The Hollywood Pass
Mikel Arteta looked crushed. He was sat in front of the Arsenal goal mouth at Stamford Bridge, his legs stretched in front of him and his arms resting on either leg. The Arsenal captain glanced to his right to see Oscar, the Chelsea winger, trot away jubilantly towards a Chelsea huddle celebrating the goal he […]
Alf Ramsey, the English manager who led the Three Lions to World Cup glory on home soil in 1966, was once interacting with his players after an England match at the old Wembley stadium. “I had had a fairly good game and he’s shaking everybody’s hands,” recalled Gordon Banks, England’s legendary goalkeeper who was also […]
José Mourinho chose his words carefully. “I think,” he said and paused. “It hurts me a little bit to say this, I want to give 99% credit to (Erik) Ten Hag, the beautiful work he did with this team. But I have to be critical in one per cent.” “I think in this second half, […]
Coaching is about, ‘How do I get people to play at their peak level?’ It is a spiritual quest. And if it’s not that, you don’t have a challenge, you don’t have a mission. Forming a brotherhood and trying to move it forward – that’s what coaching is. Phil Jackson, 11-time NBA title winning coach […]
To see Antonio Conte speak after a match and to see him on the touchline during one can mystify even the most avid follower of football. Conte on the touchline can be a volcanic presence, seething one moment and euphoric the other. Away from the scene of action, he is tranquil and untroubled, speaking with […]