Pride Comes Before a Fall

With the exception of some work I did in Soccer Schools over 20 years ago when I was a University student and a few sessions helping the coaches at my son’s grass roots club in England, all of my coaching career has been spent working with senior sides or under 19 groups. My aspirations as a coach remain with those age groups – it’s where I think I am best – but for now football has to work around other priorities and as such, I find myself coaching the Alevin age group (2007/2008 year of birth) at CD Rincon – a Tercera league club near Malaga. I assist the head coach Antonio, and my son plays in the team having moved from another of the teams we have in that age group this season.

It’s not my preference football wise, but there are a lot of positives to be taken from the experience. Helping me to learn the language is a massive benefit…I’d much rather learn Spanish in a football environment than in a class room….and in terms of helping our family settle in to life in a different country and culture, it has helped us make friends and learn about everyday life here much quicker than we would have done so without being involved in football.

In football terms, it is helping me to see coaching through a different lens. I only have a limited grasp of the language, so my non verbal communication is more important than normal. Gaining a general understanding of how to make sessions and themes age appropriate can only be a good thing. I have attempted to replicate some of the work I have done previously with senior teams and frankly I’ve failed and had to adapt. My expectations of the kids have had to adjust gradually too. I’ve always been fairly demanding but I have realised I need to relax a little with 10 and 11 year olds – it sounds obvious but in the heat of Spanish football it can be easy to forget.

That heat is not just a reference to the climate – it is ultra competitive here in Spain at all age groups as I explained in my last blog. The competitive nature is refreshing in many ways – I think football in the UK can be a bit too sterile these days…..retreat line, play out (every team seemed to try to do it the same way), no league tables, trophies for everyone etc etc.

That being said, I think football in England is evolving and preparing young players much better than it used to. Development programmes, coach education and thinking beyond traditional football culture have all combined to give the nation a much better chance of producing the footballers of today or at least the very near future. The FA’s DNA programme isn’t perfect in my opinion but it is producing the goods by way of a consistent coaching culture and a deeper understanding of how kids learn. I'm not sure the same can be said for Spain.

Spanish football is not what many would expect it is. There is a cultural bias towards technical development – I think that is more of an organic process developed as a result of the climate and society enabling more outdoor play as a result but even that is changing. The proliferation of mobile devices and gaming is starting to impact the lives and habits of kids in Spain, perhaps following a similar trend in the UK rather than keeping up with it. Long term, that will reduce the size of the talent pool here. Of that I am certain.

But tiki taka football and the beautiful game? It’s not what I see. I would estimate that 85% of teams from U6 up to senior football that I have seen play predominantly direct football – and I have probably watched over 200 games here now from La Liga down to Bebe (U7) age groups.

Direct football is not a bad thing – in the older age groups and senior football it is an important aspect of the game. There is no right way to play and at the very least, every side at U16s up should have a plan for defending against direct football. However, when direct football is played because of fear…..fear of losing or making a mistake….in the younger age groups, it is the players who ultimately lose out.

When I refer to direct play in junior football, I mean some or all of the following;

-          Goalkeepers kicking the ball long and usually aimlessly

-          Defenders kicking the ball out of play when they could control the ball and try to pass to a team mate

-          Using the biggest and strongest player to try and shoot from the half way line in 7 a side football

-          Playing the quickest player in the team up front and simply asking the other players to kick it to him or in to space for him to run on to

-          Playing aerial balls repeatedly against a side much smaller than your own simply because you will probably score more goals

The bottom line is this – far too many coaches and clubs are too proud to lose. Too proud to let the kids make mistakes. Too proud to get relegated even if it’s only an U12 league. Too proud that their record will be blemished.

But it’s not about the coach and his shiny CV, or the club’s desire to put another trophy in the cabinet.

No…it’s about the players.

All young players should be challenged to develop a foundation of basic technical skills and should then be given the opportunity to practice using them in a competitive environment, on a pitch that is appropriate for their age and size.

That doesn’t mean developing robots – each player will have different strengths and weaknesses but the foundation is key. That foundation can only really be developed in the younger age groups – hence the term “foundation phase” in UK professional academies.

If a 10 year old defender is never given the ball by his goalkeeper, how will he ever know what to do with the ball as he grows older? And if the biggest and strongest player in the team plays as an attacker and scores hatfuls of goals because his coach asks the other players to kick the ball into space for him to run on to, what will happen to that kid when everyone else catches him up in terms of physicality?

I guess we should ask why play football in the first place?

If the club , the coach and the parents all agree that the main reason is for that child to win trophies in the age category they are playing in, then at least they are all on the same page, but you will not find me on the same page as them. Sadly, I think the majority of Spanish clubs and coaches that I see seem to think that way, or at least those with a reputation for being “successful”.

As a result, the players are deprived of a football education that gives them a chance of developing long term, and even worse, in many cases the chance to simply enjoy their football without the pressure of mini Mourinhos and parents prepared to have a punch up in the stands over a refereeing decision. Parents I talk to here who do not send their kids to the local football club often think football culture will have a negative impact on their kids’ behaviour….and I can see exactly why.

Furthermore, Spanish football will suffer – I genuinely think Spain is already starting to fall behind other countries partly as a result of this culture.

Spain is not alone in having these problems but when compared to England, it is clear the game as a whole is not recognising a need for change. There are some great clubs and coaches here as there are in other countries, but there are simply not enough of them and far too many kids are missing out on a development pathway that would see them reach their true potential when it matters rather than win a trophy at the age of 13 and that be the highlight of their career.

Then again, maybe Spanish football culture will decide not to change - that pride might always be the key factor for junior football. It might simply adapt and find a different way...and I might have to keep my comparisons with the game back in the UK to myself!