1. What do you do with football skills and stamina?
Team Building
{ The Road to Success
Copyright: Rinus Michels, Netherlands
2. General Introduction
Types of Team Building
Complexity of Football
Limits of Team Building
External Factors on the Psychological Team
Building Process
Levels of Development
Steps in the Development Process
Performance Level
Value of the Team Building
3. General Introduction
Leonard Bernstein, conductor, orchestra leader:
”Individually you are very accomplished, but as an orchestra you
will have to travel a long and difficult road. You think you have
achieved the ultimate level, but the perfection of the orchestra can be
taken from 95 to 100 %
Not enough that you play your own instrument correctly, you must
also be harmonic with the orchestra
Football coach must think how he/she can create a team that can
produce the best possible outcome in difficult (constantly
pressurized) situation
No note book
The quality of the players
The quality of the coach
4. General Introduction
Anticipation and Decision Making
Constantly changing situation
Hundreds of Millions of possibilities during the match
Split-second decision making
Take into account your team-mates and the opponents
Team efficiency vs showing off
The aim of the match
Outside pressure
Money
Perfect match?
Pro level, amateur level –any difference in the pressure to succeed?
5. General Introduction
Pressure to Succeed
Ever higher demands for the peformance level of the team
Striving to perfection
Team defensive preformance
Result: higher demands on attacking and building up -qualities
Individual and team level
Structural learning process
Academies
Awareness of the team tactical effectivity
Cohesiveness of the team
Match analyses as the key
6. General Introduction
Types of Team Building
Teamwork is as old as the game itself.
Increasing demands and pressure put on the coaches and players
Structural means which help the players perform
More speed & higher difficulty level
-> players have to perform at a higher level
Individually and within the team
Players had much more time in the earlier days!
PSYCHOLOGICAL team building process
TEAM TACTICAL team building process
7. General Introduction
Psychological Team Building Process
Obvious approach
Better mentality – better environment for the team tactical team building process
Players’ willingness to work – MOTIVATION!
Willingness to win
What works today. Is not guaranteed to work tomorrow -> remain alert
Changes in the tension level – which factors affect?
-> the coach must stay alert in each training session and feel the atmosphere & ACT
ACCORDING TO THE MENTAL ATTITUDE OF THE PLAYERS
Before the game
During the game: positive and negative developments
Tact, harshness, continuous improvement
Consistent, clear and honest behaviour from the coach!
8. General Introduction
The Team Tactical Team Building Process
At least as imortant as mental team building
Team tactics a structural process
Based on a developed playing style
Reguires strucutral training work using clear team tactical guidelines
Organizational team building
Strategical team building
Tactical team building
9. General Introduction
Organizational team building
Concerns the guidelines of team organization, team structure and
the organizational form (4-4-2, 4-3-3 and so on)
Traffic lights – prevent chaos
Every player has a role and function within the team organization
Conduct through experience
Action is taken fast and ”automatically”
Too stiff approach?
Strategical team building
A series of guidelines how a team or a line or a group defend, build up, or attack
Continuous positioning in relation to each other
10. General Introduction
Tactical team building Football is complex
How to prepare team tactically to Connection between the complexity
the match next Saturday? of the game and the quality of the
players
Which variations do I use?
The best players are very clever (~
Based upon specific resistances the up 5 % of the people)
from a match
Space and time –dimensions in a
match – quick reflection to upcoming
situations
In comparison to the business world,
space and time –dimensions are
different
11. General Introduction
Complexity Factors of Team Building
Team tactically the most
Size of the team
Unpredictability demanding sport
Roles of the individuals; versatility is expected
Continuous action
Most decisicive demands placed on individual qualities of players
Technically
Physically (incl. psychologically) Players are
Tactically (insight) directors
Intelligence, fast reaction to altering situations
All players are ”quarterbacks”
Players’
sport
Played by feet discipline
Contact sport Adequate training, team spirit
Playing time, tempo -> physical
12. General Introduction
The Complexity of football is determined by
The size of the team
Individual qualities combined with versatility
Unpredictability: the players have to make quick TEAM EFFICIENT
decisions out of several options in ever changing situations
The ball is played with feet
Physical contact sport
The duration of the match
The measurements of the field
Players’ game team tactically
Constant action
Team tactical guidelines a
Tempo
necessity
13. General Introduction
Limitations of Succeeding in the Team Building
Every coach attempts to improve his team’s performance by
helping to develop an extra team tactical dimension in every
player = team efficiency/ by each member of the team
Scoring chances can be created by good team play, but the team
needs a player with the ability to score in order to succeed
The same goes with other roles ~ duels
14. General Introduction
Limitations in Succeeding in the Team Building
Quality of the players (most important factor)
Physics, technics, mentality, tactics
LIMITING FACTORS:
Balance
Between defending, building up and attacking
One of the most difficult tasks of the coach
Success
Powerful weapon in team building process
Opponent
The countermeasures
What worked in the last game won’t necessarily work in the next one
Unpredictability
WC 1978
Luck CL Final 1999
15. General Introduction
Psychological Team Building Process
External Factors
Performance level is never a constant factor
Tension between self-interest and the interest of the team
Power struggle
Between board members, coach and bms, coach and assistant
coach…
Self-interest vs the best of the team
Statements
Board member, a coach, a player,…
The coach must always be on the look-out & focus on TBP!
Only the coach is able to build a team and a team efficient style
of play
-> the coach must have credibility and clear football vision
Self-confidence
Not the big picture, but the details are what matter
16. General Introduction
Levels of Development
All levels
Challenges of coaches at all levels
Make players perform better
Reach the limits of the performance level of the team
Big difference in the potential of all players in the talent pool
-> difference in quality
Coach must possess an adequate technical level (exceptions?)
Theoretical knowledge of the game
Theoretical knowledge of the team building process
Ability to communicate
No more street football – compensation
Whoever wins is correct??
Youth football: keeping the players busy vs teaching the game
Organizing the training sessions efficiently
Training football realistic situations
17. General Introduction
World Class Level of Development
Relationship betw. Team Building and Performance Level
Brazil 1994
In 1970, Brazil used 4-2-4, in 1980s 4-4-2
Also Parreira used 4-4-2 from the preparation on
Everyone must take a part in defence, even Romario
Few touches during the build up - midfielders
Team spirit vs the stars – dream of all the Brazilians
Unity and Team Spirit
No money talk in the team – ”WC bigger than money”
No press, family members, agents, fríends to the training camp
The team members could only communicate
with each other in the training camp
Scrimmages especially helpful
Not the result but the execution what counted
18. General Introduction
World Class Level of Development
Relationship betw. Team Building and Performance Level
Why was Parreira’s 4-4-2 different?
Full backs helped in build up
Centre backs covered the positionsof full backs
The role of defending midfielders in defence and attack
Attackers had to move a lot and go deep
Not allowedto play close to each other durin the build up
Had to be able to receive the ball in the flanks and behind the
defensive line
Shifts according to the state of possession were practiced over
and over -> by varying the line-up this became familiar
TEAM EFFICIENCY was the key word -> UNITY was clear
Compare with Barca of Guardiola
19. General Introduction
Steps in the Development Process
A rapid development of team tactics in the modern football since 2000
- the necessity to win has grown (places in big competitions a.s.o)
When the ball is lost it has to be taken back, everyone is responsible – there
are no hiding places
Lightning fast transition from a team function to another, and MOST
IMPORTANT is to act in the most team efficient manner in each situation
-> UNITY, no false running -> efficiency
- Compare with Barca of Guardiola, or Athletic of Bielsa
- Individual qualities of the players: physical, mental, tactical
Good coaching is a must
Team tactical coaching; break the match down and analyze
Not enough to rely on experiences as a player
Video analyses take hours (Guardiola a.o.)
Still, each player can increase his value to the team by improving his insight
The hardest part: planning and executing the training sessions to serve the
team tactical development – most coaches don’t make it
Simulate the match situtations in exercises
20. General Introduction
Steps in the Development Process (cont.)
Practise team tactical positional games in a real high tempo
Team efficient speed of action
Quality of the individuals
Positioning of the teammates
Glue of the team spirit
Problem: lack of professionalism of the leading players -> resist the exercises
A good coach demands high tempo and accuracy (game mentality) -> team spirit
If you succeed, t he players will make the exercises as their own
Success: when team building process (tactically, psychoogically) is mastered to the
minutest detail
A new face as a coach is usually needed after few years, otherwise the players must
be changed periodically (crediblity)
Cataloque = frame of reference when regularly working on improving the
perfrormance level
21. General Introduction
Performance Level
The building blocks of the most reachable performance level
The most negative influences on this:
The individual qualities of the - lack of key players
- Lack of success
players
- Negative audience
- As much as possible in
- Too many changes in trainers
compliance with the team
- Lack of flexibility in relation to a realistic
structure and style of play
style of play
- Sufficient´ly balanced in game
- Negative internal and external factors in
mentality/qualities
relation to the team building process
- Excellent training qualities
- Budget problems at the club
- Well developed team building
- Wrong coach in a wrong place
qualities (mental and team
- Lack of challenges
tactical)
- Youth education does not have a center
stage
- Overestimating and underestimating the
opponent
22. The Evolution of Football
Introduction
Top Coaches
Mario Zagallo (att. style of play)
Helenio Herrera (def. style of play)
Sir Alf Ramsey (the demise of the wing forwards)
Rinus Michels (total and pressure football)
Franz Beckenbauer (5-3-2)
Johan Cruijff (3-4-3)
Louis van Gaal (further development of 3-4-3)
Sir Alex Ferguson
Marcelo Bielsa (argentinian developer of the 4-3-3 -play
Jose Mourinho (players coach)
Josip ”Pep” Guardiola (dev. total and pressure football)
23. The Evolution of Football
Introduction
Today’s pressure football
- demands team tactical maturity from all players
- Total soccer was introduced in the early 70s – now the most applied team
tactical strategy
- Pressure football is carried out by 11 players, each player has his own task
(c.)
- The aim is to play in the opposite’s side: press and disturb and prevent
build-up as early as possible
- Force them to deliver an inaccurate pass or rotate from backwords again to
gain time to get organised
- Or get the possession on the opponents’s half and make a quick transition
Especially well developed in Spain and earlier in England
24. The Evolution of Football
Introduction
Combination play/high quality positional play
- ”A must”
- Individual qualities
- Positioning and timing
- Passing and timing
- Decision-making
- Ball-control: give up the ball soon enough
- Crucial in the build-up
The best team efficient solutions
Individual qualities of the players have developed /average level
Higher demands all the time
- Team tactical aspects and skills must be taught as early as possible
- High quality coaches
- Youth educational system
- As a whole
25. The Evolution of Football
Introduction
More speed, higher tempo, more pressure in the opposite’s side, less time
- Each coach has to be able to develop a personal style of play
- Correct balance is required
- Ready made style of play
- Tactical changes, variations – developed and practiced beforehand
- Entails a lot of training work and tactical talk
- Only a skilled coach can do
- Theoretically and practically
Incredible difference between the games of the 60’s and 70’s compared to
today’s
Especially in the transition and pressing
Speed of play
- Individual qualities determine the level of performance
- High quality coaches
- Modern team building mechanism
- Difference between friendly matches and competitive matches
26. Top-Notch Coaches
”The evolution can be attributed in the influence of a few coaches
(and players), who have innovated new dimensios in the game”
Mario Zagallo
Attacking style of play
- Evolution from the 50’s
- WC 1970: 4-2-4
- Main focus ín building up and attacking functions
- Defensively covering of space instead of opponent
- Each player must participate
- Pelé, Tostao, Rivelino, Jairzinho
Imitated and developed in Holland, and later in Barcelona, and in the teams of Bielsa
Risky style – demands high quality players in every line
Players must have been brought up in this style
Lack of Culture
Courage from the coaches – FREEDOM (?!)
A style of lay must be realistic -> success AT THE TOP
Not a product of idealism!
27. Top-Notch Coaches
Sir Alf Ramsey – the developer of 4-4-2
- Replaced the classical wing attackers with midfield wingers who had
also an attacking task
Franz Beckenbauer : 5-3-2
- Defencive version 5-3-2
- Attacking version 3-5-2
- Two man-to-man markers in the center
- A sweeper who played defensively behind them and offensively in front of them
- Defenders in the wings who have duties in the build-up
- Must cover the whole field from end line to end line
- Cautious style of play
- Several possible variations in the build-up and attacking strategies
28. Top-Notch Coaches
Rinus Michels: total- and pressure football – 4-3-3
Total football (Ajax of the 70’s)
- Required actions during the build-up and attack to break through the enforced
defenses
- The surprise effect continuous changes in positions within and
between the three lines
- All players may and must take part in the build-up and attack as long as they look
after their defensive tasks
- Very demanding style of play individually and team tactically
- Each player must participate
Pressure football (Team Holland in the 70’s and ’88) ”The Hunt”
- Hunt for the ball, regaining the possession asap
- All three lines push up and play close to each other – familiar?
- Lots of free space in the own half – vulnerability
- Quick transitions when the ball is lost and won
- Demands years of team building and choosing players
- Demands very much practice of small details – movements and tasks
- Positive mentality of each player a PREREQUISITE
29. The Evolution of Football
Introduction
More speed, higher tempo, more pressure in the opposite’s side, less time
- Each coach has to be able to develop a personal style of play
- Correct balance is required
- Ready made style of play
- Tactical changes, variations – developed and practiced beforehand
- Entails a lot of training work and tactical talk
- Only a skilled coach can do
- Theoretically and practically
Incredible difference between the games of the 60’s and 70’s compared to
today’s
Especially in the transition and pressing
Speed of play
- Individual qualities determine the level of performance
- High quality coaches
- Modern team building mechanism
- Difference between friendly matches and competitive matches
30. The Ground Rules of The Team
Tactical TeamBuilding -Process
Organizational guidelines
Strategical Team Tactical Guidelines
Personal Choice
Strategical Guidelines Per Team Function
Strategic Team Tactical Guidelines
31. Team Tactical Team Building
Organizational Guidelines
Organizational forms
Basic Tasks within the Organizational Form
The Balance
The Defensive Team Function as The Starting
Point
32. Team Tactical Team Building
Strategic Team Tactical Guidelines
Guidelines for the Play-Making Strategy
Guidelines for the Counter Attack Strategy
33. Team Tactical Team Building
Strategic Guidelines per Team Function
Defensive Strategies as the Basis
Build Up -Strategies
Attacking Strategies
34. The Ground Rules of the Psychological
TeamBuilding Process
Harmony
The Credibility of the
Rules of Conduct – On and Off Coach
the Field
Consult Situation
Team Hierarchy
Communication
Kingdoms
Training Camps
Clear Objectives
Atmosphere
Common Enemy
Success
Culture of the Club
Summarizing
Strategy of Confrontation
35. Summarizing
The Corporate World
The Dream
Structural Process
Communication
Dynamics
Credibility
Team Spirit
Guidelines
Leadership
36. The Soccer Learning Process
Guidelines to Each Age Category
5 y old
6-8 y old
10-12 y old
12-14 y old
14-16 y old
16-18 y old
18-21 years old (Final Phase)
Structured Training Sessions
Organization
Gifted and Non-Gifted
37. Translation to the Training Pitch
General Criteria
Organization
Most Common Mistakes Made in Team Tactical
Training
Activities That Focus on Team Tactical Assignments
Team Tactical Exercises
38. Team Tactical Exercises
Defensive Cohesiveness in the Defensive Line While Under
Attacking Pressure
The Cogwheels of the Team Tactical Training Mechanism
Destrctive TeamTactical Abilities as an Example of a Tactical
Training Activity in Defense
Build Up Team Function
39. Perceiving the Value of the
TeamBuilding Activities
Value added acts Non-value added acts
the Style of Play
Arguments between members of
The Formation of the Team the team
Activities That Focus on Team External factors
Tactical Assignments
Selfishness
Make Each Player Fully
Activities Lacking the Team
Understand his/her role in the
Building Function
squad
Team Tactical Exercises
Team Tactical Exercises
a Coach Just Exposing Himself