COACHING IS NOT JUST TECHNIQUE (or even tactics)

 

Over the past few years I have seen a massive tendency of the coaching system to drift to only focus on one element of player improvement - technique.

This, combined with a “coach/manager’s ego trip” or tactics as they prefer to call it, means that well-intentioned training sessions actually teach players little or nothing!

For all the great coaching of technique, tactics and even fitness you simply HAVE to have motivated, enthusiastic players and, sorry to tell many FA coaches (as they like to claim they are), some things you simply cannot coach are

- BRAVERY

- MOTIVATION

- ENTHUSIASM

- EFFORT

- DESIRE

And without these attributes, you cannot get the technique and tactics to work?
 

So, how do you improve your team?

You simply cannot improve technique, and/or change formation to make the team work better!

​

A key part of coaching players is to man manage them - and this is often a key difference between a coach and a manager!

It’s an undefinable quality often, but the ability to get the best out of your players is as vital as teaching a “Cruyff turn”!!
 

Think about the following examples

• How often does a team seem to struggle until they change manager (even with the same players), so even the formation can be the same, the players are no better technically but the teams results & performances improve

• How often does a team beat another team when, in all honesty, none of the players in the winning team would individually get in the losing team’s line up

In both these situations the only difference is the attitude of the players on the pitch, so the job of the Manager is to motivate them to achieve their “greatness”!

​

I use a phrase to my players, when I have a superior team ON PAPER, that hopefully helps them to achieve their targets:

“If you want your quality to come through you have to work at least as hard as your opponents - EARN THE RIGHT TO PLAY”

 

Effort is crucial in any team, and to get the effort right, you often have to be really fit!

I think, in recent years, the best club side I’ve seen was the superb Barca side of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, these players clearly had fantastic technique, but they were also supremely fit.

 

Motivation, a crucial management tool, makes your players run a few extra yards to help their team mates!

Some players do it without being told, as it’s their strength, but some players need to “persuaded” to put in the extra effort to allow their superior technique to shine through!

 

The same applies with enthusiasm! You can’t make a player enthusiastic, you can only motivate them to be enthusiastic - it’s a keen man management skill!

​

Bravery is not just about putting your body on the line in a challenge, or risking an injury, it’s often about doing something risky for the benefit of your team mates, taking risks where appropriate, and being prepared to “put your neck above the parapet” when it’s called for.

The reverse of this is when players continually play safe and just play the easy ball when there is a possibility of penetrating! 
 

A lot of the problem in this area is the current Coaches (and TV pundits) obsession with stats!

An example of this occurs when your highest number of completed passes is achieved by your centre backs, simply passing it to and fro to each other!

At some point the ball HAS to go forward if a goal is to be scored!!
 

You want your highest passing numbers to be achieved by your number 8 or number 10 ideally, not your 5 and 6!!

Remember - only one stat really counts in a game - your goals scored against your opponents goals scored!!
 

So, in summary, you should never forget the importance of technique (even the hardest working footballer needs to be able to pass, head, tackle etc), and tactics ARE important (but be prepared to be flexible in your tactics) but once your players enter the field of play they HAVE to be motivated and have the right attitude or all your pre-match work, as a Manager, will be wasted!

So invest time in being (or finding, if you are a Chairman) a high quality man manager who realises the value of getting the best from their team!

(C) Tim Richens 2020