The undying role of a coach in the beautiful game

“Parker's a young kid, pretty good on the sax. Gets up to play at a cutting session, and he messes it up. And Jones nearly decapitates him for it. And he's laughed off-stage. Cries himself to sleep that night, but the next morning, what does he do? He practices. And he practices and he practices with one goal in mind, never to be laughed at again. And a year later, he goes back to the Reno and he steps up on that stage and plays the best solo the world has ever heard. So imagine if Jones had just said, "Well, that's okay, Charlie. That was all right. Good job." And then Charlie thinks to himself, "Well, I did do a pretty good job." End of story. No Bird. That, to me, is an absolute tragedy. But that's just what the world wants now.” – Whiplash

Whiplash. A movie about a promising young drummer performing his heart out to get into the good books of his professor. Terrence Fletcher portrayed by J.K Simmons was one of the most constructive yet most dismissive of the movie characters that we will ever witness. The instructor had no mercy for the students, treating them with utter ruthlessness, in an attempt to bring forth their full potential. One of Fletcher’s students Andrew Neiman was an aspiring drummer. Success is what Andrew Neiman craved, success is what Fletcher demanded. Fletcher demanded something more than success. He demanded utter perfection at any cost. Time, health, emotions, well-being, Fletcher took nothing into consideration. A really unorthodox method of dealing with students but it brought perfection nonetheless.

What strikes out in the movie are the lines mentioned at the top. Just a piece of conversation between the student and the teacher about the success story of legendary American saxophonist Charlie Parker. The words recount the incident of drummer Jo Jones throwing a cymbal at a young Charlie Parker for a simple mistake. Although Parker failed that day, he put his heart and soul into perfecting the instrument. Sometimes, tough words are the catalyst to success. A coach is not only a person who teaches something but he is a person who criticizes. A coach would put you through situations which are adverse, sometimes say things that we don’t appreciate and sometimes go against our will. For the strong poignant message that Whiplash delivered to the world, the Academy nominated it for the Best Motion Picture of the Year. The teacher or coach who was J.K Simmons won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

J.K Simmons executed the role to near perfection. A role of a teacher who debilitated his students but the stalwarts who progressed saw nothing but perfection. What about those who perform this role in real life? Day-in-day-out, face the media with a smile, remain at the sidelines on a cold night, whether it be at Stoke, or Madrid or among the 100,000 at the Camp Nou. These people are the ones who write the script to the game we all watch. They decide the cast, their screen-time, the tempo of the script and ultimately the climax as well. It might seem an easy task to put a suit on and get paid for sitting at the sidelines. The coaching job is much tougher than one could possibly imagine. It is ultimately the coach’s failure if the signings don’t perform well. It is his job to maintain a calm atmosphere inside the dressing room. A coach has to deal with several types of egos. At the end of the day, the result does matter but to achieve results is easier said than done.

It doesn’t matter whether one is taking up the reigns at a top class club or a second division club. The pressure of the position remains the same. If you are appointed at the helm of the Theatre of Dreams, then it’s your responsibility to continue the legacy that Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson built. The pressure that Jose Mourinho is facing is inexplicable. If one was to stay in that position it would be felt. Jose’s United isn’t necessarily bad but it is definitely cannot be labeled as a top-class team. But is Jose the only one at fault? In the eyes of the media, of many supporters, it is. A second division club is entirely different. Putting into perspective Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United, the club was relegated from the top flight just weeks after his appointment. The amount of rebuilding that Rafa Benitez has applied to the team remains unknown.

The pressure of history is one phenomenon, the trophy drought is another. Traveling to Germany, there is only one club that has been winning for the past half a decade. But for them, European success has been the missing piece of the jigsaw. And even for the great Bayern Munich who have dominated the league, Niko Kovac isn’t able to get his tactics right in what was expected to become a one-horse race. On the other hand, Lucien Favre’s appointment has so far done wonders for Dortmund. Isn’t it the players who perform? The players are the performers but if players alone decided the game, then why is Munich struggling. Comparing the squads of Bayern and Dortmund, certainly, Paco, Reus, and Witsel are not on the same level as Lewandowski, Ribery and James Rodriguez. While Niko Kovac is finding it hard to cope with the pressure of league history, Lucien Favre is keeping his cool while dealing with the trophy drought of Dortmund.

That is the magic of coaching. Even a balanced team can perform better under a good coach than a top class team under an average coach. There is a delusion that coaches with world class players at disposal are more advantageous than ones with average players. Turning the clock back to the FIFA World Cup 2018, let us take a peek at two teams in group D, Argentina, and Croatia. The squad superiority will shift heavily towards Argentina. Why won’t it be, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Ever Banega all are world class players while Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are the only players of such high stature in Croatia. Still, what happened when they faced off? Croatia humbled Argentina, outplayed them. Considering the match-up, Lionel Messi should destroy any defense, but it won’t be. Jorge Sampaoli’s system was completely meaningless. He shifted to a 5-0-5 formation towards the middle of the second half. A team without midfield is just a body without a heart.

The important point is all Argentinians including Otamendi, Tagliafico, Federico Fazio and Dybala are great performers for their respective clubs. It tells that the system they were playing in was the root of the problems. Tiki-taka is great if used to perfection. FC Barcelona played tiki-taka and their brand of football has become unmatchable. Spain tried to do the same, what did they gain? They just passed around sideways, backward, for the sake of passing. Where were the attacks? No one knows except Fernando Hierro. Spain was rightly punished by Russia in the R16 at the World Cup.

The most dangerous manager player duo: Pep Guardiola and Leo Messi

No players are world class from the beginning. A good player with potential at the hand of the right coach becomes a world-class player. Who was Sergio Busquets before 2008? A third division player at best. Pep Guardiola promoted him in the FC Barcelona first team. The unknown went on to form the deadliest midfield trio of all time along with Xavi and Iniesta. And today Sergio Busquets is the best player in his position. Same case with Kevin De Bruyne. How did Pep recognize the ability of the midfielder who was deemed nothing special under Jose Mourinho? It is what the great coaches do. How has Manchester City become front-runners for the Champions League? Neither Messi plays for them nor does Ronaldo.

If Frank Rijkaard had not moved Lionel Messi into the right wing although against his wishes, how would we ever have witnessed the trademark, cutting inside and shooting with the left foot? If Pep Guardiola didn’t identify the kid’s threat in playmaking, how would we know the wonders that a false nine can cause? Coaches are the benefactors to utilizing a player.

What about Jurgen Klopp? He inherited the Liverpool team under terrible shape. But his tactics and transfer plans have resurrected Liverpool for. They even reached the Champions League finals last year. The Barcelona team struggled against Roma with Busquets and Iniesta. Klopp destroyed them with Henderson and Wijnaldum. So are Henderson and Wijnaldum better than Busquets and Iniesta? How popular was Mo Salah before he came under Klopp’s watchful eyes? How effective was Roberto Firmino before being coached by Jurgen Klopp?

Maurizio Sarri is resurrecting the talent of Eden Hazard

The newest addition of a player improving under a coach is none other than Eden Hazard. The chain-smoker has unleashed the real hazard than Eden Hazard possesses. Wasn’t Hazard having the same talent while playing under Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho? He did, but they weren’t the catalysts. Maurizio Sarri is the catalyst that the reaction called Eden Hazard was desperately looking for. If he chooses to leave the great coach for Real Madrid it would be nothing much than looking for fool’s gold.

There are countless examples of teams flourishing under a coach or falling to rock bottom as well. Oscar Tabarez’s El Proceso was one of the pinnacles of great coaching decisions. Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona was immortalized by winning all six available trophies in a single year. Jupp Heyneckes’ Bayern was one of the greatest German sides in history. The gaffer makes a huge difference if not all the difference. In the words of Jose Mourinho, “Coaching is taking a player where they can’t take themselves.” Mourinho might be under fire right now but he was the man who rejuvenated the careers of Frank Lampard and John Terry, two icons of English football.

The role that a coach possesses in the game is unmatched to any player. They step into the fire of the media and away from the limelight of the trophy success. A true coach is always a true leader, one who is protective of his students in front of others and a rabid and ruthless animal during the training hours. To all the coaches that help us witness beautiful, sleek and finesse football.