Close encounters: Inside a coach's mind during a final

Conference League finals are often closely-fought affairs. After all, in the short history of this competition, each previous showpiece has been decided by the margin of a single goal, with 1-0 wins for Roma and Olympiacos either side of a 2-1 success for West Ham.

Those finals likewise showed that these tight contests can deliver a late denouement, with Jarrod Bowen winning it in the 90th minute for the English side and Ayoub El Kaabi becoming the hero for the Greek outfit deep in extra time.

If supporters find their nerves frayed in such moments, what is it like being in a coach’s shoes as the clock ticks down during a major final? And just how do they keep a clear head amid such high tension and fraught emotions?

West Ham beat Fiorentina 1-0 to win the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League Getty Images

Keeping your cool

"The occasion and the level of the opposition can play a part in your decision-making in the latter stages, but I do believe that having a cool head, or having cool staff around you, helping you with those tricky situations, will always be helpful," says David Moyes, manager of West Ham’s triumphant team in 2022/23 and a member of the UEFA Technical Observer Group.

Elaborating on the trains of thought that might run through a manager’s mind at that stage of a game, Moyes continues: "You might be getting half-prepared for extra time and, deep down in your mind, might actually be beginning to think that penalties may not be too far away either, given the way the game is going."

Game-changing moments

There is also the matter of substitutes, which brings its own questions. "Are they up to speed? Are they ready to go right away?" says Moyes, albeit he believes the potential rewards are greater than ever today, when a coach can make up to five changes – and a sixth in extra time. "I think a lot of teams are using the substitutes incredibly well now, which has given new impetus to teams scoring goals later on."

It is not just the Conference League that has produced tight finals in recent seasons. Four of the five Champions League deciders between 2020 and 2024 finished 1-0. Indeed, that is actually the most common scoreline in the 69 years of finals in that competition (19 times and counting).

In Moyes’ view, scoring first in the showpiece can be a team’s cue to sit back and look to counterattack. "Quite often, teams who do take the lead are finding themselves the team who are put under pressure for other parts of the game. There is a lot of that in football at the moment. Scoring the first goal can give you that chance to play a bit deeper and a bit more cagily. And the team losing has to try to get back in the game."

The weight of the occasion

Is it almost inevitable that the high stakes bring an extra degree of caution? According to Moyes, such occasions can feel heavy with significance: from the level of preparation to the level of support. As well as representing the badge on their shirts, players may feel they are representing their families too on evenings which can often feel like a career pinnacle after years of sacrifice and effort.

David Moyes celebrates after the UEFA Europa Conference League 2022/23 final Getty Images

The same might be said of Moyes himself and that night against Fiorentina when he won his first major trophy as a coach. It felt like just reward after so many years in the game – after all, it can be tough at the top. "All managers at times will feel a loneliness about it because that is what the job is," reflects the Scot, now in his second spell at Everton. "That mainly comes at disappointing moments."

Even the best moments, such as that 2023 final, bring the pressure that comes from standing in the technical area with the spotlight on you. "You are the figurehead who is expected to make the correct decisions and, like any other human being, you can make the wrong decisions," Moyes says. "But, nowadays, we all have a lot of people around us who are technically very good at understanding the game. There are lots of analysts as well who can give feedback in certain situations."

And Moyes’ decision-making certainly bore fruit against Fiorentina after Lucas Paquetá sent Bowen clear to score with extra time just around the corner. We return to his thought process as the final whistle approached on that June night in Prague.

"As the game was going on, we were trying to find a way of getting Paquetá in more creative positions," he remembers. "And it was Paquetá who got the opportunity to make the pass that got Bowen through. Quite often as well, fatigue plays a part and some players by that time were not able to do quite as much work. And Paquetá was finding himself in that role where we needed him to try to come up with something.

"I do believe that the big players are the ones who are expected to show up in the big games – at least from the manager’s perspective. And for Paquetá to make a pass, and for Bowen to be on the end of it, I probably couldn’t have asked for a better combination at that moment in the game.

"You hope that you get the players in the right place at the right time. People who can make a pass, people who can score, people who can cross it – whatever it is you need – and at that moment, the pass, run and finish were what we needed."

With it, West Ham had their first major European prize since 1964/65. It is a formula the two coaches in the 2025 final will both be hoping to see repeated in their favour.