Play it again and again and again and again, Gord
Pedro uses Mourinho’s piano line to pinpoint where Strach went wrong Murray’s lost gloving feeling
IT was a famous quote from Jose Mourinho about pianists that struck a chord with Pedro Caixinha when asked about Scotland’s problems.
“A great pianist doesn’t run around the piano or do push-ups with his fingers,” said Mourinho when speaking at a coaching seminar in 2005.
“To be great he plays the piano. He plays all his life and to be a great footballer it’s not about running, doing push-ups or physical work.
“The best way to become a great player is to play football.”
It is why Rangers boss Caixinha doesn’t agree with Gordon Strachan’s claim that 20 years of failure for Scotland is partly down to a genetic disadvantage compared to other nations.
The weather maybe. But not physicality. Caixinha was speaking as European champions Portugal clinched a place at the World Cup with victory over Switzerland.
Scotland can only dream of such success after the 2-2 draw in Slovenia ended our Russia 2018 play-off hopes.
Strachan claimed afterwards the nation’s players can compete technically but are lacking in “height and strength”.
Caixinha though believes it’s a new footballing vision that is needed to end decades of decline.
He said: “I respect the opinion about the genetics but I cannot agree. Even more so if you compare it with the Spaniards because the players are the same height.
“In handball the players are higher. The same in volleyball. And definitely in basketball.
“Ronaldo is tall but Messi is not. Both are the best players in the world and you have two different types. Of course physicality is important, it is, but it is not the most important point.
“Is it about football intelligence? Totally. Jose Mourinho said something interesting when he tried to explain tactical periodisation. Did you ever see a pianist getting skill from running around a piano?
“He needs 10,000 hours to become an expert. But not from running around it. From touching the keys. Again and again. That is the reality.
“The weather may have something to do with it. In Portugal we can play on the street even in winter. So the ball is with us for more time to develop that skill.
“We can get on the beach and do it without shoes. If you don’t get it on the streets, where can you get it? You need to get it.
“But I don’t think Scottish players are behind technically. We have some good technical players, one of the best Scottish ones is Graham Dorrans.
“I don’t know the process but it is a shame because I would like to see Scotland at a major finals.”
Caixinha used his own nation’s rise to the top as an MURRAY DAVIDSON’S glove affair is well and truly over.
For years the St Johnstone midfielder begged for a chance between the sticks and finally got his wish during the last 20 minutes of Dave Mackay’s testimonial against Dundee last Friday.
Davidson lost two goals in a 5-3 defeat though and said: “I’ve been at the coaching staff for years to give me a shot in goals during training example of what can be achieved if the right foundations are put in place. After Eusebio helped inspire Portugal to third spot in 1966, they endured a 20-year World Cup absence until Mexico.
Andy Roxburgh famously spoke of the night a team died when Scotland were annihilated 5-0 in Lisbon in a USA 94 qualifier.
Despite their emphatic win Portugal also missed out and afterwards then boss Carlos Queiroz warned the Portuguese federation to “clean up the mess”.
Caixinha credits Queiroz for much of the success at grassroots level and believes the SFA could benefit from a similar approach. He said: “Twenty years is a long time so something needs to be thought about or redone. You could have a vision, for example, to say we need to be in Qatar in 2022.
“So what we do in this four-year cycle is to start preparing from now. It is not up to me to so when the testimonial came around I jokingly said, ‘I could get a runout then.’
“Tommy Wright said, ‘Have a haircut and a shave and you can play for 20 minutes.’
“Big Fraser Wright ran on and told me he was going to keep passing it back to me. I said to him, ‘No Fraser, don’t do that whatever you do!’
“The goalkeepers here have nothing to worry about from me.” do it. But if they called the coaches involved in local football to get an opinion I’ve no problem with that.
“I don’t know the structure or the system in Scotland, as you realise after just six months at such a massive club.
“I am from Portugal so that is why I know what happened there. It started a long time ago with Carlos from the youngest levels where he changed all the bases, the competitions and the mentality of our approach for young footballers.
“The methodology changed drastically and what we preach is not if we should be faster, stronger or quicker but how the boys understand the game and what decisions to make in matches.
“Carlos has put that in place and put our boys one step ahead. He’s done a tactical presentation where it says tactical dimensions are the most important and the psychological side is also complementary to all this.
“So the national team has been growing and growing because of the trophies we have won and they are getting more money from sponsors.
“Then you can develop and place your players in the best competitions in the world, give them the best facilities for training and having the best player in the world also helps. It is all part of one process, one work, one methodology and one vision to get to this moment.
“After that we had that fantastic group of players, the golden age of Portuguese football with the likes of Luis Figo and Rui Costa, who played in huge teams.
“So these players brought this mentality to the national team and that spread. So when the new methodology and system allowed us to create better players they were also coming in with this new mentality.”
GAVIN BERRY