Coaches lay down Meridian legacy

The two head coaches of the selection squads at the 6th UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup, Iñaki Sáez and Frederick Osam-Duodu, hope the experience their players gained during their week in Barcelona will stand them in good stead in their future careers.

Friendship and education
Sáez led the Europe squad with assistance from fellow Spaniards Ginés Meléndez and Juan Santisteban, while Ghana's Osam-Duodu worked with Shawki Gharib Baioumi from Egypt on the African side. Although Europe came out on top on the pitch, winning 10-1 on aggregate to take the trophy, the competitive element was the least important factor in a week where the emphasis was on friendship and education.

Initial tasks
His side might have taken the trophy but Sáez had in common with Osam-Duodu the problem of gelling players from across their respective continents into a coherent side within a short space of time. "We didn't talk football when we first met," Osam-Duodu explained. "I got to know the boys' backgrounds and we established a common language. Most of my players are used to different systems with their clubs. Normally as a team you have a set strategy but that wasn't possible here as we had to blend the players together."

Familiar formation
Sáez responded by explaining that, when he joined the Spanish Football Federation in 1996, he faced a similar problem and solved it by introducing a uniform 4-2-3-1 formation in all the youth national teams. That was the system Europe adopted, with considerable success, although their head coach also allowed the squad a considerable degree of freedom. "We asked the boys where they wanted to play and got some interesting answers," Sáez explained. "For example, one player who is normally a right-winger asked to play right-back so we gave him the chance to do that. We practiced our system in training so the boys could get used to it."

Freedom of expression
The head coaches agreed the limited time available presented an unusual challenge, Sáez explaining: "Every player wanted to showcase his skills but I gave my team one piece of advice: 'Play well and make your team-mates play well too.'" Osam-Duodu also allowed his players plenty of freedom, saying: "It's difficult to turn things around when time is short, so you allow them to express themselves and point them in the right direction. My squad were all still juniors and in youth football you can play with freedom – and that showed."

'Positive experience'
Sáez and Osam-Duodu agreed on the criteria for choosing their captains – the Europe coach explaining he wanted someone to "lead by example and bring the best out of those around him" – before considering the long-term impact of the competition for their players. "Every time you play against a team with different qualities it's a positive experience," Sáez said. Osam-Duodu agreed, saying: "We talked a lot with the players and they'll learn from this. I'm pleased the boys learnt how to criticise themselves and how to correct things. They learnt a lot from each other, the travel experience was great and the future of football has been shown to them."