THE ART OF
Where will cutting edge gaffers lead the game to?
MOST have long forgotten the game, let alone the moment, but John O’Shea hasn’t.
That’s because of something that happened when he got back to the Ireland dressing room in the Aviva Stadium.
It’s a long time ago now, so long ago that James McClean — now retired with 103 caps — made his first appearance in the green shirt.
McClean came on as a sub for Aiden McGeady in that 1-1 friendly draw with the Czech Republic on February 29, 2012.
O’Shea remembers that game because of a moment at the break. Giovanni Trapattoni was the Ireland manager then and he beckoned the Waterford man to one side for a word in his ear.
The reason? Something that happened midway through the first half.
Darren O’Dea had played a back pass to Shay Given, and the Donegal man was blocked down by Milan Baros as he attempted to move the ball on.
This meant that Given had to rush his clearance second time around.
The consensus among those in the Aviva Stadium that night was that Given had been sloppy. Trapattoni knew otherwise.
He called O’Shea over and pointed out that he’d turned his back to Given when the ball was played back to the goalkeeper.
O’Shea was the only possible out ball, so that had made life difficult for Given.
It was one of the little details that Trapattoni used to mention so often — and he didn’t see the big picture by accident.
Alan Kelly was nominally Ireland’s goalkeeping coach in that era but the reality was that his role was much broader.
During games, Kelly had a handheld device with two buttons — one with a plus symbol, one with a minus one.
When Ireland did something well, the plus sign was pressed. When they messed up, he’d hit the minus button.
Process
That set in train a process where a short video clip of the particular incident was isolated and then forwarded on to one of the two iPads that Kelly kept with him in the dug-out.
That’s how something like O’Shea’s mistake against the Czechs was quickly highlighted — and remedial action could be taken.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Trapattoni taking the reins at AC Milan — his first job in management.
So he was managing in 1974, when the likes of Bill Shankly and Don Revie were still to the fore. A year when Jack Charlton was leading Middlesbrough to promotion to the old First Division.
Trapattoni cut his teeth and went on to excel in a world where computers seemed like a sci-fi dream, so nobody was thinking of the difference iPads would make down the road...
But he was smart enough to understand that the game changes and evolves, and it’s important to keep on top of developments.
It looks likely that Liverpool’s next manager will be Ruben Amorim, the current Sporting Lisbon boss.
At 39, he would be the club’s youngest leader since Kenny Dalglish was appointed player-manager at 34 in 1985.
By all accounts, Amorim is a cerebral and attack-minded coach, favouring a 5-2-3 formation.
Liverpool hoovered up trophies in the 1970s and 1980s with a regimented 4-4-2.
What would Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Dalglish make of Amorim?
Paisley won more silverware than anyone, but he was an inarticulate man who struggled to give even rudimentary team talks.
Incredible
His main strength was his incredible eye for a player. Liverpool ruled Europe by recruiting players from unfashionable outposts of the game like Home Farm, Partick Thistle, Chester City and Wrexham.
Paisley rarely used subs, let alone rotated. He picked his best players in their best positions and told them to get on with it.
Mikel Arteta will become the youngest manager to win the Premier League if he takes Arsenal all the way.
He will be 42 years and 54 days old on the final day of the season, 40 days younger than Jose Mourinho when he took Chelsea to the summit in 2005.
Two Arsenal managers have won the title in the last 50 years — George Graham and Arsene Wenger.
And there are elements of both Graham and Wenger in Arteta.
Liam Brady worked in youth development for years when Wenger was in charge.
And he told of how sometimes he wouldn’t be sure about a talented but erratic young footballer.
“I’ve spoken to Arsene about the most gifted players and I say ‘he’s good Arsene, but he’s a bit troublesome’,’’ said Brady.
“And he says, ‘Liam, all the best players are troublesome’.”
Long before Wenger pitched up in north London, a chant used to reverberate around Highbury, a chant that became very familiar during George Graham’s time as manager when Arsenal twice became champions.
‘1-0 to the Arsenal!’ It summed up what set that Gunners’ team apart.
The emphasis was on solidity and hitting opponents on the break.
But, above all, their character and resilience won them plenty of trophies
Graham’s watch.
Arteta’s Arsenal have shown plenty of character — and their steel in the two games against City can’t be overlooked. on
Different
And Arteta, at different times, has got plenty out of players who some might consider troublesome.
Arsenal’s first great manager was Herbert Chapman.
He won two Leagues and an FA Cup with Huddersfield Town, and did the exact same with the Gunners in the 1930s.
Chapman built at Arsenal what would be acknowledged as one of the first great teams of English club football.
And he was one of the true innovators. Chapman came up with the WM formation — which is still at the core of most modern systems.
Training methods were distinctive and he brought in physiotherapists — something unheard of in the game.
There were other innovations that came from Chapman — the use of numbered shirts certainly worked out.
His Arsenal team were only getting into their stride when
Chapman died of pneumonia at just 55 in 1934.
But, 90 years on, the hunger for innovation is still part of the fabric of the game.
Who knows where the successors to
Jurgen
Klopp and
Pep
Guardiola will take this game to?
‘This year marks 50 years since Trap took over Milan’