Honest Wesley

I believe that to be a good coach, it's important to have a clear idea of how I want my team to play. This forms the basis of every decision I make. A philosophy alone, though, is not enough; the way I want my team to play should be understood clearly by each and every player such that the actions they perform on the pitch are in line with the philosophy.

As much as having a clear idea of how I want my team to play, I should also be able to adapt my approach to the players I have at my disposal and their individual skillsets. The roles I expect my players to perform should be compatible with the players' ability to perform said role. A style of play that adapts to the players should not lose its core identity; instead, each player's individual traits should allow it to evolve and take on different forms that revolve around the same core idea.

A coach should be able to condition his players to be able to express themselves with complete freedom within a well-defined structure. Players are conditioned through training, so that means the training should be as close to the match as possible. The way we prepare for games is the way I expect my team to perform during the game.

I believe in developing independent thinkers who are able to adapt to the state of the game, knowing when to raise the tempo, control the game, and manipulate the opponent's positioning to create a positional and numerical advantage. I want my team to be able to control the game, and the best way to control the game is by having more of the ball. I need my players to understand that having the ball alone doesn't win you games, but having the ball with a purpose does. So, each player needs to know why we aim to have more of the ball and how we can use this to create goal-scoring opportunities.

Psychologically, I want my team to have a winning mentality and to believe in themselves; not to be afraid to make mistakes, but at the same time, ready to learn from those mistakes. If we lose, we lose playing our football. We should be able to play with conviction and confidence, and with a clear understanding of what we want to achieve.

Training is the tool we use to develop and master our style of play; hence, I believe training should be specific to how I want my team to play, not generic, as I don't aim for a generic way of playing. Players should also be physically conditioned to be able to meet the demands the system requires, so that we can fully meet our objectives.

Being a coach is not just about telling players what to do, but creating the right environment that frequently demands them to perform the roles defined by the style of play.

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