New kids follow Guardiola's lead

Given FC Barcelona's success last season there can be little doubt that Josep Guardiola played a part in convincing Juventus and AC Milan to put their faith in youth when they appointed Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo as coaches.

Thanks to Guardiola
The 38-year-old led Barcelona to an unprecedented triple during his first season at the club, including the UEFA Champions League title. It was a feat Ferrara felt helped more than just the Spaniard's cause. "If I have to say thanks, I'd better say thanks to Guardiola as well," Ferrara told uefa.com. "But at the end of the day, the club makes its choice based on the individual person, and in my case, I've been at Juventus for so many years they knew what I had to offer."

'Winning experiment'
Leonardo concurred. "A winning experiment will certainly make other people think, but I don't think it's that closely linked," he told uefa.com. "It's not as calculated as just saying, 'Let's take on a young manager because that's how you win'. My relationship with Milan got me this position. Even though I'm young, perhaps without this relationship I might not have been their first choice. I wasn't expecting it, even if the Guardiola situation may have contributed to the final decision."

'New generation'
Ferrara replaced Claudio Ranieri on a temporary basis towards the end of last season, before being offered the role full time in the summer. The 40-year-old Leonardo, meanwhile, took over from the Chelsea FC-bound Carlo Ancelotti. Both are embarking on their first full seasons in coaching and will contribute to a youthful feel on UEFA Champions League benches this campaign. "There are several established and amazing managers around, but there is also a generation of coaches that are just getting started like Deschamps, Blanc, Ferrara and me – managers who are coming through at big clubs," former Brazilian international Leonardo added. "Guardiola is probably the symbol of that because despite his young age he has still managed to win everything. To be honest I'd never thought about becoming a manager. It was a big surprise for me. It's definitely something that is turning out to be very emotional and I'm finding the whole thing very positive."

'Positive reaction'
Ferrara and Leonardo both enjoyed successful playing careers with the clubs they now coach and find themselves in the strange situation of coaching former team-mates as they prepare to make their UEFA Champions League debuts. "Right from the start we all understood the situation," Leonardo said. "It's true I used to play with a lot of the lads, but they understand our roles and how difficult the job is. From the start I've had a very positive reaction from everyone. The hardest part of being a manager is making choices, but you can try and be clear, explain things well, and do the best for the team."

Tough decisions
"It's difficult," added the 42-year-old Ferrara, who played for several seasons with the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero. "However, a lot depends on the relationship you establish with your players. I think it's important you respect your roles and the lads have understood that too. I have to make decisions which are sometimes painful, of course, but I always try to make decisions with my head and not my heart."

Role model
Ferrara laughed when asked what three pieces of advice he would give to young coaches just starting out on their careers. "I don't know. At the moment I'm asking [Sir Alex] Ferguson for advice because I'm a very young manager and I wouldn't think of giving advice." There may be a trend towards more youthful managers at the highest level of the game, but ask the newcomers, and experience still clearly counts for much. "I'm finding out more and more how difficult it is to be a manager, but if I had to choose a role model, I'd go for Alex Ferguson," Leonardo revealed. As the Scottish proverb says: 'Learn young, learn fair; learn old, learn more.'

Leonardo and Cira Ferrara were speaking to Alfredo Rodríguez and Julien Debove at the 11th Elite Club Coaches Forum in Nyon, Switzerland.