The Technician Interview: 2 Gressive Challenge, It Takes Guts Holger Osieck for Football’S Elite to Produce Pro Licence – a New Dimension 6 “Grace Under Pressure”
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NEWSLETTER FOR COACHES NO 49 | JUNE 2011 Grace under pressure omewhere between Dortmund and Madrid, the conversation Sturned to great players and their attributes. Sitting opposite me on the plane was Sir Alex Ferguson and we were both extolling the virtues of Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona. In response to my com- ments about the Argentinian courage – his willingness to drive at opponents with the ball, no matter how many times he had been hit – Sir Alex summed it up when he said: “All great players are brave.” When you think about it, this is a sporting truth. Whether it is Andrés Iniesta gliding past defenders or Xavi orchestrating the play in a crowded midfield, the great talents display, in the words of Ernest Hemingway, “grace under pressure”. When Lionel Messi mes- merised the complete Real Madrid defence with his solo goal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg match, he not only showed his wizardry, but also his abundant bravery. Coaches and referees also need courage, but in their case it is of the moral rather than physical variety. In the knockout match between Arsenal FC and FC Barcelona in London, the home team recov- ered from a first-half deficit to win 2-1. Ac- cording to the UEFA technical observer at the match, Gérard Houllier, bold coaching, Lionel Messi, voted man which involved the use of an adventurous of the match in the UEFA high defensive block, turned the tide in the Champions League final at Wembley, is a player Gunners’ favour. “Arsène Wenger’s effec- of immense bravery tive coaching influenced the game and the result,” said Gérard in his UEFA report. Sir Alex took a risk of a different type when he made nine changes to his Manchester United starting line-up in the semi-final return match against FC Schalke 04. He did this to protect his star players for the decisive Premier League game against Chelsea FC the following weekend. It is said that fortune favours the brave and the United boss was successful that week on both European and domestic fronts. In a recent presentation to UEFA’s new generation of talented referees, I reminded them that a key to their success was knowing the difference between a legitimate tackle, a foul, a dive and a fall. Just as an interpreter must know the nuances of a language, so the referee needs to be familiar with the subtleties of the game. But an ability to read the game is not enough – the real test is one of courage. Can the man with the whistle make the big decisions, without bias, and with no concern for the consequences? This is the acid test. The Spanish have a wonderful proverb which I have used on many occasions: “It is not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring.” Many talk a good game, but it is the star players, coaches and referees who deliver in football’s “bullring”. Whether it’s making In this issue decisions, handling criticism, man- aging adversity or facing the ag- The Technician interview: 2 gressive challenge, it takes guts Holger Osieck for football’s elite to produce Pro licence – a new dimension 6 “grace under pressure”. The niceties of the own goal 10 Andy Roxburgh, Hats off to Pep, Patrice, UEFA Technical Director André and Albert 12 Getty Imges 2 The Technician Interview By Andy Roxburgh, UEFA Technical Director erman football coach Holger Osieck has been a impressive, reaching the final of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Gworld traveller. Following his playing career at (Australia lost 1-0 to Japan in extra time) and achieving Schalke, Mülheim and Vancouver Whitecaps, he became some significant results on the road, including a 2-1 the coach of his former Canadian club. A decade later, victory over Germany in Mönchengladbach. he joined Franz Beckenbauer as coach of the German The technician with the well-used passport is vastly national team. FIFA World Cup success was achieved at experienced and someone highly respected by his the 1990 tournament in Italy, with victory over Argen- coaching colleagues. Known as a strong character and tina in the final match in Rome. The partnership with a great football thinker, – he is… the ‘Kaiser’ continued the following season at Marseille before Holger went solo at VfL Bochum, Germany. Spells in Turkey with Fenerbahçe SK and Kocaelispor, including cup triumphs at both, were interspersed with Holger Osieck his first commitment at Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan. He returned to there in 2007 and proceeded to lift the As the head coach of Australia, how did you feel AFC Champions League. beating Germany in Mönchengladbach in the recent At international level, he managed the Canadian na- friendly? tional team (1999–2003), winning the CONCACAF Gold Obviously, it is a little strange when you play against Cup in 2000. Away from the front line for a few years, he your own country, but on the other hand it was a big chal- represented FIFA as its technical director, but this came lenge for me. As a professional you must be fully commit- to its conclusion after the 2006 FIFA World Cup when ted in such circumstances because you have a responsibility he returned to Japan, once again joining the Reds. to those who have employed you. Following the World Cup Currently, the man born in Duisburg is head coach in South Africa, people in Australia were not too happy of the Australian national team and his start has been and this was a special opportunity to regain some pride after the heavy defeat suffered at the hands of Jogi Löw’s side in Durban. We not only wanted to win, but to perform well, and we did that by try- ing whenever possible to take the initiative. The result clearly hurt them and confirmed that Germans do not like to lose football matches. You have players playing all over the world. How do you cope with that in terms of scouting and preparation? There are two aspects to this. One is to use the internet for basic information, such as player appear- ances, goalscoring, injuries, etc. Then there is the direct contact. I am in touch with the players regularly, Assistants Holger Osieck and Berti Vogts with their head coach Franz Beckenbauer at the Bongarts/Getty Images 1986 World Cup our first 12 matches, 11 of them were away from home. The morale has been high and this has allowed me to 3 UEFA put over the style I want to create. Sometimes you need to compromise as a coach, but this time I have been able to move forward quickly. We have tried to be ag- gressive in midfield with creativity up front, and we have some very good players who have the quality to perform on the international stage. You won the AFC Champions League with Japa- nese club Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007 – how would you describe the standard of Asia’s top club competition? I’m not sure it would be fair to compare it with the Holger Osieck presents the technical report on the 2006 World Cup at the international symposium in Berlin the same year UEFA Champions League because it has its own character. Also, you must remember that Asia is vast and has great differences in levels and types of football. What I learned either by text or phone. Also, I travel a lot to see them play from that particular experience was that it was very dif- and to talk to their coaches. This applies to those who have ficult to win, partly because of the different conditions been regulars in our team and to the fringe players. We and approaches to the game. Travel, time changes, ac- invited 25 scouts to a camp in Germany – they are the commodation, climate, etc. all came into play. The people who help us identify players through- out Europe, at all levels. At the beginning, I knew about 20 players and now there are over 100 that I am familiar with personally. We also, of course, study the league in Australia and we have two squad players from that source at the moment. You have been with the national teams of Canada, Germany (as team coach working with team chief Franz Beckenbauer) and now Australia – what are the demands on a national coach and what are the most important things you have learned about international management? First of all, Australia has different ex- pectations than previously. They appeared in the last two World Cups and want to stay at that level. I can certainly identify with that Getty Images thinking. Qualification, of course, will be harder now that we are in the Asian zone. After a World Instructions for Australia’s captain Lucas Neill during an Asian Cup Cup, changes are necessary for many reasons, and match in January therefore we are in the process of restructuring, reorgan- ising, and I am fully engaged in this process. In the 2011 standards in Japan and Korea, for example, have reached Asian Cup there were only 11 players left who had taken the top international level. part in the World Cup in South Africa. A big transition is under way with the national team, but I am also contrib- What has been the highlight of your coaching uting to the next phase of development, working with my career? various technical development colleagues at the asso- Winning titles is important for a coach and I have been ciation. fortunate to win a few, but I have always viewed myself Regarding key elements, I would say that you must as a teacher and my focus is on modelling a team in line quickly gain an understanding about the mentality of the with my philosophy.