Thumbs-up for Champions League

Sixth forum
The coaches, meeting at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday for the sixth UEFA Elite Coaches' Forum, also called for further discussions on the issue of offside and interfering with an attacking move – known in some circles as 'passive' offside – and expressed concern about fouls by players merely designed to disrupt the rhythm of the game.

Top list
The coaching élite present in Nyon were: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC), Arsène Wenger (Arsenal FC), José Mourinho (Chelsea FC), Fabio Capello (Juventus FC), Carlo Ancelotti (AC Milan), Vahid Halilhodzic (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Felix Magath (FC Bayern München), Javier Irureta (RC Deportivo La Coruña), Claudio Ranieri (Valencia CF) and Paul Le Guen (Olympique Lyonnais). Gérard Houllier, the former France and Liverpool FC coach, also attended on behalf of UEFA's technical study group.

Added intensity
Although some of the coaches saw their sides eliminated earlier than they would have wished in last season's knockout stages of the Champions League, they said the new format – one 32-team group stage followed by a two-leg elimination phase preceding the quarter-finals – had brought added intensity for participants and spectators.

Away goals
Nevertheless, the coaches felt that away goals counting double in extra time in second-leg matches placed too much pressure on sides and could even encourage home teams to play negatively.

Squad sizes
The coaches were in favour of 20-man squads for European club games – eleven on the field and nine (currently seven) on the bench. They also called on UEFA to carry out a review of the yellow card and suspension system, suggesting an arrangement whereby previous bookings for players could be dropped if a player was well-behaved over a number of matches. The international calendar and the length of time between, for example, national-team double-headers and the following domestic and European games, also continues to preoccupy them in terms of player fatigue.

Offside issue
With respect to offside and interfering with play in an attacking move, the coaches thought that the law as it stands was having the effect of making teams retreat and play deeper, out of a concern for being caught out by this aspect of the offside rule. The coaches feared that the law was bringing about a drift towards more defensive play, rather than encouraging goalscoring as initially hoped.

UEFA help
One problem for top coaches is their professional isolation – in that they are so focused on their own jobs that they have little time to come together with their counterparts for discussions such as this UEFA forum. A UEFA resource centre was also proposed whereby top coaches could receive information not only on technical issues, but also on legal matters such as contractual protection.

Technical fouls and diving
The coaches said they were extremely worried about 'technical fouls' – for example, breaking up play by committing an innocuous foul, such as a nudge, to halt a counterattack. They thought this type of foul was bad for football and asked for an examination into the issue of diving, which they said remained a negative influence in football.

Coaches' voice
"We see this event as giving the coaches the chance to meet and talk about their ideas in an informal setting," said UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh. "UEFA looks into their comments and sometimes acts on their proposals or recommendations. It's valuable that these coaches have a voice and can ask questions, and that UEFA listens to them."