HARD WORK IS A TALENT, DON’T WASTE IT

THERE IS a vast chasm between playing and coaching. Often, because a footballer was a great performer during his playing days, it is assumed he will make a great coach. It’s not always the case. The two disciplines require a vastly different set of skills. Yes, the experience and knowledge of the player will be important, but it won’t simply translate into instant coaching success: for every Zinedine Zidane, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, there’s also a host of top names who have failed to make the grade, like Diego Maradona, Hristo Stoichkov or Edgar Davids.

I was painfully reminded of this because of Thierry Henry’s struggles at French club Monaco. After a

4-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the European Champions League last Tuesday, the former Arsenal star has been handed a cruel lesson in just how difficult the switch from player to coach/manager can be. He has been in charge for five games – three defeats and two draws – and there appears to be no light at the end of this rather dark tunnel for Henry. To be fair, Monaco have probably been the architects of their own demise after selling off players like Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar. But, since taking charge, Henry has hardly managed to improve the team in any way.

As a player, you are focused on yourself and contributing to the success of the team. So you work on your skill level, your stamina and conditioning, and in developing an understanding with your teammates; everything else is secondary. And then, when embarking on a coaching career, you suddenly realise that there is just so much more to the sport of football. The focus is no longer inward; you realise it requires a great deal more: monitoring every single individual, both on and off the field; noticing changes which could affect the team; the endless planning and preparation; the constant tactical thinking and scheming; the sleepless