The Importance of Being 'The Man’

Football is a fascinating game, a collection of different individual personalities and abilities put together in order to produce a cohesive and strong ‘team’. The role of a coach is often to persuade this group to play as ‘one’, to sacrifice their ‘self’ for the good of the team. The lesson through football, as with any team sport is that this ‘self-sacrifice’ and ‘selflessness’ are the hallmarks of successful teams. However, there will always be a star player, that special someone in which a coach relies or whom the tactics and strategy are built around. The dilemma and problem for the coach is whether they can find the necessary balance to weigh the importance of that individual with the rest of the team. This summer transfer activity has seen this problem surface, and history has proven that this is the most important situation for a coach to deal with.

Phil Jackson, the legendary coach of the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers commented on his star player Kobe Bryant’s role in the side, and the issue surrounding his teammates, he said ‘Everyone wants to be Kobe, but there can only be one Kobe in the side’. What he meant by this is that many players have the potential to be the ‘star’ in the side, however a coach must make a decision in whom he sees as his leading man, a decision which will dictate the teams style and tactics. 

From this decision the ‘supporting cast’ must acquiesce to the star and the team in order to be successful, meaning that they must resist the feelings of envy from their bruised ego and sacrifice themselves for the good of the team. Some players are naturally team players who are happy to play for the team, yet there are some who see themselves as the key player, when perhaps their coach doesn't. This is where issues can arise.

If a coach can convince a group of players to give their self to the team, to accept they must work for the team, instead of the team working for them, then they can be successful. Jackson won 11 championships in his time as coach with the Bulls and Lakers, an incredible feat. His success came from turning individuals into a team, ‘sacrificing the me for we’. The world of football is the same. 

In the past twenty five years we have seen the importance of teamwork, of individuals working for the good of the team produce great success. Sacchi’s Milan, van Gaal’s Ajax, Juve in the late 90's, Man United’s treble winning side in 1999 and 2006-2009 side, Mourinho’s Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan teams, Barcelona under Rijkaard and then Guardiola and Bayern under Heynckes and Dortmund under Klopp. All these sides were great winners, all possessed great individuals, and yet importantly they had coaches who convinced and persuaded their players to play for the team. 

And in each case these sides had a key player in whom the team relied and profited from. The coach’s value was in finding this player or players in which the team could be built around. For instance, the Dutch trio of Gullit, van Basten and Rijkaard at Milan, Rijkaard once more at Ajax, Zidane for Juve and France in the late 90’s, Scholes and later Ronaldo at United, Deco, Lampard and Sneijder under Mourinho, Ronaldinho and then Messi for Barcelona, Robben/Ribery for Bayern and Gotze/Lewandowki for Dortmund. 

These players have been made to be the ‘key’ player in the tactical setup of their sides, the one who perhaps can be said to be the ‘free role’ or creative spark in the side. Other coaches may have seen it differently, may have asked these players to sacrifice more for the team rather than have them be the key piece of the side. It may well have influenced how far these players excelled. 

The point to this opening is, that a coach has to make a choice as to who will be their key player, and must then seek to mould the side around this player. This is a very difficult challenge for a coach.

Decisions, decisions

Normally when there is a clear stand out player in a side the coach realises that it is this player who must be the key to the side. However, at the top levels of the game, the top sides are proving to have a plethora of talent at their disposal, with several players viable candidates to be the key player in the system. 

Real Madrid and Barcelona are two obvious examples of sides who have such an array of talent that the coach may struggle to find the balance required to bring success. Ancelotti proved last season that he could find this and Madrid conquered Europe. His ability to mould the side around Ronaldo and Bale was fundamental to the sides attacking capabilities, yet his most important role was in convincing Angel Di Maria to play ‘for’ the team and be the energy in the midfield in order to provide the cover and support to the ‘stars’. While it was something of a selfless role for the player seen as an inverted winger, Di Maria excelled and while the team was not about him, his contribution was noted (as will come on to soon). 

However, with the signing of James and Kroos Madrid look to have been guilty of previous poor decisions by bringing in players who have become accustomed to being the ‘key’ players in their previous sides. James for both Monaco and notably Colombia in the World Cup had the team built around him, in which he excelled. Bayern and Germany’s tactical set up was/is suited perfectly to Kroos and his ability to control the tempo and build the play. Ancelotti therefore has players used to be the leading star in the side, now with the issue of being the supporting cast. 

This is a common problem for top coaches, especially those who are new to a team or who have an owner who brings in players against their wishes. Barcelona have the same issue, recurrent for some years now. In Lionel Messi Barca have the best player in the world, no doubt about it. Yet even he cannot do it on his own (although at times it looks like he could). Under Guardiola Barca found a perfect balance in the side, Messi was the key, yet around him were a supporting cast who provided a great balance; Henry and Eto’o and then Villa and Pedro. In between was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a man not accustomed to acquiescing to anyone. Zlatan thrives when he is the main man, a role not provided him at Barca. This led to conflict and issues. This was a perfect case of the issue of a big signings and a big ego affecting the side. After moving to PSG Zlatan has the team suited to his every need, and because of this he has shown his talent once more. Simply put, in order to see the best of a player, many need the team to be about them. 

A summer of big buys and big ego's

And this bring us to the transfers of this summer. And there is no better place to start than Mario Balotteli. Of all the ego’s in football, Balotelli is perhaps the most volatile and delicate. When it is going well he looks ‘unplayable’, skilful, strong and ruthless in his play. Balotelli can look a world class player when he wishes. Yet too often he loses focus, or emotional control, and lets himself and the team down. 

While at Man City he struggled because he was not accustomed or willing to be ‘part’ of the team, often being sub and coming on later in games. Yet he wished to be the leading man. However his coach at the time Mancini saw Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero to be his key players. It was these who excelled while Mario complained. But we've seen that when Balotelli is given the leading light, you see a happier man and a top class player. 

It is all about ego’s and coaches decisions. Yaya Toure is a great example of a player who looked 'good' at Barca while playing ‘for’ the team, yet became ‘the most complete midfielder in the world’ while at Man City, all because a coach makes a choice in whom he wishes to provide the platform to be ‘the man’. 

Back to Mario and Brendan Rodgers has a choice to make. Luis Suarez was unquestionably the leading star at Liverpool and the team worked around his talent, accepting his often frustrating moments for his brilliance. Yet will Balotelli be given this kind of freedom? If so he could be great. Yet will we see a dip in the quality of those around him? Will Sturridge and Sterling be better for Balotelli’s influence? Rodgers has a big decision to make because Mario is not an easy player to work with both for players and the coach, and Sturridge has shown what happens when he is given a chance to ‘shine’, instead of playing the supporting, back-up role while at Chelsea. 

And talking of Chelsea, there is no doubt that Diego Costa will shine for Mourinho like Drogba did because his coach sees in this type of player a perfect forward. Others, like Guardiola wouldn’t see or value this as much. In fact Costa’s rise these past few seasons has come because of the most important facets in the game, and life in general; timing and opportunity. 

Diego Simeone’s personality and philosophy was perfect for Costa, yet so too was the transfer of Falcao to Monaco as it opened up the need for a new ‘star’. Costa may never have reached these levels had been playing for a different coach or under another forward. 

His new teammate Cesc Fabregas is the same; a player who became Arsenal’s star man was afforded the freedom and responsibility in his time under Wenger which allowed him to become one of Europe’s finest attacking midfielders. Yet at Barcelona he struggled with being a supporting member of the Lionel Messi/Iniesta tactical setup. While he still provided excellent stats he never looked the same player. Already at Chelsea he looks to be that same Cesc from Arsenal once more, clearly being given a more leading role in the side, in which he is excelling. 

However, while these two new editions may help Chelsea win serious silverware this season, it may reduce the development of Eden Hazard, who while at Lille was given the freedom to express, is under Mourinho having to do more for the team. He may be one of those players who had the potential to become one of the world’s best, yet was let down by timing and opportunity.

Playing second is not for some

Ultimately it appears that some players just aren’t accustomed to being second, or being a supporting member, some players thrive and excel only when the team is about them. This is not a criticism, in fact the only way to be a world class player (especially in forward positions) is when the team centres around these key players. Which means that Luis Enrique has perhaps the hardest job in Europe; finding a way to bring out best in Suarez, Neymar and Iniesta behind the dominance of Lionel Messi. 

Suarez has shown that when the team revolves around him he can be a genuine world class player, yet we have not seen how he does when he plays for another. Neymar looks superb when he dominates a team; both at Santos and Brasil, and looked extra special when Messi was injured last season. Yet when he and Messi play together, Neymar looks poor, is it possible that he cannot show his best while being a supporting cast member? This is no criticism to him, these type of players are made to be the ‘stars’, yet as the top sides begin to bring in more and more of the games top players, it is conceivable that we will see less of their quality on show. 

The Galactico’s project of Florentino Perez a decade ago at Real Madrid was effectively a disaster, mainly because it became a collection of individuals over a cohesive team. Too many ‘stars’ in a side meant that there were few working for each other, only for theirselves. It meant a period of decadence for Madrid. At the same time Barcelona were excelling under the talent of Ronaldinho, who was given the freedom of the side to showcase his talent, while behind him there was a team who worked for him. The result was a change in fortunes for Spain’s top two sides and Ronaldinho became the world’s best player.

In the modern game Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the ‘best player’ awards because they have been part of team’s for almost six-eight years where their coach has built the side around them. Had Ferguson landed either Robben or Ronaldinho before he settled on Ronaldo we may have seen Ronaldo’s career trajectory taken a similar direction to the once highly regarded Ricardo Quaresma. Had Carlos Queiroz not been assistant at United, had his season at Madrid not been a failure, perhaps Ronaldo may not have become the player he is. 

It is these small margins, these moments of ‘fate’ which appear to determine a player and coaches pathway. These moments of opportunity which can see a perfect alignment for a player to excel. Yet these moments must be taken and embraced, if they are ignored or worse still, wasted, then a player may not get the chance to reach their potential.

Tactics, strategies and freedom have been afforded to players across the history and football and sports, and while some have excelled because of this, these decisions perhaps haven’t allowed others to reach the heights they could have. This is an inevitability of the game, one which happens at youth levels both in recruitment and coaching.

Ultimately a coach must decide who will be his ‘Kobe’ and make sure the others understand and accept this, if it works then it has proven to bring success, however if ego’s can affect the balance and harmony it is here when we see failure and issues arise. 

The road to becoming a world class player, from youth all the way to club and international success, is dependent on that key and often random element of ‘luck’. One man’s Messi may be another man’s Drogba, and while both have excelled under different coaches and philosophies, it is conceivable that the wrong timing may reduced their ability to rise to the top of the footballing world.

This season will be interesting to see what happens to many players who have moved clubs. Will Luis Suarez suffer from the ‘curse of Messi’? Will James Rodriquez take the same path as Isco and fail to reach his own potential. Mario Balotelli may excel at Liverpool but will it cost the progress of Sturridge and Sterling? And while Fabregas and Costa will thrive under Mourinho it may be that Hazard and Schurrle fail to reach their own potential at the same time. 

And finally, with Angel Di Maria arriving at Manchester United it is possible that because of the vast sum it has taken to bring him in, he will be considered their key player, their new Ronaldo. Last season he was playing the supporting role, yet he may now have a chance to reach new levels because of the opportunity his new club and coach will provide. If he grasps this chance it is more than possible that in a year’s time Di Maria will be seen as a serious contender as one of the world’s best; he may well benefit once more thanks to those key ingredients of greatness; timing and opportunity. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

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