Coaches keep ahead of the game

By Mark Chaplin in Noordwijk

Europe's coaching fraternity – the coaches and people who train them - must keep in tune with current trends, and be prepared to set new ones to stay ahead in the modern game.

Élite benchmark
The 15th UEFA course for coach educators in Noordwijk was treated to an in-depth insight into current tactical and technical developments on Wednesday, taking the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League as the benchmark for the élite European game's current stature.

Famous boot room
Liverpool FC, the new Champions League holders, became famous for the club's 'Boot Room', where the players' boots were stored and technical staff would discuss the tactics and strategies that made Liverpool a force in English and European football.

Key elements
UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh took the coach educators of UEFA's 52 member associations on a trip into the 'UEFA Boot Room', to identify the trends which marked this season's competition. A number of key elements were identified, starting with the mental strength and desire, coupled with crucial tactical adjustments, that helped Liverpool recover from a three-goal deficit to win the Champions League final on penalties against AC Milan.

Effective counterattacking
Among other things, one important factor in helping teams score goals and win matches is the ability to counterattack effectively and quickly. This works either in classic fashion, where the ball is played long to one or two attackers in space against defenders, or collectively, where a group of players attack at pace with direct, fluid combination play.

Individual expertise
Solo skills have also come into play through individual actions, direct running with the ball and finishing. Such elements are needed to unlock the sophisticated defensive structures in place today. Statistics show that of 331 Champions League goals scored this season, 40 per cent of those in open play resulted from a counterattack.

Set-piece threat
The importance of effective set-piece play remains paramount as 83 goals came from these situations with the need for good ball delivery essential. The game has become faster, as has the technique needed to cope with these demands. Players are required to take decisions quickly, read situations accurately and have the necessary vision, speed of thought and on-field reactions to succeed.

'Setting a trend'
"We need to make our students and coaches aware of such trends," Roxburgh told the coach educators. "We're not training them for the game of 50 years ago. We have to be up-to-date. But the ultimate thing is to set the trends. If you can train coaches who can do this, then you will be successful."

Hoek advice
The role of the goalkeeper is equally crucial in a team's plans, but not just for stopping the opposition scoring. Frans Hoek, who has worked as a goalkeeper coach with FC Barcelona, AFC Ajax and the Dutch national team, told the conference that it is crucial for coaches to choose the right goalkeeper for the team's playing systems.

Contribution to make
Hoek, a former professional goalkeeper in the Netherlands, said that goalkeepers also made their contribution to a team's success by starting build-up play, their communication with team-mates and their vision of the play in front of them.

Contrasting goalkeepers
The top European goalkeepers, he said, could be divided between aggressive, shot-stopping "reaction" goalkeepers, and "anticipation" goalkeepers who participated more in a team's play. It was up to coaches, Hoek added, to decide which would fit into his team vision – and that it helped if a coach had a knowledge of the goalkeeper's function and tasks.