José Ramón Alexanco Handling the Goalkeeper The
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Editorial: The Da Vinci Coach Interview: José Ramón Alexanco Handling the Goalkeeper The Meridian changes Direction The Class of 2006 Including NEWSLETTER FOR COACHES N O .33 JULY 2006 IMPRESSUM EDITORIAL GROUP Andy Roxburgh Graham Turner BERNAMA/AFP Frits Ahlstrøm PRODUCTION André Vieli Dominique Maurer Atema Communication SA Printed by Cavin SA COVER Frank Rijkaard gives instructions to his team’s captain, Carles Puyol, during FC Barcelona’s victorious UEFA Champions League final. (PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES) DAVID TREZEGUET PLAYED IN THE 1997 FIFA WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER GÉRARD HOULLIER, BEFORE MOVING UP TO THE SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM. MEYER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES 2 THE DA VINCI COACH EDITORIAL (a man of the pitch), knowledgeable Few coaches have the necessary back- (a football and teaching expert), demand- ground or diverse interests to work in all BY ANDY ROXBURGH, ing, and, above all, young at heart. Work- categories of the coaching profession. ing with the young can be an exhausting Gérard Houllier, however, is one of the UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR business, and the coach needs to match select few who immediately comes to the players’ enthusiasm. mind when we talk of the ‘all-rounder’. The Lyon coach is the current champion Academy directors, while playing the of France; a UEFA Cup winner with Liver- role of practical coach, also have overall pool; a European youth champion with When someone asks you: “Can he play?”, responsibility for talent management. a team which included Thierry Henry, they are usually referring to a player’s With the support of their staff, they must David Trezeguet and others; and a leading technical qualities and his ability to read identify, attract, develop, manage, moti- coach educator when he was technical the game. But when they ask: “Can he vate and keep young players of potential director of the French Football Federation. coach?”, the question is much more com- at their club, guiding them along the Recently, the French newspaper L’Equipe plex because it depends on the coaching road to football maturity. With elite youth asked me to describe Gérard’s coaching category and the specific role he plays. players, either at a club or with the qualities. I described him as a “Da Vinci Although coaches come in many guises, national youth squad, coaching is funda- Coach” because of his expertise in the art they can be put into three general groups mentally an educational process. As Juan and science of football, and because he – front-line team managers, player devel- Santisteban, the excellent coach of the has shown his ability to make an impact opers, and coach educators. So what is Spanish youth teams for the last decade, on all grades and sectors of the game. the difference between the various has often stated: “As usual, I was less Seeing the big picture in football can be branches of the coaching profession? concerned with results than with adding invaluable, as UEFA Champions League to the boys’ education.” Of course, winners Sir Alex Ferguson and Louis van The high-profile prowlers of the technical coaches and players want to win, but not Gaal have shown over the years. area – club coaches such as Arsène at the expense of a young player’s health Wenger (Arsenal FC) and Frank Rijkaard and development. Those who work in “Can he coach?”. Ultimately, the value of (FC Barcelona) or national coaches such grassroots football have a similar phi- a coach depends on his ability to work in as Otto Rehhagel (Greece) and Oleg losophy because the grassroots players’ a particular coaching category and on how Blokhin (Ukraine) – have the task of welfare and enjoyment supersedes team well he is able to perform in the specific winning top-level games. In the enter- outcomes – in fact, a win-at-all cost men- role. Of course, certain fundamental skills tainment age, most of the time this has tality has no place in the grassroots game are required by all coaches, including the to be achieved with style and panache or, for that matter, in elite youth football. ability to read the game. As Mario Zagallo if the wrath of the media and public is once said: “A good coach is not the one to be avoided. Technical directors, such as Sir Trevor who sees the game, but the one who Brooking (England) and Aimé Jacquet reads the game.” Winning a title, although Roy Hodgson, head coach of the Finnish (France), oversee all aspects of technical great, is not the only way to contribute national team, summed up the require- work in their respective associations. One to the success of the game. Or to put it ments when he said: “The modern coach domain under their control is coach edu- another way: Not all coaches of value live needs a philosophy, an expert eye and cation, and in some countries this area in the media spotlight. intuition.” If we were building the winners’ is handled by a specialist coach educa- profile, we could add that he must also tion director: Andreas Morisbak (Norway) be articulate, focused, mentally strong, and Mariano Moreno (Spain) are two intelligent, decisive, and energetic. The good examples of technicians who perceptive and lively Giovanni Trapattoni organise the training of student coaches, emphasised that the day-to-day coaching the reeducation of those in employ- of a club was an entirely different proposi- ment, and the further development of tion from handling a national team. The their own staff coaches. The Italian FA’s Italian master coach once pronounced: Franco Ferrari and the German FA’s “With a club I was a sculptor, and with the Erich Rutemöller are recognised as two national team I was a blender.” of the best European coach educators, particularly in the coaching work they In the field of player development, youth have done with Pro-licence candidates coaches, academy directors, technical in their respective associations. Many trainers and grassroots organisers/teachers coaches at top clubs in Italy and Ger- try to create a learning environment many will testify to the support and which nurtures young footballers. For me, wise counsel they received from their the youth coach who works with talented ‘professors’ – football teachers who MONTEFORTE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES players needs to be honest, open, pas- taught them how to coach rather than Gérard Houllier is a good example sionate, fit, organised, patient, practical what to coach. of a versatile coach. 3 INTERVIEW BY ANDY ROXBURGH, UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ROSE/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES FC BARCELONA WERE CROWNED 2006 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS IN PARIS, AND THE SPOTLIGHT WAS MAINLY ON THEIR FOREIGN STARS, SUCH AS RONALDINHO, ETO’O, DECO AND LARSSON. WHAT MAY HAVE GONE UNNOTICED WAS THAT NINE OF THE BARÇA UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SQUAD WERE HOME-GROWN PLAYERS, INCLUDING CAPTAIN CARLES PUYOL, LIONEL MESSI, VÍCTOR VALDÉS AND ANDRÉS INIESTA. BARCELONA’S YOUTH ACADEMY HAS THEREFORE BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CLUB AND ITS SUCCESS. THE DIRECTOR OF THE YOUTH PROGRAMME IS JOSÉ RAMÓN ALEXANCO, A STAR WITH FC BARCELONA FOR 13 YEARS. HIS RECORD INCLUDES CAPTAINING THE EUROPEAN CUP WINNING SIDE IN 1992, COLLECTING TWO EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS’ CUPS, FOUR SPANISH CUPS, FOUR SPANISH LEAGUE TITLES, TWO SPANISH SUPERCOPAS, AND TWO UEFA SUPER CUPS. THE MAN WHO STARTED OUT AT ATHLETIC BILBAO AND REPRESENTED THE BASQUE CLUB IN THE UEFA CUP FINAL AGAINST JUVENTUS PLAYED FOR LEGENDARY COACHES SUCH AS KUBALA, HERRERA, LATTEK, MENOTTI AND CRUYFF, BEFORE BEGINNING HIS COACHING CAREER UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF BARÇA LEGEND JOHAN CRUYFF. TODAY JOSÉ RAMÓN ALEXANCO USES ALL HIS EXPERIENCE AS A PLAYER, COACH AND SCOUT TO RECRUIT AND DEVELOP PLAYERS FOR FC BARCELONA. HE IS KNOWN TO HIS COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS SIMPLY AS…. 1 • How would you describe come through the Barça academy FC Barcelona’s development programme. Young Lionel Messi, for philosophy and goals? ALEX example, arrived here from Argentina The first thing is to develop a foot- when he was 12 years old. His family baller – we are not looking for 2 • What is the organisation and came to Barcelona to live and, soon results. We try to develop the foot- structure of the Barça academy? after, he started training with the club. baller and the person, both socially We have a coordinator who oversees At FC Barcelona, we have 12 boys’ and intellectually. We are living and the development of players between teams and eight women’s teams, working with kids from 12 to 19 the ages of 10 and 15. They all get although the latter are in a separate years and we have to be ‘parents’, match play, but it is at the older level section. In the academy, each squad teachers and coaches, and we know that you get more of a competitive has two coaches and there are 23 we have a responsibility for leading element. We prepare them in the or 24 players in each group. At least them correctly in social terms. We younger categories to be able to half of the coaches have a UEFA Pro organise meetings with the parents, compete when they get older. It is at licence. The club provides the budget, and it is very important that we the 16 years and over stage that we around six million euros per year, and explain to them what we are doing concentrate on the technical, tactical is fully responsible for the academy with their children during the hours and physical requirements which facilities and training programme. we spend with them at the club. will equip them for the first team. We get excellent support from The technical leaders of the club pre- 3 • How do you deal with the grass- all the parents because they know pare the guidelines for all the train- roots and the recruitment process? exactly what their children are doing ing sessions.