Tim Vickery on Klinsmann

[Cunny]

Another cracking Vickery column, this time about Klinsmann's lecture at the annual conference of coaches.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/i...als/7158788.stm

 

For the past few years an annual conference of coaches has been held in December in Rio de Janeiro. This year's star turn was Jurgen Klinsmann.

 

He was his second time at the conference and two years ago he spoke on how he was rebuilding the German national team, with a cultural sensitivity and a clarity of exposition that makes me suspect that England have missed out on a potentially wonderful candidate to succeed Steve McClaren.

 

This year he was back, and gave a lecture which some hardened people in Brazilian football described as the best they had ever seen.

 

His subject was what he described as the fifth dimension in player development. The traditional four areas which footballers work on are technical, tactical, physical and psychological. Ignored, especially in a career where players start young and have little formal instruction, is personal development.

 

Klinsmann said he wished when he was a player he had received advice and input beyond 'run here or run there, score here or score there.'

 

The point he was making was in his view the coach has a responsibility to improve every individual player, including in their development off the field.

 

He gave one example with special resonance for the audience he was addressing. The vast majority of Brazilian players want to move abroad, he said.

 

So the coaches have a responsibility to prepare them for this experience, especially by stimulating the players to learn another language.

 

Klinsmann's advice is simple, practical - and grows more necessary by the day.

 

He says when he left his native Germany to join Inter Milan he was 'barely ready' - and he was 24 at the time.

 

Nowadays there are not many South American players prepared to wait so long for their dream move across the Atlantic. The global market is full of forces pulling the players to Europe before they are up to the challenge.

 

Their club might desperately need money in order to pay last month's salaries. Or the club may have already sold the player's registration to a consortium who are looking for a quick return on their investment. Then there is the agent eagerly anticipating his percentage of the deal.

 

And also to be factored into this is the anxiety of the player himself. Klinsmann stresses today's players are completely different from those of his generation, the principal reason being the pace of technological change.

 

When I arrived in Brazil in 1994, communication with friends in England took at least two weeks - one for a letter to make it across the Atlantic, one for the reply to travel back. Some 13 years later and there are people who consider e-mail too slow!

 

But there is a downside to this extraordinary progress. In a world of instant solutions the idea of 'process' can easily be lost. Instead of building a career step by step the youngster imagines himself scaling the heights right from the start, with all the lifestyle perks this entails.

 

From the point of the European club this is not too much of a problem. Because the player is young and unproven the fee is relatively low. If the gamble does not come off, then little has been lost and there are plenty more fish in the sea.

 

From the point of view of the player the terms of the gamble end up looking very different. This is the only career he has - if he is not sufficiently mature, if he fails to do himself justice, if he loses all momentum being loaned out or left on the bench or in the stands, he will never have that time again.

 

Given that players will surely continue to make early moves from the periphery to the centre of football's globalised economy, Klinsmann's advice is of great importance.

 

A player who is unable to communicate, he says, is like a flower that is unable to bloom. Equipped from the start with some language skills, South America's players will be better able to display their full tropical colours.

 

Q&A

I have been hearing good things about an Argentinean midfielder called Damian Escudero at Velez Sarsfield. I haven't had the opportunity to watch him play so just wondered if you could let me know how good you think he is, and what are the prospects of him moving to a big European team.

Shenif Najak, London

 

I think he's terrific, a left footed midfielder with drive, dynamism, technical ability and the capacity to get on the scoresheet.

 

I couldn't understand why Liverpool went with Sebastian Leto rather than Escudero if they were looking for a left sided midfielder from Argentina, because I see Escudero adapting better - on the field at least. He's only 20, so time is on his side, but he is a player who is surely bound for Europe.

 

Seeing as Anderson at Man Utd is currently playing so well, what are the chances of him getting back into the Brazil team soon?

 

He was touted as a second striker when he arrived at United, but is now playing in central midfield. He seems better going forward than the likes of Mineiro and Gilberto Silva, whilst still offering great protection for the defence, as seen at Liverpool and Arsenal recently.

Matt Tebbutt

 

I've gone on and on about this recently, but as this is one of my obsessions and I think it's important so I'll take the opportunity to go on some more.

 

Nowadays Brazil produces great players in all areas of the pitch bar central midfield - despite having a magnificent tradition in this position. No one of sane mind would choose Gilberto Silva and Mineiro in a world eleven.

 

I recently saw former Brazil coach Vanderley Luxemburgo argue that Brazilian football was prostituting its own characteristics by selecting runners and markers in central midfield where they used to select talent.

 

Yes, it does allow the full backs to push forward, but this can be predictable, and as some of the recent performances have shown, it can be a waste of Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho if the likes of Gilberto Silva are unable to circulate the ball with quality.

 

Now along comes Anderson, shining at Manchester United in a role that no one in Brazil anticipated him filling. Will Brazil be brave enough to use him in this position? It certainly seems worth a try.

 

I think coach Dunga is aware that he has a problem in this zone of the field - it's interesting that he voted for Pirlo of Italy in FIFA's player of the year election, because this is exactly the type of player Brazil have been lacking.

 

A while back he had a long look at the elegant Dudu Cearense of CSKA Moscow, but seemed to conclude, as the previous regime had done, that the player was uncomfortable with the defensive duties.

 

Hernanes of Sao Paulo is looking like a promising option, and with no competitive matches until June Dunga now has a wonderful chance to experiment - I think it would be a real missed opportunity if he doesn't test out Anderson in central midfield in the friendlies Brazil have lined up in the first half of 2008.

[fyds]

Bearing in mind Vickery also couldn't understand why we went for Lucas and said he'd flop here and had moved while way too young and he should have gone to Spain or Portugal, I don't take his views as gospel.

[disco_volante]

Don't think Vickery ever said that about Lucas. He always said that he was perfect for the prem, his only concern was that it might have been a year to early.

 

He always had concerns about Paletta and Leto settling in. It's stil early with Leto, but he really doesn't look convincing in either the reserves or when he's played in the first team.

[Cunny]

Don't think Vickery ever said that about Lucas. He always said that he was perfect for the prem, his only concern was that it might have been a year to early.

 

He always had concerns about Paletta and Leto settling in. It's stil early with Leto, but he really doesn't look convincing in either the reserves or when he's played in the first team.

 

 

Spot on Disco, that is exactly what he said.

He was spot on about Paletta.

Edited December 25, 2007 by Cunny

[fyds]

We have different recall, clearly!

 

Leto has been excellent for the ressies btw.

[Hassony]

We have different recall, clearly!

 

Leto has been excellent for the ressies btw.

 

good, just don't want to see him near the first team again this season

[Ombudsam]

Leto is another that doesn't really do anythiung when I see him

[disco_volante]

Even when Leto's played for the reserves he's not been that great when I've seen him. He's shown some nice touches and definetly has some skill, but he tries too hard to impress without being a team player.

[madaboutlfc]

We have different recall, clearly!

 

Leto has been excellent for the ressies btw.

youre definitely mistaken on that one.. Vickery has always maintained Lucas would be great signing and said with the midfield we have it would help lucas settling in as there would be minimal pressure.. The guy is a legend.. apart from Rafael Schiedt he has not got many signings wrong..

[floyd]

fyds, Vickery said in May, Lucas would be a good signing. The man does know his South American footy.

 

bbc

 

Who is Lucas Leiva? What is his true position? And based on a previous article about South American youngsters leaving too early, eg. Gabriel Paletta, is Lucas ready to come to the Premiership just yet?

Mark Williams, Leamington Spa (and many others)

 

These moves are always a gamble, but I think this is a good one.

 

He's an exciting player of a type that Brazilian football hasn't produced too many of recently. Of late their central midfielders have tended to be 'holders' who sit and allow the full-backs to push forward.

 

Lucas is different. He's a big, blonde figure whose power and physical strength comes with attacking ability.

 

He can pass well and loves to rumble forward. He gets on the scoresheet both with blistering shots from range and from bursting beyond the strikers.

 

You can certainly imagine him playing alongside Javier Mascherano, for example.

 

I don't have the same fears for him as I did with Paletta. He's had two full seasons behind him - one helping Gremio win promotion from the second division, and then last year's success when he was chosen as the player of the championship.

 

In a perfect world you might want him to stay another year before moving on, but (a) Gremio need to sell to balance the books and (b) with Liverpool's strength in depth in central midfield it looks as if his first campaign will be a bedding in season.

[Swipe]

Leto looks really slow and clumsy.

[Rimbeux]

What I like about Vickery is not so much his great knowledge of who's who, but ability too spot a player in terms of strengths and weaknesses