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The complete soccer coaching experience

SOCCERCOACHING No. 22 August/September 2007

International

Foppe de Haan European U21 Champion

U21 special

Miroslav Djukic, Serbia

Pierluigi Casiraghi, Italy

WWW.SOCCER COACHINGINTERNATIONAL.COM

Contents 4

FOPPE DE HAAN, NETHERLANDS U21 COACH: “A coach is a problem solver”

From the Editor

10

MIROSLAV DJUKIC, SERBIAN U-21 NATIONAL TEAM COACH: “European Vice-champion ”

16

ITALY U21S:

22

JOSÉ COUCEIRO, PORTUGAL U21:

Tournament favourites Italy ‘want to play beautiful football’

“In my view, there is one aspect in training that conditions all others: the psychological”

28

TRAINING SESSIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD: U21 Special

36

WHEN TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR:

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U21 CORNER

42

COLUMN PAUL COOPER

Netherlands v England

Welcome to SCI’s special UEFA U21 championship issue An issue dedicated entirely to the UEFA tournament held in the Netherlands this summer. The tournament was a great success, with some fine games and more than 200,000 spectators. SoccerCoachingInternational attended almost every game of the two-week finals and interviewed half of the coaches in charge of Europe’s finest talents.

The Netherlands were both hosts, defending champions and after a scintillating display of attacking football in a 4-1 win over Serbia retained the trophy in style. We talked to the 64 year old Dutch coach Foppe de Haan in charge of his winning squad about creating a good team, the rules within that team, brief meetings, how to put the jigsaw puzzle together and about how age makes you wiser.

W also chatted with the other finalist’s coach: Serbia’s Miroslav Djukic. A young coach who enjoyed plenty of success as a player in Spain with Deportivo and Valencia and continued in the same vein from the touchline after guiding Serbia through qualifying and into the final of the UEFA U21 championship in his first job as a coach.

Besides these two finalists we also talked to Portuguese coach José Couceiro and Italy’s entire coaching staff headed by Pierluigi Casiraghi. Our regular section, ‘Training Session from around the world’ has also been devoted to the U21championship with exercises, goal and game plays. Our UK columnist, Paul Cooper includes an analytical article on the thrilling semi-final match between England and the Netherlands comparing the football cultures and how this was exposed in an epic match. And of course Paul is once again responsible for the icing on the cake: his infamous column!

I think I speak on behalf of our entire staff, when I say that this was a great issue to make, we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Yours in soccer, Maaike Denkers

U21 Netherlands special

Foppe de Haan, Netherlands U21 coach:

“A coach is a problem solver�

The Dutch U21 team accomplished something unique by winning the UEFA U21 championship for the second consecutive year and another successful Dutch team led by coach Foppe de Haan.

Our Dutch correspondent Jan Soek paid him a visit after the final against Serbia and talked to him about creating a good team, the rules within that team, brief meetings, the puzzle you must solve as a coach and ageing.

By: Jan Soek

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No. 22 August/September 2007

“Creating a good team is really a question of making a good program. When the players arrived at the training camp a few weeks prior to the tournament we started by testing them. They were screened extensively by the doctor and the physiotherapist on, among other things, their injury sensitivity and potential hidden problems. We also did a shuttle run test to check their endurance. The conclusion was, as expected, that their fitness levels were poor after a heavy season. For most players it was even worse than that.”

“We then looked at each individual player and their needs and designed individual programs based on those needs, as well as the general team programs. As you obviously must also do things such as constructing your defense and training patterns.

But besides that almost every player had his own program, which he had to finish. In the beginning players didn’t like it: ‘Why do I have to do this and he doesn’t?’ But at a given moment they notice their fitness levels were improving, that they were feeling better and recovering faster. Players often think that they recover by doing nothing. But that’s not the case, on the contrary. When you are extremely tired and go for a walk, you will feel much better afterwards. This doesn’t only apply to athletes, but to everyone. And if you also ensure that the basis on which you play, the physical, the mental, the diet, etcetera are evaluated and improved, you may not be tired for 14 days, but perhaps only for a week.”

“This played a very important role in preparation for the UEFA Championship. Another important factor is the experience the player had during his regular season. Some of these guys come in after a fantastic season. They will continue to play at that level, you don’t need to worry about that. You may think that it is more difficult to motivate the guys who had a lesser season, but most of the time it’s the other way around. They think: ‘Great, a new start!’ And after a week you see them playing at their level again.”

“In order to make a team, it is an advantage that they are all of approximately the same age. If they play at their own club in the competition, they are frequently competing against older players. Now they are all the same age. Their qualities, as compared to their team-mates, really come out. Sometimes it turns out, even to our surprise, that they are playing even better than they (can) show at their club.”

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“Furthermore I try to create a team by talking to them, as a team and individually. Of course as a coach I know a lot more than the players. But by talking to them I try and prevent that I come across as a know-it-all. I try to let them talk. What they think, what they feel, what are their problems and how they experienced them. I listen and bring it up again later. I then say: we talked about this and that and I gave it some thought and so on. This way I try to give them the feeling that it is not about me, but that it is about them.”

“I do, however, have a number of rules for the players. The most important is, Act normal followed by being ‘inquisitive’ and ‘open’. You can only learn if you are open. If you always have a wall around you, forget it. Unfortunately many of these guys have bad experiences because they are always screamed at and pushed. They therefore automatically build a wall around themselves. As a coach you must try to break down that wall and persuade them that it is best for them. That it is in their own advantage when they are more vulnerable.”

“I never have endless meetings. I keep it brief. Generally just a few things, and sometimes I say nothing. I always divide the meeting into squares. Because meetings are about the system of play and the way you want to play. You can talk about so many things. Possession, defending, transition, corners, free kicks and so on. You can talk for hours. But if you do that, then your players, even at this level, will be lost after 5 minutes. So I chose not to do that. I talk for 10 minutes about ‘How we want to play and how it works?’ Then I take the defenders aside and talk to them for about 10 minutes about say corners, free kicks and other matters. Subsequently I do the same for the forwards and that’s it.”

“Before the game I say: What have we agreed on? Does everybody remember their tasks? This applies to you, that to you, etc.’ I give them all a hand and wish them success.

From experience I know that coaches will recap what they want done. But players are already in their own zone at that moment, you won’t reach them anymore. As a coach I want to give them their moment of concentration, I walk around and give them a pat on the back.”

“I do the same at halftime. In the past I also had the inclination to use a staccato of words which I fired at the players. Now I say: this and that is going well, think about this and if you do that differently, you will see it will go better. I don’t talk for more than 3 minutes really. That is an art which you must

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No. 22 August/September 2007

teach yourself. You always have the inclination to tell an entire story and transfer your own dissatisfaction on the boys.

I learned not to do that anymore.”

“During halftime in the semi-final against England we didn’t make it harder on the players than it already was. These guys were fed up that they were trailing 0-1 in a full stadium. They really wanted to advance to the final. The only thing I said was: ‘Go! make it happen!’ I also brought on two or three substitutes.

I thought that we needed a new dimension, a new impulse.”

You have a lot of different types of substitutes. We have players who carry out a certain task perfectly, but you also have players with an enormous drive inside. An example is Tim Jansen. There are perhaps players who play better in that position, but with Tim you know he will go for it and that he has an incredible amount of energy and that he will produce. The same applies to Roy Beerens. When you bring someone on at that moment who only wants to show off his tricks, nothing will change. That’s what it is all about, but really I can’t always explain choices like this.”

“You hear people say that they played as a team and did everything for each other, but that is something that cannot be coached. All you can do within football is to clearly set the objectives. I frequently said: ‘you must play close to each other. If the space between defense and offense is 30 meters, you cannot help each other. But you can play close to each other in two ways, on the field, but also in your feeling. You have the feeling that you play so closely together that when someone makes a mistake, someone else can help him correct it. I can shout: ‘You must help each other’ and you often hear this on the fields, but then I think: ‘What kind of information am I giving these players?’ I actually mean: ‘You must play close together’. So that’s what I should say. That also means that you are prepared to help each other and this will come across as if the players would take a bullet for each other.”

“We trained on this a lot, and it is very important. Training is really a sort of ABC. Not that it is easy; but that you work from A to B to C. C has do with A, and B with C. You get rid of certain exercises and add something else. Then you start training and subsequently the red line will return in the way the group plays.

You can talk a lot about this, but sometimes it is better not to say anything. The players must simply experience it.

The moment you let them experience it, they will sooner or later understand it. For example they will experience what I said about playing closely together. Unconscious they will start handling it accordingly and that is the art. It is a matter of not forcing it.

In nature a flower does not open all at once either.

It opens little by little and suddenly it is blooming. There are a lot of ingredients which make this happen.”

“One of the things I always strive for is to stay positive. That is very important. Whenever I have some bad news I always try to package it in a more positive wrapper, kind of like a McDonald’s hamburger. I start with a pro, then a con and then another pro: that was alright, that was terrible and that went well. When we do this better, then everything will be OK. This is very much in my nature, I am a positive person. I don’t allow things to get at me and will always stand up for my players.

When someone asks me about the lesser aspects of a player, then I explain that that is their opinion and I may share that opinion, but I will only voice it if I have said it to the player before. If I haven’t talked to that player about it, I will not voice my opinion. I have learned this through the course of time. When you have something to say you should say it, but it can also be used against you, so I have learned to be careful.”

“A coach is a problem solver. You have 23 boys and you pick 11.

But you are also dealing with attackers, midfielders and defenders. You have to ask yourself, just like with a jigsaw puzzle, which pieces are the cornerstones, which ones are the middle pieces and which ones are the side pieces. This is how you look

No. 22 August/September 2007

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at it and what you base your selection on. Furthermore we had the players tested on their temperament, character, how they deal with themselves, how accessible they are which players you need to push, which ones you must approach critically and which ones you shouldn’t. I will get a summary of these facts, so I know about these things and can deal accordingly. Not every day, but frequently, I keep this in mind when I talk to the players. Then you look at where the qualities are and where the weak points are and you start putting the puzzle together and trying things out.”

“You will try this with a player and you will discover what works and what doesn’t, what is going well and what’s not. Afterwards you will look at it and wonder: is the figure, the system, correct now? Do these two pieces fit together? Then you try something else and you look if it works better. What are we missing? With this team we were lacking a deep midfielder, eventually Bakkal played in this role.”

“It became quickly apparent that the build-up from the back was very poor. When this is the case you are often forced to play the long ball. The opponent will often play with two tall guys in the center and another set in front of them. This means that you will probably lose the heading duels. This in it self is not a big problem, it just means you have to win the second ball. But when you have few players that can win that second ball, then you do have a problem. So I figured I would put two forwards there, because then I have a better chance of winning the second ball.

That was my main point.

Then I

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No. 22 August/September 2007

thought about what that would mean for the wingers. I would need the type of wingers who have the willingness and the physical capacity to play from the outside in. And I would need someone in midfield who can ensure physical control. This is how you put the pieces of the puzzle together. Subsequently you will start training it and it either works or it doesn’t. In the beginning my plan wasn’t working, the players were too static. So I constantly hammered at Ron Vlaar and Ryan Donk not to pass the ball to the wingbacks, because it would lead to static play. I also told the backs that they had to position themselves differently.

You then start to work with the midfielders, followed by the forwards. You must work very systematically and at a given moment you will reach your goals.”

“Eventually they must show it all in the game, because that’s when it matters whether you win or lose. When you win, your influence as a coach is also much bigger than when you lose.

They will learn quicker and are easier to steer. For example you can tell the forwards to play behind each other. Or that the wingers should go deeper. What kind of system is this? It depends on the moment you take a picture of it. If you look at from above it can be a 4-5-1, then a 4-3-3 and afterwards a 4-4-2. It is unfortunate that you have so little time in a tournament like this, because if I could train with these players a bit longer we would beat everyone.”

“Every training session starts with coordination exercises, tension exercises, strength and other exercises to ensure that the players become fit. If these exercises are finished, the training really starts. I see these first exercises as if it were a type of homework, but homework we do all together before the training.

Then I start with possession games, something which must always return in every training session. Within this we train on

playing with pace, good foot passes, fast ball handling. In the beginning all players were walking with the ball, but I believe the ball should do the running. I then do exercises that focus on, for example, the left or right winger, everybody participates, but the focus is on that individual player. He will get the ball ten times to improve himself on a certain aspect. But do not forget that after the game it is about one thing: having confidence in the player.”

“I don’t really like shooting on goal. Why should a right wingback have to shoot on goal? He won’t be shooting on goal in a game either. If I have them finish on goal I will have everyone do it nonetheless. But I expect concentration, meaning that when they miss the target they will have to do twenty push-ups. In the beginning we had 10 players doing push-ups at the same time, but at the last session there was only 1. So their precision did improve.”

“In the Dutch youth academies there has always been a large discrepancy between training and winning. In my vision training and winning are linked to each other. You must train because it will result in more wins. You play each game to win. When children play, no matter how small they are, then want to win. But adults want to win even more, sometimes so much it becomes a burden, resulting in less wins. Children want to win, but when they don’t win they will shake it off and start playing another game. For them it is not a burden. What they have, the realization that winning is not the most important thing, should be preserved. However, the moment you play the game it does becomes the most important thing. Whenever I prepared myself to the best of my ability, but the opponent just happens to be better then that’s OK. I gave it my everything, I fought, I lost and have to accept that. You give the opponent a hand and congratulate them, because they were better. That is sport.”

“When you are older, two things can happen to you. You can say: I am getting older; I am experienced so I know. But you can also take those experiences and broaden your life. This way you will become a better coach. Because you know that the world wasn’t built in a day, that people develop and to take time for things. I have really learned this. In the past whenever I had a heap of knowledge and skills, I pumped it all into the players. Now I take my time: it will come. If I had known this fifteen years ago I would have been a better coach.

Although I already believed back then that I was a good coach. I am always looking for information: in papers, journals, I go

abroad to look at how they do it, etc. This hasn’t decreased, it even increased, because I have more time now. If I had known this fifteen years ago, the future would of been fantastic.”

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U21 Serbian special

Miroslav Djukic, Serbian U-21 National Team Coach:

“European Vice-ch The Serbian U21 National Team has had a lot of success in past years on the international stage. Their most recent success was this summer in the Netherlands at the UEFA U21 European Championship where they finished in second place, losing to The Netherlands in the final. Their coach Miroslav Djukić enjoyed plenty of success as a player in Spain with Deportivo and Valencia and continued in the same vein from the touchline after guiding Serbia through qualifying and into the final of the UEFA U21 championship in his first job as a coach.

By: Dušan Petrović

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No. 22 August/September 2007

hampion”

Djukić began his playing career with his hometown club Macva before spurning Serbia's big two FK Crvena Zvezda and FK Partizan to join Rad, a club on the rise. It was an unusual choice, but then Djukić has always done things his way. Similar thinking took him to Deportivo in 1990. Then a second division side, Djukić's decision was quickly vindicated as Deportivo were promoted the following year and were soon competing at Europe's top table.

Djukić will always be associated with the club, particularly for one moment in the final round of the 1993/94 season when he missed a penalty in the final minute against Valencia that cost them the title. Two years later Djukić moved to Valencia and the following season Depor finally won their first league title. "God exists, they deserve that. Now I have peace in my soul," Djukić said.

After twice appearing on the losing side with Valencia in the UEFA Champions League finals of 2000 and 2001, Djukić eventually collected some silverware himself as the Mestalla club captured the Spanish crown in 2002.

He made his international debut for Yugoslavia in a 1-1 draw against Turkey on 27 February 1991. He went on to win 46 caps, scoring twice, and represented his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup as well as UEFA EURO 2000.

No. 22 August/September 2007

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He saw out his career with Tenerife in 2004 before training to be a coach in Spain. The hard work paid off with his appointment as Serbia coach ahead of qualifying for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Serbia's successful campaign caught the eye of Partizan who gave him his first taste of club management when they named him coach on 9 January 2007.

Djukić continued in both jobs until the end of the tournament in the Netherlands after which he stepped down as coach of the U21s, with a silver medal in his pocket.

Philosophy “Organization is the most important aspect in the function of every team. Only from good organization can every player show individual talent and knowledge. I need also a balance between defense and attack. Very disciplined, well organized and strong play in the defensive phase and fast and positive attacking play.”

System “Depending on the quality of players I work with; their technical, tactical and physical abilities, I use this system. This is because I want to have as many players in our play as possible, with more surety and conformity during the game. My favorite system is 1-4-2-3-1 (see diagram 1) in combinations with systems 1-4-1-4-1 and 1-4-1-3-2. I always try to play this system, and not changing it too often, because a lot of changes could confuse players with negative reflection on cooperation and their quality of play.”

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No. 22 August/September 2007

Diagram 1: Serbian 1-4-2-3-1

No. 22 August/September 2007

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Preparation for EU Cup “The most important aspect in my work with the Serbian U21 National Team was to work with specific details of our play. All aspects of work with the team are very important, but in modern football details could decide the difference between winners and losers.”

“I knew before the European Cup that my players would be arriving very tired and empty, after long competitions and lots of games at their clubs. First I should rest them, refresh them and give them freedom. After that, I should convince them that they have a big responsibility and work very hard on organization and cooperation between the lines in that tactical organization.

I should also convince them that discipline is very important at both the team and individual level. Every individual player had to know before the Championship what we are asking from him, what is his position and role in the team and what the team is expecting from him. We’ve prepared together through conversation and practice on the field all aspects of our tactical organization and our main goal in the European Championship.”

Choosing the system “The team plays best in this system, it was been playing, training and practicing and so, knows it well. We play our game, in our system, no matter where we play and who is our opponent.

I want my team to lead the game and rhythm of play on the field. My team must believe in the system we are using, and our tactical knowledge. A big system change can only happen if there is a large number of injured or suspended players”

Special tasks “Before every game I prepare my players in their tasks for the next game. They must know all the good and bad characteristics of their opponents, but for that I spend no more then 15 minutes. This is because we have our style of playing, and we must concentrate on our play. The special task is usually referred to as the task in the break down of the opponents attack from wing positions and in 1 v 1 situations. The main task and the center of our attention must be concentrated on how we are going to play in the next game, how that has to be done and what is our way of playing”

Team of experts “We work in close cooperation to find the best solutions. We are the team which must work together.”

Psychological work “This is a very important part of the preparation for big competitions. I work with the best young players from Serbia, who are strong in all aspects of their personality. I am trying to psychology relax them before every game through personal conversation with each player. They must give their maximum on the field during the competition period. They must know what their quality is and use that quality at every moment. Relax players with friendly discussion and give them self-assurance and self-confidents for the tough moments which they will experience during the game.”

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No. 22 August/September 2007

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2 v 1 game play

13

D

12

Task: To improve play in a 2 v 1situation.

11

10

C 9

8 7

B 6

5 4

A

3

2 1

Organization: Field size 60m x 10m, separated on 4 fields with dimensions 15m x 10m. In every field is one defensive player (players in fields A and D stay in the middle, players in fields B and C in the right corner, 2-3 m from the corner. First two players in attacking role (4 x 2 players) start the exercise, one with a ball, the second without the ball enter the field first. They must come through all 4 fields of play 2:1 against half-active defender. In field A the attackers must play a wall pass. In field B they must make a combination with a double-pass while moving. The same in fields C and D (check picture).

When all 4 pairs of players have finished the exercise we change the rules, every player must do the exercise both with ball and without ball.

Number of players: 12

2 v1 group attack 6

Task: To improve group attack in a 2 v 1 situation.

5

4

1 3 2

Organization: Field size 20x15m (middle of a standard field). 2 attackers against 1 defender with the task of taking him out of play and come into space near the goal and finish the action with a shot (see picture). Coach could change situations and make new rules during the exercise.

Number of players: 10 players (2 groups with 5 players) and 2 goalkeepers, Field: 60m (3 x 20m) x 15 m Duration: 2-3 repetitions 6- 10 minutes

2 v 2 group attack

8 7

Task: To improve group attack through back positions in a 2 v 2situation

6

5

4 2 3

1

Organization: Field is separated into 4 zones. In the zones of the goals (2 x 16m) attackers and defensive players in a situation 2v2 and 2v3, in back zones midfielders and defenders in a 2v2 situation. Goalkeeper gives the ball into the zones with 3 defenders and 2 attackers. Defenders in situation 3:2 (2-3 touches of the ball) must pass the ball in one of 2 back zones with task that every defender must receive the ball. From back zones in free play task is centershoot in goal zone and scoring in situation 2:2 or 2:3 plus goalkeeper.

Number of players: 17 players plus 2 goalkeepers, Duration: 3 series with 6 repetitions x 30 sec. with 2 minutes of rest between repetitions and 5 minutes between series.

No. 22 August/September 2007

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U21 Italy special

Tournament favourites ‘want to play beautiful f

After Italy’s elimination from the 2006 U21 European Championship in Portugal, the Italian football federation decided not to renew the contract of coach Claudio Gentile. The decision was something of a surprise, given that Gentile had led Italy to victory in Germany in 2004.

Former Lazio, Juventus and Chelsea forward Pierluigi Casiraghi was appointed as team coach. Gianfranco Zola, who played with Napoli and Parma in Italy and achieved legendary status in England during his time with Chelsea, was made technical consultant. Roberto Dujany was retained as fitness coach, while Italy U16 and U17 coach Antonio Rocca, and former Napoli keeper, Luciano Castellini, were brought into the coaching staff.

SoccerCoachingInternational spoke to Casiraghi, Zola and Castellini at Coverciano, the federation’s technical centre, in Florence, as the team prepared for the 2007 tournament.

By: Frank Dunne

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No. 22 August/September 2007

Italy football’ Pierluigi Casiraghi, team coach Gianfranco and I have the same vision of football. We prefer a style of football which is as beautiful as possible. We want to play football in the true sense of the word. We want to play as many talented players together in the team as possible. It doesn’t always work like that in Italy. Here, the tactical formation often takes priority over the players. In the national team, I think that it’s better to try and play the best players. That might sound simple but it’s not. Playing as many of the most talented players as possible gives us, as coaches, great satisfaction and I think that the players enjoy themselves more too.

It’s not easy to find the right balance between this vision of football and the need to win games. In Italy, the result is usually the most important thing. Gianfranco and I have spent time in England – me for a short while, but Gianfranco for many years – and it was a very formative experience. One thing that it taught us both was that the result is not everything. We think that this is the right approach, especially with younger players.

We’re in a very finely balanced group. It’s probably tougher than the other group. England have an excellent team, even without [the injured] Theo Walcott. They have got real quality and nearly all of them play in the Premier League. So they have to be one of the favourites to get to the final. Serbia are always very difficult to play against. The current team is strange because they can play a brilliant game and then play badly. They’re hard to figure out. The Czechs are the strongest team physically in the whole tournament. It will be difficult. We want to win it, but so do the other seven teams.

In Italy, we probably work more than any other country on tactics during our training sessions and players do this from a very early age – probably too early, in my opinion. But our players grow up with knowledge of all the different tactical systems. They can play with a back four, a back three or whatever. So it’s not complicated for a new coach to come in and change the tactical approach. They have the flexibility to adapt not just to a change of coach but even to a change of tactics during a match. Tactically, you always have to be able to adapt to the characteristics of the team you are playing against.

Today was the first real training session so we started to work from the base, which is always the defence. In the coming days, we’ll continue with the rest of the team.

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Training session 5 June 2007 5.00

Players arrive, some begin to warm up by passing a ball around, others begin a light jog

5.25

Team talk with all of the coaching staff

5.27

The keepers split off and begin work with Castellini; the other players jog around the pitch.

Then there are a couple of minutes of stretching

5.30

10 v 10 match on a small pitch, three poles for goal posts; the pitch continues for 10m behind the poles so that goals can be scored from behind the goal as well as in front. Mostly played with two and three touches on the ball (Diagram 1)

5.45

Stretching, posture work, running progression 2 x 20m

5.48

Speed resistance work. A diamond with players split into groups by colours. A relay between the four bases, each about 25-30m apart, players pass a bib to team mate

6.00

10 v 10 match, three-touch, in small space. Offside rule applies. A goal is scored when the ball is carried over the end line after a through ball by a team mate

6.15

Players split into two groups. Casiraghi takes defenders and some midfield players; Zola takes attackers and attacking midfield players

Casiraghi: Situation exercise 5v4 and 6v5, with keeper. The point of the exercise is organising the back four, keeping the line at the right height and with the right distances between the players. The attacking players try to switch the ball rapidly from side to side, looking for a run through the defence which enables a through ball (Diagram 2)

Zola: Shooting practice from edge of box. One-two with Zola then shot from edge of box. Then Zola moves out wide.

A ball played wide, a cross by Zola for a shot on the full, first time

6.30

11v11 match in half-sized pitch

7.00

Ends

Diagram 1: Practice match

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Diagram 2: 5v4 (+ keeper)

No. 22 August/September 2007

Roberto Dujany

Roberto Dujany, fitness coach Every training session is characterised by two methods. One is the called ‘the cocktail method’, the other is called the ‘sandwich method’. The cocktail method is used to improve the metabolic qualities which a player needs: the central and peripheral components, the ability to rapidly get rid of lactates.

The term ‘cocktail’ refers to the fact that the metabolic qualities – such as strength, speed and stamina, or rather aerobic capacity – are mixed into the kind of athletic activity which is required of the player. According to the type of work proposed, one of these can predominate, just as is the case during agonistic performance. It’s vital that the work carried out is of a high quality and therefore is conducted at high intensity.

‘Sandwich’ means splitting training exercises between periods of ball possession activities, or technical-tactical activities. We use a combination of activities with and without the ball. Today we used one activity without the ball, which was the one dedicated to resistance to speed.

There are also activities which don’t have a direct energetic utility but which are designed for the prevention of injuries, the development of physical sensitivity and recovery from the stress produced by intensive sporting activity and physical traumas.

These activities are only an indirect part of fitness preparation but are equally important because of their preventive aspect, especially when you bear in mind that the players are at the end of a long season. These activities include: work on articular mobility; postural gymnastics; a rebalancing of the tensions from the stretching of the muscles; proprioceptive gymnastics; gymnastics for the feet muscles; gymnastics to help wind down the entire structure through movement of the coxofemoral, of the lumbar column, and the pelvis; and gymnastics for improving the stability of the torso.

This year we have a higher number of players who were heavily involved in the championship race both in Serie A and in Serie B compared to last year. So they have given much more on a physical and mental level and we had to take that into consideration when planning the training and the preparation in general. Around six or seven players have been involved in the Serie B run-in, which has not yet finished, and they joined us late.

The other problem was the overlap of the game against Albania on Friday for qualification for the 2009 U21 tournament in which four or five of our players were involved, one of whom then had to go straight away to play in Serie B. We started here without all the players and with several players who were tired. So at the outset we decided to reduce the workload a little in training.

The work we do during the year is always linked to what the players do in their clubs. Their main job is to play for their clubs.

We have good relationships with our colleagues at the clubs, with the coaches and the doctors, to monitor how the players are getting on physically. There is a high element of personalised work. We always work in a group because the group is very important in football as in all team sports. Within the group, I divide them into sub-groups and then within the sub-groups everyone’s work is to some extent personalised according to the rhythms they are used to working with in their own clubs. It’s a very detailed approach.

I wouldn’t like to make any big claims but the group looks in good form to me ahead of the tournament. Today there was a good spirit out there. Yesterday, all we did was a bit of warming down and this morning they did nothing, so this is the first real training session. This was the first time that ever ybody was together, which probably contributed to the relaxed atmosphere.

No. 22 August/September 2007

19

Luciano Castellini, goalkeeping coach The most important thing in my work is dialogue with the keepers to know what kind of work they have done during the year. Our work with them is very marginal and we can’t alter the equilibrium they have. It’s all about collaboration. I give them advice and they usually accept it but I also get them to explain to me what they need. It’s pointless proposing something which could do more harm than good.

In tournaments usually only one keeper out of three gets to play. But it’s easy to manage this situation from a psychological point of view because they know more or less beforehand how things will go. The keepers on the bench know that in modern football a keeper could easily get sent off by getting his timing wrong by a fraction when coming out for the ball, so they can never sit quietly on the bench. He has to support the team and always be ready for action.

The work of a goalkeeping coach has not changed that radically during the years, regardless of changes in laws like the back-pass rule. My theory is that, when kicking, the keeper should play safe and when in doubt kick it long rather than risk making a mistake.

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No. 22 August/September 2007

In modern football there is nearly always a fine balance between teams and one goal could cost you the match.

Communicating with the back four has always been a vital component of a keeper’s make-up. But they grow up with that. It’s probably true that you require a particular character to play in goal if you consider that every day you are throwing yourself on the ground but people chose the role because it’s what they enjoy. Nobody has made them become a keeper.

These days there are no secrets in football – the players all know each other but at this level there are often changes in the lineups, with new players coming in. We study our opponents on video, looking at set plays, who are the dangerous players, who has a good shot and so on.

Our players are tired after a long season but a change of environment always gives players a boost and wearing the national team shirt is a good motivation. This is a stepping stone to the full national side so they play and train with passion. The success of the U21s in the past does add some pressure and tournaments can be a lottery but they are good players and they are used to playing at a high level.

Gianfranco Zola, technical consultant The fact that Gigi and I have had the experience of playing in England helps us, not just that we know the English players we are going to come up against but also understanding their mentality, their approach to playing.

This is a big advantage.

In this Italy U21 group there are many players who hold down regular places in top teams and this is partly down to a change in Italian football where there is a greater willingness among the big clubs to give young players a chance but it is also true that this is a very talented bunch of players.

There has been a general reduction in the basic technical level of players across the board. Once, there was more time available for kids for motor activity, now even young kids have loads of things on the go and they don’t dedicate that much time to motor activities.

Technically and tactically I’m not sure that a coach can make that much of a difference at this level with the time which is available. We rely a lot on the ability of our players. We can give them the benefit of our experience to help them through cer tain situations. That’s what we hope. We’ll have a good idea of whether or not that is the case at the end of the tournament.

Gianfranco Zola and Pierluigi Casiraghi No. 22 August/September 2007

21

U21 Portugal special

Couceiro, Portugal U21:

“In my view, there is one aspect in training that conditions all others: the psychological” José Couceiro is no stranger to the sharp end of football management. He was one of three coaches to fill the breach at FC Porto following José Mourinho's resignation after winning the UEFA Champions League in 2004 and, though his stint at the Estádio do Dragão was a short one, it did give him his first taste of Europe's top club competition as Porto earned a creditable 1-1 draw against FC Internazionale Milano. Intelligent and impassioned, Couceiro comes from the Mourinho school of management, very disciplined and always ready to speak his mind. SoccerCoachingInternational talked to the passionate coach before the 2007 UEFA U21 championship.

By: Hugo Vicente 22

No. 22 August/September 2007

Last years host Portugal came into the tournament as one of the favourites, but José Couceiro knew from the start that the competition was tough. “I am sure there is less pressure on us now then last year when we were hosts, but I am expecting a very balanced tournament. The eight team that qualified for the final stage are all very good, I think it will be a tournament with a lot of quality and the small details will determine who wins it.

It will all come down to the way the players feel when the event starts. Our goal is to at least reach the semi-finals and qualify for the Olympic Games.”

Player’s selection For everyone to achieve success, teamwork is fundamental and for a coach, this is also true, and so, this teamwork involving the player’s selection is the result of a good cooperation between the clubs and their coaches, since they are the ones working closely with players during the season. This way, we can assure that we can follow their performance during the whole season, and we can be aware of new talents, because we don’t want to narrow the player’s selection, so I see this relationship between club coaches and the national coaching team as very important.

The importance of recovery In my view, there is one aspect in training that conditions all others: the psychological factor. You can do the best technical work with the players, the most effective tactical exercise, the best conditioning preparation, but if the player is not good psychologically, he will not be able to assimilate the goals you are trying to reach. So, this is something that I give a lot of importance too and is definitely my priority in the team preparation process.

How? We have reached the end of season and players have had many games on their legs, so recovering is our primary goal.

Players can’t be mentally fit if they are tired! So, as we start our preparation for the Euro U21s, we will have 2 days for player evaluation, and after that, there is a specific recovery work for each player, according to his own needs. We will only have 14 days to prepare the team, and we won’t have all the players at the same time during this period, so individual work is more then necessary to be able to have a full-recovered group! Only after this recovery process will we be able to do all the work we want because we need the players to be physically, but also, mentally fit. This way of thinking is also reflected in the way we work in the Last years host Portugal came into the tournament as one of the favourites, but José Couceiro knew from the start

No. 22 August/September 2007

23

PASSPORT José Couceiro Date of birth: October 4, 1962

Playing career: CD Montijo, FC Barreirense, Atlético CP, SCU Torreense, Clube Oriental de Lisboa, CF Estrela da Amadora

Coaching Carreer: 2002-04

FC Alverca

2004/05

Vitória FC

2004/05

FC Porto

2005/06

CF Os Belenenses

2006/current

Portuguese U21 national team

Photo: Luis Duarte that the competition was tough. “I am sure there is less pressure on us now then last year when we were hosts, but I am expecting a very balanced tournament. The eight team that qualified for the final stage are all very good, I think it will be a tournament with a lot of quality and the small details will determine who wins it. It will all come down to the way the players feel when the event starts. Our goal is to at least reach the semifinals and qualify for the Olympic Games.”

“In order to achieve success teamwork is fundamental. This is also true for coach, especially a national team coach as it involves careful player selection and good cooperation between the clubs and their coaches, since they are the ones working with players during the entire season. We have to assure that we can follow their performance during the season, and this way we can be on the lookout for new talents, because we don’t want to narrow the player’s selection. I believe the cooperation between the club coaches and the national coaching team is therefore very important.”

conditioning preparation, but when the player is not psychologically fit, he will not be able to assimilate the goals you are trying to reach. So, this is something that I spend a lot of time on and is definitely my priority in the team preparation process. How? We have reached the end of season and players have many games on their legs, so recovering is our primary goal. Players can’t be mentally fit if they are tired! So, as we start our preparation for the U21 Euro, we will have 2 days for player evaluation, and after that, there is a specific recovering work for each player, according to his own needs. We will only have 14 days to prepare the team, and we won’t have all players at the same time during this period, so individual work is more then necessary to be able to have a fully recovered group! Only after this recovery process we will be able to do all the work we want because we need the players to be physically, but also, mentally fit. This way of thinking is also reflected in the way we work the competition, where recovery is essential, since it’s useless to increase training volume or intensities if the player is not fully recovered, because in a competition like this, simple motivation is not enough, players need to be fit.”

Recovering “In my view, there is one aspect in training that conditions all others: the psychological. You can do the best technical work with the players, the most effective tactical exercise, the best

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No. 22 August/September 2007

Team spirit “To achieve success, the team spirit is very important. For me, the team is above everything. If a player isn’t able to receive the

Photo: Luis Duarte

messages of the coach and his teammates, then he also isn’t won’t be able to play in this team. First of all we must think as one, as a team, and after that, it will be much easier to organize every function of every player inside the team. Organization is when all players must think the same at every moment, when is the right moment to increase the tempo of the game, when do you need to have more possession, when you need to defend closer to your goal, and so on. You will only achieve that kind of organization if true team spirit exists, and you only have a true team spirit when the substitutes truly desire the success of their teammates on the field.”

Building confidence “We don’t work with psychologists, which is something that I believe is fundamental nowadays to maximize their confidence levels. Players need to be confident in a competition like this, they need to be mentally fit, and that means that they must be willing to achieve success, they must be confident, they must be willing to take risks, and shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes. We work individually with players in those aspects, trying to create an environment where mistakes are seen as part of the game that should only be minimized, and off course, with conversations and with videos, which I believe are a great tool to increase their confidence levels.”

No. 22 August/September 2007

25

The practices Everything we do in practices is obviously related to the game.

It’s a repetition process of tactical moves above all. There are no physical practices; all conditioning work is the result of the tactical exercises, and the recovery process, since we don’t have too much time to really achieve significant goals in terms of fitness. So, our preparation is mainly on tactical issues because I believe that during games you won’t be able to change things, just by talking, so we must work all aspects of the game.

Although the time to prepare the team is very short, there is continuity in the work with the players, so everybody is more or less used to the style we play. For the Euro championships, this style won’t change…

Training Everything we do in training is obviously related to the game.

It’s a repetition process of tactical moves above all. There is no physical training; all conditioning work is the result of the tactical exercises, and the recovery process, since we don’t have much time to really achieve significant goals in terms of fitness. So, our preparation is mainly involves tactical issues because I believe that during games you won’t be able to change things, just by talking, so we must work all aspects of the game. Although the time to prepare the team is very short, there is continuity in the work with the players, so everybody is more or less used to the style we play. For the Euro, this style won’t change…”

System of play “We play in a 4-3-3 formation (see diagram 1), but we can play in other systems if we feel that we can take more advantage of it, and according to the opponent or the moment of the game, but our philosophy, our model of play, our principles of play, our behaviours towards the game won’t change! In such a high level competition, we must understand that no team will ever control the game the entire 90 minutes, and we work to have a team ready to understand when they are in control of the operations, and what they should do then, and what to do when they aren’t controlling the game. We must be smart to identify the problems and solve them, and this is the only way that we can reach our goals!”

How we play We play in a 4-3-3 formation, but we can play other systems if we feel that we can make more advantage of it, and according to the opponent or the moment of the game, but our philosophy, our model of play, our principles of play, our behaviours towards the game won’t change! In such a high level competition, we must understand that no team will ever control the game during all 90 minutes, and we work to have a team ready to understand when they are in control of the operations, and what should they do then, and what to do when they aren’t controlling the game. We must be smart to identify the problems and solve them, and this is the only way that we can reach our goals!

The expectations “In Portugal, we have the goal to be represented at every top competition, so our main objective will be reaching the Olympic Games, and, to be able to accomplish that goal, we must reach the semi-finals. However, in a competition like this, you never know… as it’s a very tough group; Belgium probably has their

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No. 22 August/September 2007

Photo: Luis Duarte best U21 team ever, Israel put the French team out of the competition and the Dutch team is very strong and they are the title holders. So, let’s wait and see… But I think that our level could be much better, if our players could play in more competitive environments. In other countries, 16-17 year old players with of 16 or 17 years old are already playing in the second divisions in senior B teams, and in Portugal that’s not happening. A youth national championship is not that challenging for a hot prospect player, they need to face true competition according to their level, and some kids at this age should already be playing in senior championships as regular starters. Maybe this will have a decisive role in the progress of our talented players and in the future results of our teams.”

Diagram 1: 4-3-3]

Championship analysis Portugal reached these finals by overturning a 4-1 first-leg defeat by Russia in their qualifying play-off were grouped with Belgium, Israel and Holland.

Portuguese line-up vs. Belgium

Portugal vs. Belgium (0-0) “We started well and we had the first two scoring chances. We were controlling the game and getting at them. But in the first half there were spells when we didn't have the same control because there was too much space between the three lines in our team. We tried to improve our play in the second half and ended up on the front foot a bit more. We were better balanced with Miguel Veloso and Manuel Fernandes together in central midfield. We did improve. It is not the ideal result – that would have been a win. But we stopped them winning and we defended our goal. We are a good team but so are Belgium. Tonight, they had more chances than us. They were better than us in the final third, so we can't assume that we are entitled to win.”

9 Hugo Almeida 20 18

Yannick Djaló

Nani

8

10

Manuel Fernandes

João Moutinho

4 Miguel Veloso

11

7

Goncalves

Filipe Oliveira 5

22

Semedo

Manuel da Costa

1 Paulo Ribeiro

Netherlands vs. Portugal (2-1)

Portuguese line-up vs. Netherlands

It was safety first for Portugal coach José Couceiro who had clearly picked Drenthe out as the Dutch dangerman. He made three changes from the side that had drawn with Belgium, and two of the new faces, Amoreirinha and Ruben Amorim, came in on the right in a bid to contain the Feyenoord player. Drenthe, though, simply picked up from where he left off against Israel. Belgium's victory against Israel earlier in the evening had added to the pressure on Portugal who enjoyed plenty of possession without creating any end product. In contrast, the Netherlands attacked with purpose with Drenthe as the driving force. In the first half the Portuguese side showed little urgency, this was however turned around in the second half as Portugal were increasingly forcing the holders back. A strong game from both team, which left Portugal pulling on the shorter end of the 2-1 stick.

9 Hugo Almeida 10

18

João Moutinho

Nani

15

8

Ruben Amorim

Manuel Fernandes

4 Miguel Veloso

21

2

Antunes

Amoreirinha 5

22

Semedo

Manuel da Costa

1 Paulo Ribeiro

Portuguese line-up vs. Israel

Israel vs. Portugal (0-4) “Today we have again shown – as we did last Wednesday against the Netherlands - that we are a quality team, a very capable team, and a team who are not going to the semi-finals for reasons that aren't quite clear. The players have played well throughout and once more they have shown just what quality they have. Apart from half an hour in the first half against Belgium, we have been excellent and haven't deserved this fate. As for tonight, Israel's players aren't used to playing three matches in such a short space of time, so I expected them to be weaker than in their previous games – as long as we passed the ball quickly, we would win.”

9 Hugo Almeida 17 18

Ricardo Vas Té

Nani

8 10

Manuel Fernandes

João Moutinho

4 Miguel Veloso

3

21

João Perreira

Antunes 22

5

Manuel da Costa

Semedo

Portugal vs. Italy (Olympic Qualifying Play-Off)

1 Paulo Ribeiro

Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi was celebrating a job well done after his side secured the last European place at the 2008 Olympic Games with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory against Portugal (full time score 0-0). Portugal coach José Couceiro, was left lamenting the injustice of football after Manuel Fernandes and Antunes failed to score in the shoot-out, but feels his side have a bright future.

“Football isn't fair. We were the better team tonight, but missed a lot of crucial chances. We moved the ball well and played well in midfield but we were short up front without the suspended Hugo Almeida. It was not fair, we've done very well again tonight but we didn't get what we deserved. I expected us to control the game and we knew we had to take risks. Italy's main threat came from our mistakes in midfield. The only problem was that we didn't score; that's obviously why we lost. We're frustrated, we always expected more, but I'm very proud of what the players have achieved. This team is full of young players – eleven of them will still be eligible for the next European Championship. This is not the end, this is the start of something and the hard work will continue.”

No. 22 August/September 2007

Portuguese line-up vs. Italy

17 Ricardo Vas Té 18

19

Nani

Silvestre Varela

10

8 Manuel Fernandes

4

João Moutinho

Miguel Veloso 21

3

Antunes

João Perreira 5

22

Semedo

Manuel da Costa

1 Paulo Ribeiro

27

Training sessions from ar This re-occurring section normally features training sessions from all angles of the world, divided into 3 zones. This time around we have included sessions form the UEFA U21 championship; we attended training sessions and matches

throughout the tournamen which we divided into 4 zo zone’ and ‘Set play zone’.

Serbian 4v4 Organization: -

4v4 + 2 neutrals 1 touch play Playing field: 20x10m Duration: 2x4 minutes Neutrals are positioned on either ‘end line’

Progression: - Possession play - Both teams are allowed to use the neutrals - Play 4 minutes, 1 minute rest and proceed play with 2 touch maximum

Czech finishing Organization: -

2 players are positioned half way down their own half 1 player on each flank (as illustrated) 1 goalkeeper Half a field

Progression: 4

3

2

- Player 1 starts by passing to player 3 - While Players 1 and 2 cross one another in their run into the penalty area, player 3 receives the ball, dribbles to the end line and crosses the ball into the penalty area - Players 1 and 2 finish on goal - Next two players repeat only now they pass to player 4 on the other flank

1

Serbian shooting Organization: - Players line up just outside the centre circle, each with a ball - Coach is positioned just outside the penalty area - Goalkeeper in goal

Progression: Coach

- Player 1 passes to the coach and runs toward the penalty area - Coach passes short to his right - Players finishes on goal from just outside the penalty area

1

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No. 22 August/September 2007

round the world: U21 Special

nt and came up with various plays and exercises, ones: the ‘Training zone’, ‘Goal zone’, ‘Attacking

TRAINING ZONE

Israeli triangles (warm up) Organization: - Playing field: between the halfway-line and the penalty area - Duration: 2 x 3 minutes - 10 players, 3 balls

Progression: - All players move around playing short passes in threes to make triangles - Medium pace for 3 minutes - After 3 minutes they stretch for 2 minutes - Next 3 minutes same thing with long passes

Belgian stretch & pass (warm up) Organization: -

Field 15x15m 10 players 1 ball Duration: 4 x 2 minutes

Progression: - 5 red players stretch on the playing field - 5 blue players pass the ball while constantly moving around the playing field - They nor the ball are allowed to touch the stretching players scattered around the field - After 2 minutes reds will pass and blues will stretch - Each team will pass twice and stretch twice

Italian passing Organization: - 3 cones are positioned in a triangle about 15m apart - 3 players at each cone

Progression: -

Player 1 starts by passing to player 2 and runs toward 2 Player 2 receives the ball and passes back to incoming player 1 Player 1 receives the ball and passes to player 3 Player 1 joins the back of the lines at position 2, while player 2 runs towards player 3 Player 3 receives the ball and passes to incoming player 2 Player 2 receives the ball, turns and passes to player 4 (waiting in line at position 1) Player 2 joins the line at position 3 Player 3 joins the line at position 1 Player 4 starts same play again

No. 22 August/September 2007

29

GOAL ZONE Serbian goal (0-1)

8

Match: Czech Republic vs. Serbia Phase: Group Match Goal: 0-1 (Janković, 90’+ 3)

7

6

Description:

D C

4

5

3

1

A B

1.Serbian player (A) builds up while a Czech player is closing in 2.Another Serbian player (B) runs around player A 3.Player B receives a pass in his path from player A 4.Player B dribbles to the end-line 5.Two Serbian forwards (C and D) position themselves in the penalty area 6.C makes a fake move to the far post, but instead he goes to the near post 7.D also runs towards the near post 8.B crosses into the penalty area 9.D heads the ball near the inside of the near post and scores

2

Belgian goal Match: Belgium vs. Netherlands Phase: Group Match Goal: 0-1 (Mirallas, 9’)

6

7

3

5

4

D

2 C 1 B

Description: 1.Belgian midfielder (A) builds up through midfield and passes to the winger 2.The winger (B) receives the ball 3.B dribbles to the end-line 4.Belgian forward (C) crosses into the path of D in his run to the far goalpost 5.Belgian forward (D) crosses C in his run to the near goalpost 6.B crosses the ball into the penalty area 7.D heads the ball just inside the far post and scores

A

Netherlands goal Match: Netherlands vs. England Phase: Semi-final Goal: 1-1 (Rigters, 89’)

4

Description:

3 2 1

30

1.Dutch winger (A) crosses near the far post 2.Dutch player (B) heads the ball back 3.Rigters (C) runs to the ball 4.Rigters with his back to goal scores with a bicycle kick

No. 22 August/September 2007

GOAL ZONE Czech goal Match: Italy vs. Czech Phase: Group match Goal: 1-1 (Papadopulos, 14’) 5

Description:

3 4

1.Czech winger (A) builds up 2.Czech forward (B) positions himself around the penalty area and is being watched by an Italian defender 3.A crosses into the penalty area 4.B runs from behind the Italian defender and gets in front of him 5.B slides the ball into the back of the net with 1 touch

1 2

Serbian goal Match: Serbia vs. Italy Phase: Group match Goal: 1-0 (Milovanovi , 63’) A

8

X

Description:

3

Y 5

1 4

2

1.Serbian player (A) is in possession near the corner flag and passes the ball back 2.Player B runs towards the ball 3.and passes the ball directly into the penalty area 4.An Italian defender (X) heads the ball out of the penalty area 5.Another Italian defender (Y) slides to the ball and manages to touch it just before a Serbian player (C) can get to it 6.The ball rolls further away from the penalty area 7.Serbian player D comes for the ball 8.D shoots on goal, scoring in the bottom far corner of the goal

C 6

B 7 D

Netherlands goal Match: Belgium vs. Netherlands Phase: Group match Goal: 1-1 (Rigters, 13’) 8

Description:

7 6 5 3

C

4

B 2 1

1.Dutch midfielder (A) lobs the ball to the incoming forward (B) 2.B controls the ball and turns away from his defender 3.Another forward (C) runs away from the action to make room for B 4.B dribbles into the space in the penalty area 5.Belgian defenders try to win the ball 6.C now positions himself at the edge of the penalty area 7.B passes to C 8.C shoots into the bottom left corner of the goal and scores

A

No. 22 August/September 2007

31

ATTACKING ZONE Italian attack Match: Serbia vs. Italy Phase: Group Match

Description:

8

6

5

D

1.Italian player (A) passes the ball to player B 2.B directly passes to C 3.D runs to the penalty spot to make space 4.B runs into the open space that was just created by D 5.C passes to incoming B 6.C takes position on the edge of the box 7.B receives the ball and passes back to C 8.C controls the ball with 1 touch and shoots just wide of the goal

7

3

C

4 2 A

B

1

Belgian attack Match: Serbia vs. Belgium Phase: Semi-final

Description: 1.Player A controls the ball and passes it to player B 2.Player B runs to the ball and passes it directly to …

3.… incoming player C 4.C dribbles into the penalty area 5.The Serbian goalkeeper comes out of his goal and saves C’s shot on goal

5

4

2

3

B 1 A C

Dutch attack (resulting in a penalty kick) Match: Netherlands vs. Portugal Phase: Group match 8

Description: 7 5

6 3 2 4

B C

1

1.Dutch player (A) builds up through midfield 2.Another player (B) creates space for the winger (C) 3.C runs into the space 4.A passes into B’s path 5.Defender (X) tries to block B 6.Defender (Y) tries to close in on B 7.B gets through the Portuguese defense and sprints to the ball 8.The Portuguese goalkeeper also sprints to the ball, but is too late and tackles B * A penalty is awarded to the Netherlands and Rigters scores

A

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No. 22 August/September 2007

ATTACKING ZONE England attack Match: England vs. Serbia Phase: Group match 4 3

1

A

Description:

X 2

1.England winger (A) crosses into the penalty area 2.Cross deflects off a Serbian player (X) 3.With his back towards the goal the England striker (B) hits a bicycle kicks on goal 4.Serbian goalkeeper makes a good save

B

Serbian attack Match: Serbia vs. Belgium Phase: Semi-final

Description: 4

1.Serbian player (A) fakes to the right, Serbian defender reacts (X) and A dribbles around him 2.A passes deep 3.B comes away from his defender’s (Y) back and dribbles to the goalkeeper 4.Goalkeeper comes out of his goal and saves B’s shot

3

3 2 Y

B

X 1 A

Dutch attack Match: Netherlands vs. Serbia Phase: Final

Description:

3

B

2

1.Dutch player (A) lobs the ball into the penalty area 2.The forward (B) walks away from his defender and controls the ball 3.B dribbles, shoots and scores

1

A

No. 22 August/September 2007

33

SET PLAY ZONE Serbian free kick Match: Serbia vs. Italy Phase: Group Match

Description: Serbian is awarded a free kick about 30ms away from the goal.

The player (A) shoots hard, but just wide, with the outside of his right foot

A

Portuguese free kick Match: Netherlands vs. Portugal Phase: Group Match

Description: While everybody expects a hard shot on goal from about 25m, Miguel places the ball accurately over the wall just inside of the near post leaving the goalkeeper with no change at all for a save

Czech corner Match: Czech Republic vs. Serbia Phase: Group Match

Description: 1.Czech player (A) takes a corner to the far post 2.Player B is sandwiched between two Serbs but manages to head the ball on goal (just wide of the far goalpost)

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No. 22 August/September 2007

When Two Tribes Go To War

Netherlands v England was a classic example of two countries trying to battle against their own demons The semi final match at Heerenveen was a thoroughly absorbing game between two very different football cultures that both lack what the other has. The English have the passion, the commitment and the will to win the physical battle, while the Dutch have the technique and insight brought about by years of patient development.

By: Paul Cooper

The build up The Dutch entered the competition as the current European Under 21 Champions having defeated Portugal in the final twelve months before. In Foppe De Haan they had a very experienced coach who was in charge for the previous triumph. Incredibly no players from the victorious team twelve months before were in Foppe’s latest squad, which says something about the healthy development going on in the Netherlands considering it is just a third of the population of England. There were also some

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No. 22 August/September 2007

notable absentees from the squad through injury. PSV Eindhoven pair Ibrahim Affellay and Ismail Aissati, Urby Emanuelson (Ajax), Stijn Schaars (AZ) and Evander Sno (Celtic).

The big talking point concerning the Netherlands was the adoption of a 4-4-2 system instead of the traditional 4-3-3 system much loved by the Dutch over the last few decades. This move was heavily criticised by Johan Cruyff but in the end it proved to be very effective.

The two wide players, Royston Drenthe, the star of the tournament, and Daniel De Ridder, plus the two attackers Ryan Babel and Marco Rigters were the main difference in the competition.

Interestingly, since the tournament, three of the four have now been signed by English clubs. The most high profile was Babel’s transfer to Liverpool, but also De Ridder has joined newly promoted Birmingham City and Rigters has joined Blackburn Rovers.

England had plenty to prove as they had been knocked out in the play-offs the year before by France, with Franck Ribery causing

most of the damage. The new part-time coach, Stewart Pearce, had also plenty to prove after being sacked as manger of Manchester City just a few weeks before. After England’s showing he was given the job fulltime. Most of the England team are regular starters in the Premiership, so could boast plenty of experience with the likes of West Ham United’s Reo Coker, Hoyte of Arsenal and Leighton Baines of Wigan. Two important players however that did not travel were Theo Walcott, injured and Bentley who was tired after a long season.

Both teams had done well in the preceding games. England drew 0-0 with the Czech Republic, comfortable beat eventual finalists Serbia 2-0 and drew 2-2 with highly fancied Italy. It was the pattern of the Italy game however that was to become almost a carbon copy of the game with the Netherlands.

England stormed to a 2-0 first half lead with goals from Nugent and Lita. They played the game with pace and commitment, never letting the Italians settles for one minute and disrupting their possession game. England appear to be at their most venerable protecting a lead. The tendency to drop deeper and deeper into their own half is a worrying one. When the ball is eventually won back the only real option is a long ball to the strikers. A scenario we have seen time and time again with the national team.

The second half was a classic example of England reverting to type and undoing all the magnificent work they had done in the first half, the deeper they dropped the more the Italians scented blood and began to play some wonderful football to eventually tie the match 2-2.

Holland managed two wins in their group games, against Israel

1-0 and in a replay of last years final, Portugal 2-1. The other game was a 2-2 draw against neighbours Belgium, 2-2.

Netherlands v England

The game was an exciting one and more than any other showed both the strengths and weaknesses of both football cultures. It was almost a case of which team could fight their own demons the most effectively. It was England who predictably started the stronger and the Dutch were finding it hard to deal with the pace and passion of their opponents. The English were so much more physical if it had been a boxing match you would of stopped the contest. Men against boys, and surely just a matter of time before England made the break through. It came shortly before half time when Leroy Lita held off his marker before scoring with a left foot shot. Surely England would not make the same mistake as they had done against Italy and drop to far back in defence?

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But that was exactly what happened and although late in the game, it came as no surprise when Marco Rigters scored in the 89th minute with an overhead kick.

The game went into extra time with England down to ten men when Nedum Onuoha had to leave the pitch injured, with England having already used all three substitutes. Things were to get even worse for England when central defender Steven Taylor was injured and was left to hobble about the pitch. The Dutch dominated possession as they looked for the winning goal. The English threw their bodies on the line, blocking shot after shot from the Dutch forwards. It had been a similar situation in the World Cup a year before when England went down to ten men in the quarter final against Portugal after Wayne Rooney’s sending off.

With ten men, and their star player off the pitch, England were actually more effective as this is a role they know so well and fits in with their national psyche. The nation is at its best when they have their backs to the wall fighting to the last; the thin red line at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimea War and the Dunkirk spirit during the darkest days of World War Two. All endearing national traits, but this is football and they are playing one of the great thinkers of the game in the Dutch, and sheer blood and guts no longer wins games at international level. England’s inability to keep possession of a football has been costing them dear for a while now and something clearly has to change.

Penalties The two countries with probably the worst penalty shoot out records going head to head. The Dutch have in the past shown that penalties are not for them. After outplaying Brazil in the 1998 World Cup Semi-final in France, they seemed to think they had already won a moral victory and were not that interested in the penalty shoot out to follow. Things are different now and with a ‘winner’ as the nation coach in Marco Van Basten, it is no longer acceptable to lose but play the better football.

As the penalties were being banged in, you sensed the Dutch wanted to win this, whatever the cost. Dutch keeper, Waterman continually tried to gain a couple of yards by coming off his line and when it looked as if Steven Taylor was going to leave the pitch and not take his allotted penalty, furious Dutch coach, Foppe de Haan invaded the pitch remonstrating with the referee.

This was not a team that was prepared to role over and shrug their shoulders and say, “Well we played the better football and can take the moral high ground.” This was a team with winning on its mind.

When Anton Ferdinand’s spot kick hit the bar it was left to Gianni Zuiverloon to score the winning penalty in an incredible 13-12 shoot out. Some of the myths about the Dutch not being winners were blown away as they had faced up to their demons, while the English had once again been defeated by theirs.

The Netherlands went on to beat Serbia in the final 4-1 and retain the U21s European Championship Trophy.

What the English need to learn from the Dutch Bert-Jan Heijmans a Dutch coach who has lived in England for

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No. 22 August/September 2007

the last ten years and is the joint founder of the dutchUK football school knows a great deal about the two different football cultures and this April organised a trip for 25 British coaches to sample a different football culture. The group included a woman who was just starting out coaching an U8s team and an academy director form a Premiership club, a terrific mix of people all learning from each other.

The party watched both training sessions and matches from U6s to adults at both the professional and amateur level. They also spoke to many different coaches and administrators who gladly gave up their time to discuss football.

The positives that were taken back by the English coaches from the Dutch culture were; • Superb organisation and structure, at even the amateur level, with everyone working together with the key goal of developing the children • A child friendly atmosphere in training sessions and matches, where children are allowed to be children and not mini adults • Excellent facilities and pitches • Very friendly welcome from coaches at all levels, happy to share their knowledge • Excellent environment for educating and developing players.

They had the time to learn the technical and tactical side of the game without the need for ‘winning from an early age’.

Where the group thought they were lacking was the passion and physical side of the game. This appeared to be missing at all levels. Also the game in the Netherlands can be very tactical which can hamper individual creativity.

One would think that these are easy lessons for the English football culture to learn and assimilate. The problem with not being able to keep possession star ts at an early age where winning is drummed into you before development. The technical and tactical know how is often over looked for the sake of three points at an early age. This simple issue is still holding us back.

The Dutch would appear have had a much bigger hurdle to jump in that missing passion and commitment from their play.

That is something that is not in their genes, where as the English have it in spades. They have already banked it so start with an advantage. But at the U21s Championship it was the Dutch who appear to be overcoming their Demons better than the English and a passion and will to win are beginning to emerge at the top level.

Match Analysis

13

9

16

10

Rigters

Babel

Lita

Nugent

22 Bakkal 11

8

De Ridder

Drenthe

11

18

7

15

Young

Noble

Reo-Coker

Milner

6 Maduro

5 Pieters

18

3

Donk

Vlaar

2

3

20

4

2

Zuiverloon

Baines

Onuoha

Taylor

Hoyte

1

1

Waterman

Carson

Tactical line-up Netherlands (4-4-2 with a diamond on midfield)

Tactical line-up England (4-4-2)

Match statistics Netherlands 14 1 0 6 15 20 9 4 45' 39'' 65%

England Goals scored Yellow card Red card Shots on goal Shots wide Fouls committed Corners Offsides Ball. Poss. (time) Ball. Poss. (%)

13 4 0 2 1 21 1 3 24' 26'' 35%

Referee: Knut Kircher (Rottenburg)

No. 22 August/September 2007

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U21 Corner special

Dutch oust England in epic shoot-out The Netherlands returned to the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship for the second year running following a thrilling 13-12 victory on penalties against England after their semifinal had finished 1-1 after extra time.

In total 32 spot-kicks were needed to decide the tie which eventually went the way of the hosts and holders when, almost three hours after kick-off, local SC Heerenveen hero Gianni Zuiverloon fired the winning conversion low to the right of Scott Carson. Six players from each side were forced to take two penalties during an epic contest that set the record for most goals scored in a UEFA competition match as well as most in a shoot-out.

Jean-Franรงois De Sart about the elimination after the match against Serbia We're all very disappointed because we hoped to go further. We have a very good team and I'm proud of my squad. We had the better chances but it's goals that count. Serbia are the most clinical team in this tournament and they proved that again tonight. Throughout these finals my team have given 200 percent and we saw that again today, we had 21 players who were ready to play. We could have been in the final if we'd taken our chances. I'm very proud of all my players, they've got to the semi-finals of a European Championship and were the better team on the night - but we lacked that clinical edge in front of goal. We dominated Serbia and that's the message I'll be giving to my players. Today every player was ready to give their all. This is a group with ambition and they've proved that on the pitch.

Jong Oranje clinch European crown Twelve months after winning the UEFA European Under-21 Championship for the first time, the Netherlands retained the trophy in style with a 4-1 win against Serbia in Groningen.

Cries of "Foppe de Haan" rang round the Euroborg after goals from Otman Bakkal, Ryan Babel, Maceo Rigters and Luigi Bruins ensured victory, though an entertaining game was only made safe after Aleksandar Kolarov had been dismissed for a second bookable offence two minutes past the hour. The scoreline was tough on Serbia, who impressed throughout the competition less than a year after being granted full UEFA membership. But this was the Netherlands' night, and in particular that of De Haan.

Before he was appointed coach in 2004 the Netherlands had never won a UEFA competition at youth or U21 level. Now winning has become a habit.After a fortnight of heavy rain, the fiercest downpour was fittingly saved for the final and the ball skimmed quickly off the surface as lightning flashed overhead.

A sizeable and vocal Serbian contingent for once gave the home support some competition and the match a sense of occasion an enjoyable tournament merited. De Haan has rebuilt his side from scratch since winning the tournament last year and none of the eleven who started here had begun last year's final in Porto.

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No. 22 August/September 2007

England place faith in Pearce Stuart Pearce will lead England in their campaign to qualify for the 2007-09 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after signing a new two-year contract.

The former England defender took charge of the U21 side on a part-time basis in February but was free to concentrate on the job fully after being sacked as manager of Manchester City FC in May. At the 2007 finals in the Netherlands last month, Pearce guided England to the semi-finals where they lost 13-12 on penalties to the host nation after a 1-1 draw. Pearce, 45, said: "I'm delighted to be taking on the role for the next two years. By taking the job on full-time, I will be able to build close relationships with clubs and the coaches of the other England youth teams."

England are next in action on 21 August in a home friendly against Romania before beginning qualifying for the 2009 finals in Sweden in September.

Platini praise for Under-21 showcase UEFA President Michel Platini has spoken favourably about the staging of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Netherlands, and praised the decision to move the finals out of the shadow of other major tournaments.

Speaking at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Heerenveen, Mr Platini shared his positive views on the eight-team final round, which the host nation won with a thrilling 4-1 final victory against Serbia. "It's been a great success," he said of a fortnight where the continent's finest young players had taken centre stage in a summer without a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship.

Mr Platini added: "We have had some fine games and there have been more than 200,000 spectators. I think it has been a good decision by UEFA to move the final round to odd years.

This gives more visibility for the competition and allows us not to be playing at the same time as the World Cup and EURO tournaments." Before the final in Groningen, Mr Platini had received the U21 trophy from the city of Heerenveen marking the end of its promotional tour of the Netherlands.

U21 Dream Team Maceo Rigters (Netherlands)

Leroy Lita (England)

Alberto Aquilani (Italy) 8 Boško Janković (Serbia)

Royston Drenthe (Neth)

Hedwiges Maduro (Netherlands)

Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia) Giorgio Chiellini (Italy)

Gianni Zuiverloon (Neth) Branislav Ivanović (Serbia)

Damir Kahriman (Serbia)

No. 22 August/September 2007

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Sausage Rolls for Goalposts Children & the loss of imagination

“Imagination is the spark the fire of creativity” In Jan Soek’s excellent article on Foppe de Haan in this Euro 21 Championship special edition Foppe talks eloquently about the need to let players develop in their own time and that in terms of giving information, less is more. In hindsight he says that he wished he had done this fifteen years before. I believe for coaches, whatever level you coach, this is the biggest challenge we face. We go on courses have all this knowledge and want to impart it all in one go. Our intentions are honourable but what are we actually doing to the creativity and development of our players. This is most acute at the youngest age groups who are just taking up the game and where the coach is often new as well.

My plea is for patience, to speak less and listen and watch more.

Everybody learns in their own time and at their own pace. Let us respect that and get the best from our players.

By: Paul Cooper

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No. 22 August/September 2007

Ronaldinho The loss of imagination and creativity starts the first time a child kicks a ball, always using their toes. “Not that way, this way.” If Ronaldinho had been corrected so young, he would not have scored that wonderful goal against Chelsea, two seasons ago in the Champions League, which won him the goal of the season award. The ball came to him on the edge of the penalty box and with two defenders on top of him he did not have time to kick the ball in the conventional way with back-lift, but used his toes.

Petr Cech, the Chelsea keeper never moved, the ball was in the back of the net as he was expecting the expected.

That goal was about imagination and creativity and sadly few if any Englishman would have scored that as their imagination and creativity has been squeezed out of them like a nearly used tube of toothpaste. It lies discarded by the side of every sports pitch in this green and sometimes not so pleasant land.

But in their early years children are creative and full of imagination. Take this funny observation by Richard Webb, a football coach from Essex in England.

“I listened to an interview the other day with (I can’t remember his name) a top sports scientist, who said the evidence now shows that coaching in sessions only improves the performance in the session itself. It does not transfer over into games very well, and the best way that kids will learn, is by themselves. It really is about providing the environment and letting them get on with it.

I went to a christening on Saturday and back to my brother’s house after for a bun fight. My four year old nephew and his mate played football non stop in the garden from about 12.30 up until it got dark. At one point they set up two goals made from a pair of flip-flops at one end and two sausage rolls at the other end, about five yards apart.

They were lying on their sides taking alternate shots. When someone told them to get up, my nephew shouted” NO! We’re playing sit down football!”

year olds had this ability to run with the ball. Ok so they ran off over the horizon and back with it, but I can tell you the ball was never more than a foot or two away from them. The older the kids I see for the first time, the less they seem to have this ability.

I think in general, in this country we can sometimes be guilty of coaching this out of them.

We should be encouraging these abilities in their early formative years as much as possible. It’s creativity at it’s best and is less likely to be learnt as the kids get older.”

So we must learn to let our kids go. Set up fun, stimulating games where they can explore and use their imagination.

This is not just about football and sport in general it is about all aspects of our children’s lives.

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Pablo Picasso

It was great, but what struck me was the technique they picked up stretched out on their sides. They were getting a lot of power for 4 year olds and were very accurate. They just made it up by themselves. It was a brilliant day and I learned something else about kids and football.”

The same coach observed the following “I did a session last week with some four, five and six year olds.

What became immediately obvious was that most of the four

that ignites

No. 22 August/September 2007

43

Lisburn Distillery FC, Northern Ireland 13/05/07 4 v 4 Festival 32 children, 8 teams, 117 goals In less than 2 hours MAGIC!

www.giveusbackourgame.co.uk

Various Portugal part with Couceiro The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has parted company with coach José Couceiro after his teams failed to impress in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup. FPF president Gilberto Madaíl said: "After a careful analysis we’ve decided this was in the best interests of the Under-21 team as they prepare to start their qualifying campaign for the next European Championship." Portugal finished sixth at the recent Under-21 finals in the Netherlands, losing an Olympic play-off to Italy on penalties after finishing third in their pool.

Serbia starts with new coach After losing to the hosts in the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a new coach is hoping to lead Serbia to the 2009 finals. New coach Slobodan Kr marevi ’s task is to start building towards the next tournament in Sweden.

The 41-year-old Kr marevi , a former OFK Beograd and Partizan player who won two international caps, has obtained a professional licence and was named as Djuki 's replacement in March this year. He began by working with the youth teams at Partizan, before moving on to take sole command at OFK between October 2005 and December 2006.

Kr marevi will inherit nine members of the squad that competed in the Netherlands but knows the pressure is on, saying: "It will be hard. Everybody expects the same or maybe better from us.

We have had success in the last three U21 tournaments - two finals and one semi-final. That is great for Serbia but maybe puts pressure on the new generation."

COMING UP! What to expect in SoccerCoachingInternational’s upcoming issues: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Leo Beenhakker, Polish National Team Quique Sánchez Flores, Valencia CF Arsène Wenger, Arsenal FC Rafael Benítez, Liverpool FC Dunga, Brazilian National Team Frans Hoek, Polish National Team assistant coach Jose Manuel Ochotorena, Valencia CF Goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero, Liverpool FC goalkeeper coach Gerry Payton, Arsenal FC goalkeeper coach Bodo Menze, Academy Director FC Schalke ‘04 Ravenna Calcio Fitness coach And much more!

No. 22 August/September 2007

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SCI WEBSITE NEW: MEMBERS AREA The SCI Members Area was launched in April! The Members Area consists of bonus material from articles published in the magazines (if available), additional articles not published in the magazine, templates, glossary of terms, non-coaching articles (i.e. club administration articles) and much more. We will be adding new inclusions every week! * The Members Area is a subscriber’s only area!

EDITORIAL

No. 22 – August/September 2007 SoccerCoachingInternational is a magazine for soccer coaches all over the world from the publisher of TrainersMagazine, the Dutch magazine for soccer coaches. The Magazine will be released six times a year.

Chief editor Paul van Veen Beatrixlaan 21, 2811 LZ REEUWIJK THE NETHERLANDS E-mail: paul@soccercoachinginternational.com Publisher Sportfacilities & Media BV Visiting Address: Steynlaan 19H ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS Postal Address: Postbus 952, 3700 AZ ZEIST THE NETHERLANDS E-mail: info@soccercoachinginternational.com Phone: +31-(0)30 - 697 77 10 Fax: +31-(0)030 - 697 77 20 Project Manager Floris Schmitz f.schmitz@sportfacilities.com Managing Editor and Translations Maaike Denkers maaike@soccercoachinginternational.com

Graphic Design Anton Gouverneur/Tania Dimitrova studio@sportfacilities.com Advertising Tom van den Heiligenberg tom@sportfacilities.com Editorial Staff Paul Cooper, Maaike Denkers, Tania Dimitrova, Luis Duarte, Frank Dunne, Anton Gouverneur, Tom van den Heiligenberg, Dušan Petrović, Jan Soek, Paul van Veen, Hugo Vicente Subscription Rates You can subscribe to this magazine through its website: www.soccercoachinginternational.com. The subscription rate are as follows: US and CND subscribers: $49,95 for the first year ($59,95 for years thereafter) UK subscribers: £28,50 for the first year (£33,95 for years thereafter) Subscribers from the rest of the world: € 49,95 for the first year (€ 59,90 for years thereafter) You will receive six magazines per year and access to all subscriber features on the website.

This publication is purchased with the understanding that information presented is from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality or completeness. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instruction as a substitue for appropriate training by qualified sources. SoccerCoachingInternational assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Copyright All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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No. 22 August/September 2007

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