Coaching beliefs in the spotlight

The philosophies, coaching methods and playing styles adopted by the great coaches have fascinated football observers since the game began. Delegates at this week's fifth UEFA Conference for Coach Education in Brussels have been adding to the debate.

Coach's approach
The conference brought together experts responsible for training football coaches in each UEFA member country, as well as top coaches and legendary former players. It ended with UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh and delegates taking an in-depth look at the various elements and philosophies that form a coach's approach to his job, and which bring the coach and his team their successes.

Beliefs, values and attitudes
The conference heard that coaches formed their football philosophies on the basis of certain beliefs, values and attitudes that shape them through their careers in the game, either as players or coaches. As a result of their philosophy, they may adopt coaching practices and favour certain styles of play.

Blend of factors
The various styles of play that coaches can deploy have been manifold over the years - ranging from aggressive attacking play to sophisticated defensive methods. Nevertheless, it was agreed that the success of a coach is also based on a blend of factors that are not just tactical. In the words of Juventus FC coach Marcello Lippi: "A team wins because it has good players, good organisation and a good team spirit - there is a balance."

Simplicity wins matches
In his presentation, Andy Roxburgh also emphasised that football did not have to be a complex game. He gave the example of his fellow Scot Bill Shankly, the renowned Liverpool FC manager of the 1960s and 1970s, whose credo was "Simplicity wins matches...complexity loses them". Other coaches, such as the Dutchman Johan Cruyff, have insisted that football should always be played beautifully, and be a spectacle. 

Flair, possession and joy
It was also pointed out that a country's characteristics and its people's temperament can also influence its football and coaching. For example, the great Brazilian coach Carlos Parreira has often spoken of his country's belief in football flair, possession and joy - attributes that have continuously graced Brazil's game and given football fans such pleasure. 

Key weapons
A philosophy, linked to an expert eye and intuition, as well as to football experiences, are key weapons in any coach's armoury, the Brussels conference heard. It is the variety of the various philosophies, coaching methods and playing styles adopted by coaches that makes football such an enthralling game.

Specialist topics
The conference closed with group discussions among the delegates, who gave UEFA advice and recommendations on potential future activities in the technical and coach education sector. Among the recommendations that European football's governing body will study are possible conferences or course modules focussing on specialist topics, such as youth coaching, goalkeeping, Futsal and fitness.

Coaching review
The three-day conference in Brussels also featured a review of 50 years of football and coaching through the eyes of former playing legends Giacinto Facchetti (Italy) and Michel Platini (France), and coaching luminaries Rinus Michels (Netherlands) and Dettmar Cramer (Germany).

Interactive training
On Tuesday, conference attendees watched an interactive training session involving UEFA Champions League participants RSC Anderlecht, with the watching delegates receiving first-hand information on the proceedings through a communication link with the Belgian club's head coach Hugo Broos and his assistant Frank Vercauteren.