what is a 'style of play'?

style of play.

the football world is obsessed with coaches having a style of play.

i’ve been asked about my playing style in job interviews, in conversations, and on coaching licenses.

my response? it depends on the players i have.

in an ideal world, coaches can have a methodology of how they want to play and they can attract the players they want to fit their system. but we don’t live in an ideal world. i don’t coach in an ideal world. i coach at clubland. and in clubland, you’re extremely limited with the players you can attract.

so instead of having players conform to a ‘system’ with set roles and expectations, my focus is instead on figuring out each individual’s strengths and discovering a ‘system’ that can maximise those strengths.

is this naïve coaching? or is it adaptable coaching?

why is it that the hallmark of a ‘great coach’ is by the way their players, play? is it about leaving a legacy? about ego? a team being remembered by the coach’s playing style? we all know the undeniable influence Pep has had on the game, but he’s a coach with access to the best players in the world. with infinite resources. most of us are not privy to such environments. and what does it do to the players who don’t fit this system?

take Viktor Gyökeres for example. can’t get minutes for Arsenal. looking to get a transfer. goes back to Sweden and he’s banging in goals for fun. what’s the difference? i think for Sweden, his teammates know his strengths and play to those. Gyökeres knows his strengths and plays to those. he doesn’t have to think. he just plays. at Arsenal, he has to fit in to Arsenal’s system. he has to think about when to press, where to press, where he needs to be at every moment of the game to ‘fit’ the system. he isn’t playing. he’s conforming. and the cost? his performance.

what if instead of trying to make a square fit a circle, we figured out how to play with the square? every player on the team is different. each with unique strengths and weaknesses. what if we coached to that? coaching a team to build better relationships with their teammates, to know how they want to receive a ball and where. to anticipate when they’re most likely to make a mistake and cover for that. what would this look like? and perhaps more importantly, what would it feel like for the players?

from my experience? it feels empowering.