If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
“It is important to start work with a clear idea of what you want and to convince the players that from the first day you are there to help them to achieve results. And at the same time you are there to make them better players. To win a player, they must feel they trust you and they must feel that with you they will be better players because all players want to be better.”
It is rare that a new manager arrives on his own too. In Slot’s case, for example, he has made the move from Feyenoord together with assistant Sipke Hulshoff and performance coach Ruben Peeters. According to a contact with experience of working in backroom roles at leading clubs, in cases where a new coach is accompanied by a tightly knit backroom team, it is important to build connections with the staff already in place and make them feel fully included. When Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal, for example, he arranged a barbecue in order to bring people together, build relationships and start the process of galvanising the entire group.
As Carvalhal mentioned, understanding the culture of the club is vital too. When he became Sheffield Wednesday manager, he bought books about the club’s history and spoke to past players. (It is not just managers who do this: Víctor Orta, now sporting director at Sevilla, read up on Don Revie’s Leeds when he took on the role of director of football at Elland Road.) In this respect, Ancelotti speaks of the importance of the late Ray Wilkins to him at Chelsea, an assistant coach connecting him to the culture and history of the club.
It may sound obvious, but language is another factor for the new coach to consider. In this age of multinational dressing rooms, Frans Hoek, the long-standing goalkeeper coach of Louis van Gaal, stresses the importance of establishing clear terminology so players understand your instructions from the outset.
This brings us to the first meeting with the playing squad. “That very first meeting sets the whole tone,” says another coach with experience of big clubs in both Scotland and England. “When you go in and address the players, you talk about your philosophy and you talk about your discipline.” But, he stresses, it is important not to talk too long as footballers are not keen on long meetings. “Fifteen to 20 minutes is enough to get your message across.” And then the hard work – transferring that message to the pitch – really does begin.
If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
“It is important to start work with a clear idea of what you want and to convince the players that from the first day you are there to help them to achieve results. And at the same time you are there to make them better players. To win a player, they must feel they trust you and they must feel that with you they will be better players because all players want to be better.”
It is rare that a new manager arrives on his own too. In Slot’s case, for example, he has made the move from Feyenoord together with assistant Sipke Hulshoff and performance coach Ruben Peeters. According to a contact with experience of working in backroom roles at leading clubs, in cases where a new coach is accompanied by a tightly knit backroom team, it is important to build connections with the staff already in place and make them feel fully included. When Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal, for example, he arranged a barbecue in order to bring people together, build relationships and start the process of galvanising the entire group.
As Carvalhal mentioned, understanding the culture of the club is vital too. When he became Sheffield Wednesday manager, he bought books about the club’s history and spoke to past players. (It is not just managers who do this: Víctor Orta, now sporting director at Sevilla, read up on Don Revie’s Leeds when he took on the role of director of football at Elland Road.) In this respect, Ancelotti speaks of the importance of the late Ray Wilkins to him at Chelsea, an assistant coach connecting him to the culture and history of the club.
It may sound obvious, but language is another factor for the new coach to consider. In this age of multinational dressing rooms, Frans Hoek, the long-standing goalkeeper coach of Louis van Gaal, stresses the importance of establishing clear terminology so players understand your instructions from the outset.
This brings us to the first meeting with the playing squad. “That very first meeting sets the whole tone,” says another coach with experience of big clubs in both Scotland and England. “When you go in and address the players, you talk about your philosophy and you talk about your discipline.” But, he stresses, it is important not to talk too long as footballers are not keen on long meetings. “Fifteen to 20 minutes is enough to get your message across.” And then the hard work – transferring that message to the pitch – really does begin.
If those managers starting in high-profile new roles this summer had time for some poolside reading in the close season, they could have done a lot worse than leaf through Carlo Ancelotti’s book Quiet Leadership. From handling world-class talents to managing backroom staff to understanding the culture of your club, Don Carlo, winner of five Champions League titles as a coach, offers wise words on all.
“Take time to understand them as people,” he says of building relationships with players, albeit while stressing the need for a manager to start proving himself from the moment the first-day pleasantries have concluded. “After that, they are looking, watching you every day,” writes Ancelotti. “What are you doing? How easy is your behaviour? Are you serious, are you professional? It is like sitting an exam every day. If they don’t think you can add value to them, the players don’t care who you’ve played for, who you’ve managed… It’s all about what you can do for them, because talented people are very selfish.”
That particular exam is being sat by plenty of other coaches right now. Think of Hansi Flick at Barcelona, Vincent Kompany at Bayern München, Thiago Motta at Juventus and Arne Slot at Liverpool – coaches embarking on fresh chapters at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
In advance of starting a new job, it is not unusual for a coach to speak to his predecessor – as Slot did over the phone with Jürgen Klopp, for example. Yet, equally and increasingly, clubs today will do their due diligence too, ensuring the new coach fits their style and philosophy. Once a coach is in situ, there will typically be conversations with key figures on the playing side, such as the captain and other senior players, to get an understanding of some of the nuances of the dressing room.
“The most important thing when you arrive at a club is to know the history of the club, everything about the club – the best years, the best players, the way the team have played, especially in the last ten to 20 years – to understand if the club have a particular philosophy or not and what are the values of the supporters,” explains Carlos Carvalhal, the well-travelled Portuguese coach who has worked at clubs in countries across Europe – including England, Spain, Greece and Türkiye.
“In my opinion, you must have all the departments working for you. Usually when I arrive at a club, the first meeting I have is with all the staff – with the team managers, with medical staff, chefs, kitmen. I put them together and talk to them, and after that I start doing personal interviews with all the players to get to know them better, not about sports but more about the social side as it is good to know which people you have in front of you, as human beings.
