| Friday, May 12, 2006 |
| Veteran Bruckner stays a step ahead |
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At 66, Karel Bruckner will be one of the oldest and most experienced coaches on view at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Here he reflects on his work as Czech Republic coach and discusses their Group E opponents United States, Italy and Ghana.
Read a full profile of Karel Bruckner
FIFAworldcup.com: Football coaches don't have an easy life. After retiring from playing, why did you want to become a coach?Karel Bruckner: I can't say I ever planned to become a coach. As a child I wanted to be a pilot, or a fireman. I never thought I'd be the coach of the national team.
What qualities are most important for a football coach?It's hard to select the most important from the whole range of knowledge, experience, expertise, and authority over the players. But humility is probably at the root of it all.
Coaching is fairly exhausting. What do you do to stay level-headed?Mental stress is part of the work of a coach, you have to learn to live with it. It also entails the loss of privacy and ordinary thoughts. You have to think about your work constantly, there's no way to stop that, and I don't even try. I just let it happen.
The older a person gets, the more conservative they usually become. Have you noticed that about yourself?In some things. I know where I'm conservative and where I'm not, and that's what's important and I keep to that. But football keeps breaking new ground, and I have to know how to react. If I want to be successful, I always have to stay one step ahead.
How do you earn your players' respect? Do you think they regard you as a father figure?It doesn't matter what they think of me, the main thing is that it works. Relations are excellent, we've been together a long time and we know each other. I worked with many of the players in the junior teams (Bruckner was U-21 coach before taking the senior post in 2002). But it's not only about the relationship between the players and coach - what's important is that everyone gets on together.
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How do you motivate your players?I don't have to motivate the players. For everyone, playing in the World Cup will be the high point of their careers and lives, and it would be sad if I had to motivate them.
Your FIFA World Cup campaign begins against the United States on 12 June. What do you make of the US team? I know the qualities of the American team and their coach very well. It's a team that's very well put together, with players from America and Europe. They're athletes, in very good condition. Their techniques and tactics are advanced. Their results show that they're rightly ranked fourth in the FIFA table.
How do you view your second opponents, Italy?Italy are always referred to as a defensive team, but their match against Germany was a perfect demonstration of their offensive strengths (Italy won 4-1). They're a complete team. (Marcello) Lippi, has a strong group, full of excellent players for all positions, and not just in defence.
After seeing Ghana at the CAF African Cup of Nations, how would you assess them?We can't draw any conclusions from how Ghana played at the Nations Cup. They're a very good team and at the Nations Cup a number of important players were missing. Their true strength will be revealed in Germany.
How much time have you spent watching videos of your opponents?Mostly I watch my own team's matches, because I work on how we play. Of our World Cup opponents, it's mostly USA – at least 80 per cent - and then Ghana. We know Italy the best, and we'll be able to see them in two matches at the World Cup and Ghana in one. I'll watch one video several times over. Maybe I'll watch all of it and then just particular phases or situations. I replay certain moments, and tell myself I'll have to think of something.
What kind of moments?Moments where we can react. That means we can influence them, through training and work. I have to find something I can give my team, be that positive or negative.
What work will you be doing with your players before the tournament starts?Ninety per cent of it will be regeneration and mental relaxation. The main thing is to harmonise everything, to bring them all up to the same speed. Of course, we'll also work on our playing style - defence, attack, our rivals in the group and the information we have on them. We'll repeat lots of different tactics and learn new ones.
What is the Czech Republic's greatest weapon?Our greatest weapon is the quality of the Czech players.
And what is your objective for the FIFA World Cup?The same as most other teams – to get through the group stage. Then we'll see. We can't plan beyond that. |
posted by ZanZiBaRi @ 6:17 AM  |
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