gap, checking, turning and sidestepping to outwit defenders. Intermittent, high intensity activity with varying work-rest intervals focusing on specific elements of the SAQ continuum can better prepare players for the demands of the game.
With on-going SAQ training, the neuromuscular system is gradually re-programmed and restrictive mental blocks and thresholds are removed. Consequently, messages from the brain have a clearer path to the muscles and the result will be an instinctively quicker player.
The SAQ continuum is used to ‘kinaesthetically programme’ the performance of a specific physical activity with improved quality and control. SAQ continuum is the name of a progressive sequence of training ‘phases’ which collectively improve performance. Over a period of time you will observe improvements in explosive multi-directional speed, agility and quickness, acceleration/deceleration, quality and speed of response control. SAQ is a vital part of my training plans and below are 2 examples which can be carried out with and without a football.
Final thoughts
Football is now a ‘scientific art’ with numerous factors combining to create peak performance. Pre-season training and fitness, have become a vital cog to facilitate potential success. I will close with the following quote as you consider a new season: ‘If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’.
ANTE MIŠE, FORMER HNK HAJDUK SPLIT COACH:
“Matches are the best indicators of a successful system”
“Ante Miše was born June 14th 1967 and started his football career at the youth academy of FC Borovo, Croatia. He made his debut in the first team at the age of fifteen and played seven games for the Croatian national. He transferred to HNK Hajduk Split when he was seventeen and wore the Hajduk jersey 339 times, scoring 40 goals. In 1994 he moved to Holland, where he played for Vitesse for three seasons. He ended his football career at FC Mura in Slovenia in 2005.
For the next two years he coached Croatian teams in the second and third division and moved on to the Croation Premier League in 2008, when he took charge of FC Hajduk, Split, and with success. Miše guided to team to a Croatian Cup victory and a second place in the Croatian championship. Ante Miše is considered one of the most up-and -coming young coaches in Croatia.”
Miše talked to Dušan Petrović about his coaching philosophy, systems of play and gives us an inside look at how to prepare a team for an important match.
“Even as a player, I enjoyed playing offensive football. I inherited this from all the coaches who taught me to play this way, in ex Yu and then in Croatia. However, the years I spent in the Netherlands really formed my coaching philosophy and made my vision more determinate and complete. Playing and training under Leo Beenhakker, but also watching other Dutch coaches and analyzing their matches, have played a big part in forming my coaching philosophy. The teams that I have coaches play what I call 'creative offensive football'.
I want discipline in all lines, but when the defensive line is forced to play with discipline and structure, I always allow a dose of creativity and imagination to the midfield and offensive lines.”
System of a play
“My favorite system of the play is the 1-4-2-3-1, which was a great match for the Hajduk Split selection I worked with and their tactical and technical characteristics and speed. Basic characteristics of the system is that it consists of 4 lines: a defensive line of 4 players who play in the zone, a midfield, to create balance, with two defensive players in the second line, a third line with a central midfielder and 2 wingers and the last line with a sole striker. The pros of this system consists of offensive power with the fourth and fifth lines (great number of players), great variety and combinations within the system, the forming of triangles across all the lines and having a great number of players in the middle of the field. Matches are the best indicators of a successful system. Yet you can never be satisfied until you have created automation in the movements and fulfillment of players’ tasks across all the lines of the team.”
Discipline
“Special attention is paid to the players and their motivation in training. One of the most important things that lead to a good relationship and a good understanding between a coach and the players is the players’ discipline. To make this happen it is good to have qualitative insight in each player’s abilities, his qualities, his potential and his character (mentality). A coach must affect the team and its behavior in an conscious and controlled manner and provide all the players with the conditions to excel. Giving a player the feeling that he is worth the attention will make player more self assured and stronger and in turn he will be more motivated to accept the coach’s demands. The most important aspects in teamwork are making the individual qualities work for the team. Furthermore, there must be motivation, a good atmosphere within the team and maximum performance during the training. If we manage to ensure all of these aspects, the payoff will be reflected in the results.”
Preparations for the next game (7 day cycle)
Sunday
Day off
Monday
On Monday I divide the team into 2 groups. The group who played during the previous match and the substitutes. The players who played will have a regeneration training consisting of some relaxed running (2x12 min), Stretching (10- 12min) and a massage.
Training for the players that did not play the match:
• 10 min stability practice (pair work)
• 10 min strength practice (repetitive training) 2 series x 20 sec.
• 6 min stretching
• A game of 6v6 with 2 neutrals
o Field size: 40x30m
o Duration: 2x6min
o No goalkeeper
o 2 touches
o Play on possession, neutrals play with team in possession
o Game setup, like a corridor (neutrals are in the middle) with 3 players of each time on each side of them. Players must stay on their own side
• A game of 7v7 with goalkeepers on a short, wide field. 2x12 min, free play
• Total training duration: 75-90 min
• Training intensity: Maximum
Tuesday, 9.00-10.00 a.m.
• 6 min easy running
• 6 min stretching
• 12 min heading game with guards on the goal (the ball is passed by hand, only score by means of a header. Field 30x20m, all players)
• 12 min interval running
• 6 min stretching
• 12 min interval running
• 6 min stretching
• High intensity, aerobic-anaerobic component
Tuesday, 4.00-5.30 p.m.
• 12 min stability practice
• 12 min round pass
• 2x20 sec strength practice
• Attacking exercise on both halves
o 2 groups each on one half
o With goalkeepers
o System of play like in a match
o Attacking play with the system
• A game of 11v11 on 3 goals
o 15 min
o Formation 1-4-2-3-1 against 1-4-4-2
• 6 min regenerating running
• High intensity training session
Wednesday, 4.00-5.30 pm
• Warming up training (Middle intensity)
•10-15 min skips coordination (high intensity)
• Possession game in 2 groups. 2x6 min (rotate groups)
- Group 1:
• Field 20x30m
• 5v5 with 2 neutrals
- Group 2:
• Field 20x30m
• 4v4 with 4 neutrals
• Game of 10v10 on a shortened field (70m)
o Free play
o 1-4-2-3-1 vs 1-4-4-2
o 12 min
Thursday, 4.00-5.30 pm
• Tactical session (opponent possession and counter attacks) 30 min
• 11v11 on 2 goals 2x12min
• 12 min stretching
• Medium intensity training
Friday, 4.00-5.00 pm
• Tactical session
• 12 min passing
• 20min shooting ball on the goal
• Counter attacks
• Acceleration training in pairs 8x10m
• Stretching 10-12min
• Medium intensity training
Saturday, 4.00 pm
MATCH
Choosing a system
“In the previous section I outlined the microcycles of the 7 day preparation phase for the week prior to the qualification match for Europa League. The match was played after the first primary round, which meant our season had not started and that the players hadn’t reached their top competitive form yet. In deciding on what system to play I also took the opponent’s qualities into account. They play in a 1-4-3-3 system and I decided to counter that with a 1-4-2-3-1 formation. From scouting the opponent, Zilina (Slovakia), we gathered they were an experienced team with an average age of 27 and had some tall players, they are strong in combination plays and counter attacks. The main goal of our formation was to create an outnumbering situation on midfield, so we could control and dominate play there.”
“There are a few reasons why I choose that system. One of the main reasons is that we had experience with the system and it is a great match with the qualities my players have (speed, combination play, counter attacks down the flanks and offensive power and numbers). One of the main reasons was also because we were playing this first match on their turf, so we needed to play offensive and score, so we would have an extra advantage in the second match at home. Playing the system I’ve chosen for that game, we could prevent the opponent’s counters down the flanks and create problems for them to combine in the middle.”
Player tasks
“Each match is different and so the tasks of the players differ too. We played with a micro defense and 2 stoppers who had the special tasks to push the back line as far from our goal as they could (40m from the goal), taking away the threat of their tall forwards. The two defensive midfielders were given the task to play close to our back line and take control of those so called 'nobody’s balls'. In opponent possession the half wingers had to provide support in the center, covering the two 2 defensive midfielders. In possession these half wingers had a task to make diagonal runs off the ball, to create space for our wingbacks, who both have great offensive
strength. Our striker had the special task to be in constant contact with the opponents left stopper, so he could create space for our offensive midfielder to enter the opponents box.”
“The reason I give special tasks to certain players is because they have certain qualities that can make a difference. The players who are assigned special tasks are the players with a certain character and the ones I know are able to deal with the pressure of the game. This doesn't mean the other players do not have special qualities. It takes an entire team, with quality players to pull this off. Without the help and functioning of the entire team the players with the special tasks could not accomplish them. It takes an entire team to reach your goals.”
Staff members and their tasks during the preparations
“Besides the players, each member of the staff also has a tasks during this preparation phase. Every members has been delegated a task to analyze certain parts of the opponents’ game:
• The goalkeeper coach: goalkeeper‘s qualities (running out, footwork, 1v1, penalty strategy)
• Defense coach: do they play zone defense or man to man, what are their flaws down the flanks or through the middle
• Midfield and offense coach: analyze each midfielder and forward and their qualities
Psychological aspect of preparation
“One of the most important elements during preparation is psychological preparation of the players. My task as a coach is to decrease the psychological pressure as much as possible. This is why the players are sometimes put in quarantine before an important match. I often use quarantine as an aspect of individual concentration, to prepare the players for the expected task (confidence, stability, balance). Media are always in quest for information, sensations and in that way they influence the psyche of a player. When the players know everything about the upcoming opponent and what they can expect, they are more relaxed. Stability of a team is very important, and it can lead to good results. The results are those that keep peace and good atmosphere in the locker-room. The coach, consciously and controllably can and must keep the team stability even if the results are not satisfactory. I consider this the most important quality of a coach.”
“Ante Miše was born June 14th 1967 and started his football career at the youth academy of FC Borovo, Croatia. He made his debut in the first team at the age of fifteen and played seven games for the Croatian national. He transferred to HNK Hajduk Split when he was seventeen and wore the Hajduk jersey 339 times, scoring 40 goals. In 1994 he moved to Holland, where he played for Vitesse for three seasons. He ended his football career at FC Mura in Slovenia in 2005.
For the next two years he coached Croatian teams in the second and third division and moved on to the Croation Premier League in 2008, when he took charge of FC Hajduk, Split, and with success. Miše guided to team to a Croatian Cup victory and a second place in the Croatian championship. Ante Miše is considered one of the most up-and -coming young coaches in Croatia.”
Miše talked to Dušan Petrović about his coaching philosophy, systems of play and gives us an inside look at how to prepare a team for an important match.
“Even as a player, I enjoyed playing offensive football. I inherited this from all the coaches who taught me to play this way, in ex Yu and then in Croatia. However, the years I spent in the Netherlands really formed my coaching philosophy and made my vision more determinate and complete. Playing and training under Leo Beenhakker, but also watching other Dutch coaches and analyzing their matches, have played a big part in forming my coaching philosophy. The teams that I have coaches play what I call 'creative offensive football'.
I want discipline in all lines, but when the defensive line is forced to play with discipline and structure, I always allow a dose of creativity and imagination to the midfield and offensive lines.”
System of a play
“My favorite system of the play is the 1-4-2-3-1, which was a great match for the Hajduk Split selection I worked with and their tactical and technical characteristics and speed. Basic characteristics of the system is that it consists of 4 lines: a defensive line of 4 players who play in the zone, a midfield, to create balance, with two defensive players in the second line, a third line with a central midfielder and 2 wingers and the last line with a sole striker. The pros of this system consists of offensive power with the fourth and fifth lines (great number of players), great variety and combinations within the system, the forming of triangles across all the lines and having a great number of players in the middle of the field. Matches are the best indicators of a successful system. Yet you can never be satisfied until you have created automation in the movements and fulfillment of players’ tasks across all the lines of the team.”
Discipline
“Special attention is paid to the players and their motivation in training. One of the most important things that lead to a good relationship and a good understanding between a coach and the players is the players’ discipline. To make this happen it is good to have qualitative insight in each player’s abilities, his qualities, his potential and his character (mentality). A coach must affect the team and its behavior in an conscious and controlled manner and provide all the players with the conditions to excel. Giving a player the feeling that he is worth the attention will make player more self assured and stronger and in turn he will be more motivated to accept the coach’s demands. The most important aspects in teamwork are making the individual qualities work for the team. Furthermore, there must be motivation, a good atmosphere within the team and maximum performance during the training. If we manage to ensure all of these aspects, the payoff will be reflected in the results.”
Preparations for the next game (7 day cycle)
Sunday
Day off
Monday
On Monday I divide the team into 2 groups. The group who played during the previous match and the substitutes. The players who played will have a regeneration training consisting of some relaxed running (2x12 min), Stretching (10- 12min) and a massage.
Training for the players that did not play the match:
• 10 min stability practice (pair work)
• 10 min strength practice (repetitive training) 2 series x 20 sec.
• 6 min stretching
• A game of 6v6 with 2 neutrals
o Field size: 40x30m
o Duration: 2x6min
o No goalkeeper
o 2 touches
o Play on possession, neutrals play with team in possession
o Game setup, like a corridor (neutrals are in the middle) with 3 players of each time on each side of them. Players must stay on their own side
• A game of 7v7 with goalkeepers on a short, wide field. 2x12 min, free play
• Total training duration: 75-90 min
• Training intensity: Maximum
Tuesday, 9.00-10.00 a.m.
• 6 min easy running
• 6 min stretching
• 12 min heading game with guards on the goal (the ball is passed by hand, only score by means of a header. Field 30x20m, all players)
• 12 min interval running
• 6 min stretching
• 12 min interval running
• 6 min stretching
• High intensity, aerobic-anaerobic component
Tuesday, 4.00-5.30 p.m.
• 12 min stability practice
• 12 min round pass
• 2x20 sec strength practice
• Attacking exercise on both halves
o 2 groups each on one half
o With goalkeepers
o System of play like in a match
o Attacking play with the system
• A game of 11v11 on 3 goals
o 15 min
o Formation 1-4-2-3-1 against 1-4-4-2
• 6 min regenerating running
• High intensity training session
Wednesday, 4.00-5.30 pm
• Warming up training (Middle intensity)
•10-15 min skips coordination (high intensity)
• Possession game in 2 groups. 2x6 min (rotate groups)
- Group 1:
• Field 20x30m
• 5v5 with 2 neutrals
- Group 2:
• Field 20x30m
• 4v4 with 4 neutrals
• Game of 10v10 on a shortened field (70m)
o Free play
o 1-4-2-3-1 vs 1-4-4-2
o 12 min
Thursday, 4.00-5.30 pm
• Tactical session (opponent possession and counter attacks) 30 min
• 11v11 on 2 goals 2x12min
• 12 min stretching
• Medium intensity training
Friday, 4.00-5.00 pm
• Tactical session
• 12 min passing
• 20min shooting ball on the goal
• Counter attacks
• Acceleration training in pairs 8x10m
• Stretching 10-12min
• Medium intensity training
Saturday, 4.00 pm
MATCH
Choosing a system
“In the previous section I outlined the microcycles of the 7 day preparation phase for the week prior to the qualification match for Europa League. The match was played after the first primary round, which meant our season had not started and that the players hadn’t reached their top competitive form yet. In deciding on what system to play I also took the opponent’s qualities into account. They play in a 1-4-3-3 system and I decided to counter that with a 1-4-2-3-1 formation. From scouting the opponent, Zilina (Slovakia), we gathered they were an experienced team with an average age of 27 and had some tall players, they are strong in combination plays and counter attacks. The main goal of our formation was to create an outnumbering situation on midfield, so we could control and dominate play there.”
“There are a few reasons why I choose that system. One of the main reasons is that we had experience with the system and it is a great match with the qualities my players have (speed, combination play, counter attacks down the flanks and offensive power and numbers). One of the main reasons was also because we were playing this first match on their turf, so we needed to play offensive and score, so we would have an extra advantage in the second match at home. Playing the system I’ve chosen for that game, we could prevent the opponent’s counters down the flanks and create problems for them to combine in the middle.”
Player tasks
“Each match is different and so the tasks of the players differ too. We played with a micro defense and 2 stoppers who had the special tasks to push the back line as far from our goal as they could (40m from the goal), taking away the threat of their tall forwards. The two defensive midfielders were given the task to play close to our back line and take control of those so called 'nobody’s balls'. In opponent possession the half wingers had to provide support in the center, covering the two 2 defensive midfielders. In possession these half wingers had a task to make diagonal runs off the ball, to create space for our wingbacks, who both have great offensive
strength. Our striker had the special task to be in constant contact with the opponents left stopper, so he could create space for our offensive midfielder to enter the opponents box.”
“The reason I give special tasks to certain players is because they have certain qualities that can make a difference. The players who are assigned special tasks are the players with a certain character and the ones I know are able to deal with the pressure of the game. This doesn't mean the other players do not have special qualities. It takes an entire team, with quality players to pull this off. Without the help and functioning of the entire team the players with the special tasks could not accomplish them. It takes an entire team to reach your goals.”
Staff members and their tasks during the preparations
“Besides the players, each member of the staff also has a tasks during this preparation phase. Every members has been delegated a task to analyze certain parts of the opponents’ game:
• The goalkeeper coach: goalkeeper‘s qualities (running out, footwork, 1v1, penalty strategy)
• Defense coach: do they play zone defense or man to man, what are their flaws down the flanks or through the middle
• Midfield and offense coach: analyze each midfielder and forward and their qualities
Psychological aspect of preparation
“One of the most important elements during preparation is psychological preparation of the players. My task as a coach is to decrease the psychological pressure as much as possible. This is why the players are sometimes put in quarantine before an important match. I often use quarantine as an aspect of individual concentration, to prepare the players for the expected task (confidence, stability, balance). Media are always in quest for information, sensations and in that way they influence the psyche of a player. When the players know everything about the upcoming opponent and what they can expect, they are more relaxed. Stability of a team is very important, and it can lead to good results. The results are those that keep peace and good atmosphere in the locker-room. The coach, consciously and controllably can and must keep the team stability even if the results are not satisfactory. I consider this the most important quality of a coach.”
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Argentina U20 tactically the strongest at the World Youth Championship 2005
“The art of disciplined play”
The World Youth Championship is, after the World Cup, the second largest tournament organized by the FIFA. Since 1977 it has played host to the world’s biggest talents, who compete every 2 years for the title of the world’s best U20 team. This tournament is, with 24 teams, even bigger than the European championship. After 3 weeks of great competition the two best teams, namely Argentina and Nigeria, competed for the much sought after title on July 2. In spite of the Nigerian dominance on the field, Argentina walked away with the cup. The same scenario took place against Colombia, Spain and Brazil in earlier games. What makes the Argentinean youth players so ripe that they were able to win four of the last six U20 tournaments?
Manuel Pellegrini has already explained the difference between the European ways of playing as opposed to the Argentinean way of playing. However, at the2005 World Youth Championship it became apparent that the differences between the individual South American teams are equally as big. This does not even relate to the way of playing, but rather the attitude with which they walk onto the field. The Argentineans play patiently, intelligently and are deadly when it counts. For the true soccer lover the Argentinean style may be hard to like. For the most part their game play consists of waiting, defensive play and it is deadly boring. But suddenly there is that moment of refined technique and explosiveness, which may lead to the creation of a chance. The spectators did not appreciate it, but for the more result-oriented coaches there is however much that can be learned from this team.
Meeting the team
After the departure of Hugo Tocalli, who joined Jose Pekerman as assistant coach for the Argentinean senior team, Francisco Ferraro was appointed as head coach for the U20 team. “I am happy with the way in which I was able to take over from Tocalli. I joined him and the players for the South American qualification tournament in Colombia, so that I could get used to the group processes and meet the players. I spent a lot of team with the players and was able to talk with all of them. You learn much more about the players when you are on the road with them, as opposed to following them through the media.”
Start
The start of the World Youth Championship was laborious for the Argentineans, losing their first game against the US. Critics blamed Ferraro for the loss as he kept star player Messi on the bench during the first half. “We didn't play well in the first half, and that's when the Americans earned their win. We got better in the second half, but even then we were below the level my team is capable of.” Ferraro, however kept his cool and it showed in his every move. The pressure should never subdue a coach, but should rather motivate him. “I definitely felt the pressure, because Argentina has won the tournament multiple times in recent years. However this inspired me to work harder and did not keep me awake at night. Part of playing soccer with an Argentinean team is the obligation to win, even at friendly games.”
Tournament team
Countries such as Argentina, Germany, Italy and Brazil are all capable of growing into a tournament and play better with every game. If you, as a coach, want the players to remain calm on the pitch, you will also have to remain calm on the sidelines. The difficult start Argentina faced at the beginning of the tournament can be explained by the preparation phase, as it was brief and many players just finished a long and heavy season playing in top level divisions. “In the ideal case, I would have had 40 days to work with the team in order to perfect the details, but in reality this turned out to be far from true. Much of today’s young stars play in the highest divisions and even play in the Copa Libertadores. It is difficult to call on them whenever you need them. I try to respect the wishes of the club coaches as much as possible and try to base our program on theirs. This did however mean that the group that qualified for the tournament is very different from the team, which played the actual tournament. Many players only became available right before the start of the tournament.”
Defense
Whenever there is little time to train it is important to have a solid defensive organization. Creating a defensive system can be done relatively quickly by means of tactical practices. The Argentineans played a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield. Defensively they played with four players in a zone. The most important player was Juan Manuel Torres, who played as a defensive midfielder. He was in charge of covering the channels to the opponents’ strikers and was able to intercept a lot of passes in midfield. This link between defense and offense tries to maintain the balance at all times. It does ask for a lot of tactical discipline, because a player will naturally be inclined to step out towards the player with the ball or an uncovered player. The fact is, however, that the important part is to cover the way to your own goal and the opponent’s defenders and midfielders who are playing the ball around offer very little threat.
Midfield
The Argentinean midfielders all played relatively central, which creates small spaces defensively. The outside midfielders are not deep players, but rather the ones who coordinate the play from the center. The spaces on the sides are occupied by two fast wingers. They frequently tried to retain possession on the sides and then dribble towards the opponents goal. Defensively they had very little function. Whenever they were positioned in a way to decrease the size of the field they did not have to chase the ball. A second option to exploit the sides was the use of the wingbacks. A method of playing, that is common in Argentinean soccer.
Zone
The controlling midfielder has to ensure that the central defender rarely has to step out of the center. When a back is out of position the team has to be able to play with 3 men in the zone. In this situation the field will be made smaller and the defenders and midfielder will shift inwards. Against teams with 3 strikers this could create some problems, as the Argentineans will then be playing 1 against 1. In this situation the most important thing is shifting and leaving the far side free. The most important aim is to obstruct the way to goal.
Set plays
During all set plays everybody immediately seeks the right positions. When the opponent starts their build up the team must play disciplined and compact. None of the players will start chasing the ball and wasting energy in their own half. The team will for example anticipate the opponents goal kick by positioning themselves on their own half . By doing this the ball can never be passed over them, which eliminates the immediate danger. By playing with so many people in the small space the chance of winning the ball is the greatest. Despite the relatively small height of the players at the back (the tallest player is 1.82 m) the team can attain ball possession, even at a lost head duel. If the opponent decides to start the build up from the back, the team will not opt to shift up. An intentional choice given the speed of the Argentinean attackers. The same situation applies at a throw in, where all players position themselves on less than a quarter of the field.
Spirit
After Argentina eventually passed the first round, they encountered the South American champions Colombia. In the quarterfinals their opponent was Spain. Colombia and Spain were two teams who both gained respect with their attacking, disciplined way of playing. Spain was for many the team to beat during the tournament. Ferraro's team however rarely encountered any problems in either of those games. In the game against Spain Ferraro commented: "it was a tough game, and one in which we were outplayed at times, especially in the second half. But that was when we called on our tireless running and fighting spirit. We were able to keep our shape. I have to congratulate my players for the way they finished off the game." When you have little ball possession it becomes an art to continue to play disciplined, without losing control of the game. This young team was able to keep the control, even when the opponent had possession.
Age
Working with a youth team is different from working with a senior team. “The big difference is in the age. In a professional team you have players ranging from 18 to 34. In a youth team you are dealing with just teenagers, which mean you are constantly trying to develop them as players as well as people. My coaching style is geared towards improving the players, regardless of their age. However, I do work a little differently with a youth team. I try to spend as much time as possible with my players, talking with them about the game and trying to uncover their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of these players have no preconceptions and are very sensitive to guidance. I hope they can apply what they have learned, so they can continue their development.”
Luck?
The way in which Argentina finished off the tournament was worthy of winning the title. The game against Colombia was decided by a goal scored just seconds before the final whistle. Against Spain the counter attack proved lethal and against Brazil in the semi-final the decision fell in additional time. Top talent Messi was the one who ensured victory twice in these final minutes. Messi also proved lethal against Nigeria in the final, where he scored twice from the penalty spot to beat Nigeria 2-1. “It was a tough game and really hard work with a lot of emphasis on strategy. We gave up a lot of possession to Brazil but only in their half. Once they came at us, we pressed them hard and hit them on the break.” When you win so many games this way you cannot speak of luck anymore, but rather of strategy. The patience and tranquility of this team caused for aversive reactions from the Dutch spectators, however the strategy proved lethal.
Practice
This tranquility and discipline has to be the result of good preparation. The conversations with the players and the practices before and during the tournament have made Argentina into a well balanced team. The only players who had a free role were the two strikers who fluctuated between frequent loss of possession and ingenious moments with their frequent actions and dribbling. The team practiced a lot of game situations. By practicing with resistance you can simulate the pressure experienced in a game. Whenever a team is 1-0 up during a practice, you can tell them to defend this score for five minutes. The other team will have to play all or nothing. This way you can spend some time on tactics, while at the same time allow the players to get used to the mental pressure experienced in a real game.
Final
The last 15 minutes of the final was a great portrayal of what this Argentinean team is all about. Argentina was up 2-1 regardless of Nigeria’s optical preponderance. The last 15 minutes everybody was expecting a final of all-out attack from the Nigerians, however they were not able to deliver. Argentina fell back and made sure Nigeria could not pose a threat. Even more importantly whenever they retained possession they calmly passed the ball around so that they could not be pressure by their opponent. Most other teams would panic in a situation like this, but Argentina remained calm.
Success
“We're thrilled to have won this title. Our success was down to the collective effort, sacrifice and discipline that the team showed. This helped us to overcome the difficult obstacles that were put in our path. Argentine footballers always have that little bit extra they can call on in difficult moments. This selflessness, organization and strong mentality allowed our football to come through in the end. The players put all these traits into practice and that helped us win what was a very tough tournament.”
Individual defense
The 1 against 1 duel is the basis for a good zone defense. A team can be organized extremely well, but when the individual players constantly lose their 1 against 1 duel they will be frequently confronted with a outnumbered situations. A player does not only have to make the right tactical decision, but also implement them.
The following criteria apply when an opponent approaches you with a dribble:
• Position yourself between your own goal and the opponent.
• Try to slow the opponent down and force him into a certain direction.
• Turn your body inwards towards the right direction, ensuring the opponent is forced into the preferred direction.
• The defender will have to move on his toes and his knees must be bent.
The following criteria apply when the opponent is facing you:
• Only try to get in front of him when you are sure you have the ball.
• Don’t get too close to the opponent before he received the ball (he will be able to use you as a turn circle).
• Close covers after he received the ball and don’t allow him to turn.
The following criteria apply when you are outnumbered:
• Bend your knees, so you can react quickly.
• Try to position yourself so you are covering one player and are able to keep your eye on another player.
• Try to slow the game down, so that your teammates have time to take their positions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
