Lars Lagerbäck
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The Technician N°39•E•Pat 13.5.2008 9:33 Page 1 Editorial: Interdependence Interview: Lars Lagerbäck Star Pupils and Star Teachers The 18th Team Football, Development and Technical Assistance NEWSLETTER FOR COACHES N O .39 JUNE 2008 The Technician N°39•E•Pat 13.5.2008 9:33 Page 2 Meyer/AFP/Getty Images Children in Internazionale shirts celebrate the Milan club’s centenary at the San Siro. IMPRESSUM EDITORIAL GROUP Andy Roxburgh Graham Turner Frits Ahlstrøm PRODUCTION André Vieli Captains go head Dominique Maurer to head in the 2007/08 Atema Communication SA UEFA Champions League: Printed by Cavin SA Inter’s Javier Zanetti competes with ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Steven Gerrard of Hélène Fors Liverpool. COVER Portugal’s Simão Sabrosa fends off Christos Patsatzoglou of Greece, who nonetheless beat Portugal again, this time in their pre-EURO 2008 friendly. (Photo: Witters Sport-Presse-Fotos) Getty Images 2 The Technician N°39•E•Pat 13.5.2008 9:33 Page 3 INTERDEPENDENCE EDITORIAL An icon of football’s past sat beside Forty years after Italy’s victory in me during Inter’s centenary match. Rome, European football reaches a BY ANDY ROXBURGH, Eusébio was world famous for his new milestone with the staging of UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR exploits for SL Benfica and Portugal EURO 2008 – the thirteenth cham- and, if fate had played its part, he pionship for national associations. might also have worn the colours of It is an appropriate moment to FC Internazionale Milano. The maestro acknowledge the legacy of those who from Mozambique had agreed to sign created the game’s popularity – the for the Nerazzurri but because Italy great players, clubs and international lost to North Korea in the 1966 World teams. It is also a time to reflect Recently, I had the pleasure to Cup, the Italian authorities indulged on our responsibility for the image take part in a special birthday party. in protectionism and put a ban on of the game, the development of FC Internazionale Milano celebrated their clubs signing foreign players. its future, and the respect shown 100 years of existence with an official Fortunately for the promotion of the to those on the front line – players, dinner, youth matches against Man- game, players of Eusébio’s status referees and coaches. chester United FC, Real Madrid CF, transcend national boundaries – they SL Benfica and AFC Ajax, a seminar are universal treasures, whose humility You can’t buy history, you can only for their network of grassroots’ and respect for others set the bench- create it. It’s time to turn a new page leaders, and a San Siro extravaganza mark for sporting dignity. For example, as FC Internazionale Milano embark (following their Serie A match with Eusébio cannot understand how on their next 100 years, and 16 Reggina) which gave their supporters some of today’s players perform histri- national teams set out to create a the opportunity to pay their respects onics when they score from a penalty. memorable European Championship to the Nerazzurri heroes who built “You are expected to score from in Switzerland and Austria. Whatever the club’s reputation. Sandro Mazzola, the spot – why should you overdo the future holds, the clubs and the Giuseppe Bergomi, Luís Suárez and the celebrations when you do?”, he national associations cannot avoid numerous other former stars walked argues. The image of Eusébio scoring their collective responsibility – they are onto a pitch which they had graced at Wembley with a penalty during interdependent, and the advancement with footballing distinction. FC Inter- the World Cup in 1966, collecting the of the game and its continuing popu- nazionale (European Cup winners ball from the back of the net, and larity will, to a large extent, depend in 1964 and 1965, UEFA Cup holders then consoling England’s goalkeeper on their concerted commitment to the three times, and club world champi- Gordon Banks with a friendly pat is promotion of football which is both ons twice) has its own history, but it something which will endure. competitive and spectacular. is also part of something bigger – the game in a global context. The spirit of Inter’s Giacinto Facchetti will also live on. The club’s training In football, independence and inter- ground for youth development has dependence, like twin strikers, oper- been named after their former captain ate in juxtaposition. We have a shared and president, and as a mark of history, a shared involvement in the respect for the great man who passed game, and a shared responsibility away in 2006, his number 3 shirt for its future. Of course, everyone has is no longer in use. Giacinto twice his personal agenda, and each club lifted the European Cup for FC Inter- and national team has its identity and nazionale and football’s original attack- its aspirations. But there must also ing full-back then made it a personal be a collective commitment to pre- hat trick when he captained Italy to serve and respect the roots of the EURO triumph in 1968. Eusébio and game, to care for its core values, and Facchetti were never team-mates, to promote an image of football but they were from the same school Photos Archives/PA PA Eusébio beats Gordon Banks with a which youngsters can aspire to and of gentlemen who gave more to the penalty in the 1966 World Cup semi-final the public can admire. game than they took from it. between England and Portugal. 3 The Technician N°39•E•Pat 13.5.2008 9:33 Page 4 INTERVIEW BY ANDY ROXBURGH (UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) AND GRAHAM TURNER Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images LARS LAGERBÄCK JOINED THE SWEDISH FA 18 YEARS AGO AS COACHING DIRECTOR AND NATIONAL YOUTH COACH AND, FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF TOMMY SVENSSON FROM THE NATIONAL TEAM IN 1997, HE WAS APPOINTED ASSISTANT TO NATIONAL COACH TOMMY SÖDERBERG. SOON, HOWEVER, LARS WAS ELEVATED TO JOINT NATIONAL MANAGER, A RARITY IN INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL, BEFORE HE TOOK SOLE CHARGE FOLLOWING TOMMY SÖDERBERG’S DECISION TO TAKE OVER THE UNDER-21 SQUAD. LARS LAGERBÄCK HAS THEREFORE BEEN RESPONSIBLE, EITHER AS CO-COACH OR AS THE HEAD IN HIS OWN RIGHT, FOR SWEDEN’S FIVE CONSECUTIVE QUALIFICATIONS FOR WORLD AND EUROPEAN FINAL ROUNDS. LARS, WHO IS A MEMBER OF UEFA’S COACHING PANEL, IS A QUIET, MODEST MAN WITH A GREAT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF PREPARING INTERNATIONAL TEAMS. HE IS ONE OF SWEDEN’S MOST SUCCESSFUL COACHES, A MAN FOR THE BIG OCCASION – HE IS… LARS LAGERBÄCK 1 • How do you rate Sweden’s had a very tough physical game high expectations of the England performance in the qualifying phase? in Northern Ireland, which is some- team. But everyone can see that In the qualifying phase we drew with thing that, if you want to succeed, there are not many English players Northern Ireland and lost in Spain, so you have to know how handle. at the top clubs over there any it wasn’t until the last game that we It all added up to a good standard more – and that’s probably a big earned our place in the finals. We did in the qualifying phase. problem for the national team. reasonably well, even though we struggled a bit against Northern Ireland 3 • Looking at the other 4 • What are your expectations and we were totally out of it when qualifying groups, were there as you go into the final round? we played Spain away. Yet we beat any surprises for you? I think your expectations are always them at home so I think the overview To be honest, no. If you look at focused on qualifying from the group is that we did rather well. the 14 teams who have qualified, phase. I try to describe myself as I can’t say that anyone has surprised a coach as a ‘realistic optimist’ and 2 • Based on what you saw during me very much. Maybe Poland a I think there are different ways to the qualifying phase, would you say little bit, because they were in an approach a final round. When we the standard was high? eight-team group and they hadn’t first got in and hadn’t got much Yes, I think so. If you just look at the been that good for the last four experience, I talked to the players group we were in, a team like Northern or six years. OK, if you look at the about setting goals and so on. Like Ireland surprised everybody, I think. It teams who missed out, you can many teams, if we have a good became a very tough group, especially always point to England. But we day, we can beat anyone. But at a as we had our neighbours Denmark in played Croatia in the World Cup tournament of this nature, you need there – and it’s always special playing qualifiers and we know that they to produce five really good games – them. I think the overall quality in our are a tough team to beat. Of and, when you come from a rela- group was very high. I know you can course, growing up in Sweden tively small footballing country, it’s always discuss the quality of the football means that we are very close to really tough to hit that target, so to in individual games – for example, we English football and all of us have speak. But, even though we’re in 4 The Technician N°39•E•Pat 13.5.2008 9:33 Page 5 LARS LAGERBÄCK GIVES INSTRUCTIONS DURING SWEDEN’S MATCH WITH TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO IN THE 2006 WORLD CUP IN GERMANY.