Hughes fires Welsh spirits

By Trevor Haylett

Mark Hughes can be mightily proud of his achievements so far as Wales manager. The much-travelled former striker, who numbers Manchester United FC, FC Barcelona and FC Bayern München among his clubs as a player, has guided Wales to the top of Group 9 in the UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying competition. A 100 per cent record from three games includes a tremendous 2-1 win over Italy in Cardiff last autumn. uefa.com asked Mark Hughes about his work.

uefa.com: What were your initial goals when you first took charge of the Welsh team?

Mark Hughes: My first campaign was the [2002 FIFA] World Cup qualifiers, and although you always have to be optimistic, a more realistic goal for us was the [2004 UEFA] European Championships. We knew it would take a good two years to bed down the kind of things we were looking for from the team. We put a lot of emphasis on preparation, but we know the other teams will be preparing just as thoroughly, and in some cases their extra quality may come through. But at least what we are now is competitive, and that is something that was not always the case in the past.

uefa.com: Do you think managing at international level will give you a good grounding for a club job in the future?

Hughes: I think that an international role is completely different to that of managing a club. With this job, you have very busy periods leading up to games, and then there are periods when there is a break, and you don't have the 'day in-day out' responsibilities. I imagine that international management is probably more intense, because all the problems that are spread over a season at clubs are concentrated instead in the short periods when you are together for international fixtures. The problems come at you so quickly, and you have got to be able to deal with them there and then.

uefa.com: With players in your squad drawn from the lower English divisions as well as the English Premiership, does that create a problem when you are handing out instructions on the training field?

Hughes: There has to be a bit of leeway - you have to understand what tuition they are getting at their own clubs. Sometimes you just put things in front of them and hope they can cope; sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Where I am lucky is that I have a group of players who are desperate to do well for Wales and the way they apply themselves to everything that is asked of them is first-class.

uefa.com:. Did the tactical side of the game interest you as a player? And how much have your experiences playing for FC Barcelona and Bayern helped you now as a coach?

Hughes: As a player, I always enjoyed watching European football, and if ever a European game was on the television, I would watch that in preference to an English league game. My experiences with Barcelona and Bayern instilled in me the benefits of good preparation. With Wales, I try and create as professional an environment as possible. The top clubs in England are geared up for that professional approach, and in the past, players would come from those clubs to the international set-up where it is not like that at all. Players were coming from a good working environment to one that was not so good, and that can impact on performances, so I am trying to replicate the club environment as much as possible.

uefa.com: What did you find the most difficult part in your transformation from international player to international coach?

Hughes: The hardest thing is not to think like a player. Players just have to turn up, put their kit on, play the game and then go home. As a coach, you have to think of every possible eventuality, so you can try and pre-empt situations. You must spot the small problems, and deal with them before they become big problems.