Gary Curneen - The Modern Soccer Coach 2014: A Four Dimensional Approach

by Gary Curneen

[ Smashwords E dition]

* * * * *

Published in 201 3 byBennion Kearny Limited.

Copyright Bennion Kearny Ltd 2013

GaryCurneen has asserted his rightunder the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identifiedas the author of this book.

ISBN:978-1-909125-56-8

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of thepublisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition thatit shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hiredout or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consentin any form of binding or cover other than that it which it ispublished and without a similar condition including this conditionbeing imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Bennion Kearny has endeavoured to providetrademark information about all the companies and productsmentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However,Bennion Kearny cannot guarantee the accuracy of thisinformation.

Published by Bennion Kearny Limited
6 Woodside
Churnet View Road
Oakamoor
Staffordshire
ST10 3AE

www.BennionKearny.com

Cover image: Shutterstock/Monkik
Inside images (as marked): Academy Soccer Coach

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it,or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returnto Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespecting the author's work.

* * * * *

* * * * *

To Mum and Dad You haveallowed me to dream and encouraged me to follow them. You havegiven me everything you could, and more than I could ever haveasked for.

To Angie The best sister whois always just a phone call away.

To my wife Erin - Without yourencouragement and love this book could not have been written.

* * * * *

I have been involved in the game for over fortyyears as a player, coach, analyst, commentator and, mostimportantly, as a fan. The changes I have witnessed in footballhave been phenomenal on every level. However, as complex as thegame is today, you cannot simply rely on one area of the game ifyou want to be successful at the highest level. Football coachingmust take every aspect of the game into consideration. Myexperiences as a player in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups taught methe value of preparation. We did not have the big names of France,Spain, or Brazil, but we knew our strengths and embraced them.Belief and organization are paramount to winning any football matchat World Cup level especially against the top teams in theworld.

The game today is pure entertainment. Watching aChampions League game and seeing how players retain possession ofthe ball for long periods, then utilize their speed and firepowerin attack, is so pleasing on the eye. It is easy to put the successdown to skill alone but it takes more than that. Being technicallysuperior to your opponents does not simply award you the right towin every time you step on the field. Spain were a technicallybetter team than Northern Ireland in 1982 but it was in thepsychological department where they had problems. They found itdifficult to cope with the pressure of being strong favorites towin the World Cup. Also it was the first time they came up againsta team so stubborn and well organized as we were. This frustrationaffected them greatly and we took advantage of that.

Do not let theskills and abilities of the Barcelona team today mislead you andclassify them as a team who rely solely on technique. Under PepGuardiola, they took football to another dimension in everydepartment of the game. Of course, Messi was, and still is, at theforefront of this revolutionary style of play, but the team is onlyas strong as its weakest link. They play from the back, keeppossession better than anyone else, and create one goalscoringopportunity after another. However, it is only possible because ofthe quality and mentality of Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Alves, Piqu,etc. The tiki-taka style celebrates hard work over anything elseand you can tell this by how quickly they win the ball back; theyalmost starve the opposition of the ball. Most games I watched sawthem have 70 per cent plus possession and their belief in theirstyle gave them great confidence. They kept winning. Hard work,organization, belief, and confidence in each other allows Messi toflourish every week at the Nou Camp.

Training programs in La Liga have changeddrastically since I was a player and are the main reason for theadvancements in the speed, power, and skill that you see today. Inmy first preseason, with Real Mallorca, we did a running session ona golf course at 6.30am, followed by a weights session at 10.30amand then a third session at 7pm at the stadium incorporating ballwork. Im not sure many teams train like that today! Everything atthe top clubs in modern football is geared towards maximizing thepotential of the players in every aspect so we have seen the barhas been lifted on the coaching side too.

When Gary approached me about this book, I wasvery intrigued. I have known Gary and his father Sean for overtwenty years, since the days of my Soccer School in Omagh, NorthernIreland, and have followed his path as a coach with keen interest.I meet a lot of people from all over the world who watch Spanishfootball and ask questions regarding transfer targets and who willbe the next big player to burst onto the scene. When I talk to Garyhowever, the conversation always takes a slightly different path.He is keen to discuss European coaches and what makes them tick,wanting to know how the man-management is different, their approachto training, how they deal with the pressure from the press, andwhere I see the new developments in the game. His passion for thegame is second to none and you can see he is always looking to addto his knowledge of the game, which successful coaches have todo.

Of course, realizing the game is differentnowadays is one thing, but embracing it is quite another. A lot ofmy old teammates talk about the good old days when we played and,of course, I look back with fond memories. However, beingsuccessful today is about embracing all the new facets of the game.It is such an exciting time for football all over the world.National teams are improving, European competitions are becomingmore competitive, and we are blessed with exciting new talentsalmost every season. Most importantly, however, is how coaches aredealing with this change. We have seen a new brand of coach at thetop of European clubs. These coaches may be leading the way, but weneed a new group of trailblazers. I urge any young coach who isambitious in succeeding in this game to follow their lead. Byinvestigating new methods, studying the best coaches, andexperimenting with new sessions and exercises that can help developplayers and teams alike. Garys new book is a terrific guide on howto think and act if you want to be successful in the modern game. Ihighly recommend it and hope you enjoy both reading it and puttingthe ideas into practice with your team.

Gerry Armstrong

* * * * *