The good ones need about five months. We have long heard that patience in football is good. People shake their heads when a coach gets fired again. It happened 14 times in the Premier League last season, which was a record, and those who smoke often say the same. – We were in a transition period. – I needed more time. Which was fine before. But now you don’t have to wait so long. Football from heaven Ange Postecoglou has revolutionized Tottenham in three months. In June he was just a 58-year-old Australian who had coached a few teams in Asia, plus Scotland’s Celtic. Now he took over a team that had ended up in eighth place with crappy football, and lost its captain and top scorer, Harry Kane. The former coach, Antonio Conte, had berated the players before storming out the doors. Nobody expected that much. This would take time before Spurs were at the top. Two years? Maybe three? But already in the first league game, Tottenham were transformed. They attacked with energy and new ideas. It is said that new players need months to adapt to the team, but three of Tottenham’s signings, notably James Maddison, delivered from the start. RUIN: James Maddison and Tottenham have had an excellent start to the season. Photo: Kin Cheung / AP The team has had some luck, but after 10 league games the fans have to pinch themselves. Tottenham tops the table. Undefeated. They play football from the sky. That’s how quickly Postecoglou has shattered one of football’s great myths. Half a year is enough In the last two years, several coaches in the Premier League have delivered the goods at once. Roberto De Zerbi did not win any of his first five games with Brighton last year. But even then, everyone saw that the attacking game had become sharper, and five months later the team was unbeaten in seven games. Now he will be on the radar of teams such as Manchester City and Real Madrid. PRAISES: Roberto De Zerbi is getting much deserved praise for the work he is doing at Brighton. Photo: MOLLY DARLINGTON / Reuters Last season Unai Emery needed six months before Aston Villa had gone from the bottom half to the fight for a place in the European Cups. They are now four points away from the top. We can bring in a fourth manager, Eddie Howe, who lifted Newcastle from second-to-last place to mid-table in six months in 2021-22. It takes some time, but if you compare it to various three-year plans, it is an overnight success. If a club functions as it should, you can say that the coach should get, like, five months. Who said they need so much time? Take it to the bathroom, Fergie If anyone deserves the blame, it’s Alex Ferguson. The Scot took more than six years to win his first league title with Manchester United. One fan held up a banner that read: “3 YEARS OF EXCUSES AND IT’S STILL CRAP. TAKE RA FERGIE”. So something like: We are tired of all the excuses. Wear it in the bathroom. And then Ferguson gave the fans 13 league titles in 20 years. TOOK TIME: Sir Alex Ferguson did not get off to a dream start at United, but the United board’s patience paid off. Photo: ADAM BUTLER / AP Fergie has become an example of why coaches must be given time. And it was true for him, because he had so much to do. As a manager, he had to train the team and bring in players. At United, he had to get rid of a drunken culture, throw out the troublemakers and bring in new faces. But this was the 80s. Bad trainer? Zero problem Today, the stars don’t down 12 beers in the pub after the match. The players are recruited by a sports director, who together with the owner decides what style the team should have. Then he finds a trainer who fits that style. These two share the responsibility that previously lay with the manager. If the coach fails, the club can find a new coach without replacing half the team. Brighton in particular knows this well. If this structure works as it should, the trainer should be able to deliver quickly. De Zerbi found players who suited his style. Postecoglou had a bigger job, but there was enough talent to build a strong team. Howe had more to do, but Newcastle had just brought in a director (Dan Ashworth) and owners (Saudi Arabia’s investment fund) who brought in a lot of good players in a short space of time. So when should owners actually be patient? The long-term projects Based on the last few years, two types of cases can be identified. If the players are actually miserable, it takes time to build a new stable, unless you are very rich. This has been true under Liverpool with Jürgen Klopp and Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, but here the responsibility lies as much with those who are actually behind the purchases. Something similar can be said about Pep Guardiola at City, who needed a year – and 12 signings – before winning the league. But even with these three, we saw clear tactical changes within a couple of weeks. MAKING HIS MARK: It didn’t take long for Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool to change style. Photo: IAN KINGTON / AFP Another exception is if the club wants to switch from a defensive to an offensive style of play. When Brighton hired Graham Potter in 2018, they asked him to create a high-pressing, high-possession team. It took Potter three years to fix the steak. As soon as the foundations were laid, De Zerbi was able to succeed within four months. Gale Roman Thus, it is natural that rich clubs change coaches as soon as they struggle. Roman Abramovich had 13 of them while he owned Chelsea from 2003 to 2022. Some said he was crazy, but the club had brilliant players who gave all the coaches the chance to deliver quickly. Only City won more league titles than Chelsea during this period. José Mourinho took 95 points with Chelsea in his first season. Antonio Conte lifted the team from 10th place to the title in one go. Roberto Di Matteo won the Champions League three months after taking the job. Thomas Tuchel needed five months. CHELSEA-JOSÉ: José Mourinho really put his name on the starry sky when he took over Chelsea and took 95 points in his first season. Photo: EDDIE KEOGH / Reuters Something similar is happening at the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everyone knows they have big stars who will play entertaining football. If something is wrong, the chances are high that it is about the trainer. Only if the stable has been rotten under several coaches in a row, maybe it is the sports director or the president who has to go. Ten years on the loose This takes us back to Manchester United, who have been on the loose for 10 years. There is no sporting strategy that creates continuity. Although they have a sporting director, they are closer to the old managerial model, where everything rests on the coach. And patience is important. After all, this is what worked under Ferguson. But since every coach is different, each of them brings in their players. And every time someone gets sacked, United have to start all over again. This is how United has become a strange mix of a rich club with a weak team. It reflects the difference between them and trick teams. Before, the coach was the core of the club. Now smart clubs are built around the coach. The better it is run, the easier it is to change coaches. And the quicker you can expect success.
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He has smashed one of football’s biggest myths – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
