Tag Archives: Mourinho

Individualism… or the Lack of it!

By Andrea Vella

I am no Mourinho or Guardiola; but after undergoing the Level 1 and Level 2 Coach Education courses, together with the Licence Holders Course, organised by Premier Skills, I look back at my first three years as a football educator and realise how false my sessions used to be! Premier Skills have also opened my eyes to the problems I see with coaching in Malta today.

Andrea Vella

Andrea in his role as Academy Director of Swieqi United F.C. Image source: Jeffrick Cachia

I see many ‘know­-it-­alls’ and ex-­footballers who talk, talk and talk, believing they can coach purely because of their position or playing reputation, but who quite frankly, can’t! I see a lot of coaches who focus on their personal success and results when they should be focusing on developing players – it’s all about how many games they’ve won! I also see a lot of coaches who coach as a hobby or as a side job to earn some pocket money, without realising how delicate their role is.

“What most of the coaches have in common is that they don’t understand that coaching isn’t easy!” Andrea Vella

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Why Real Madrid should use their option on Morata… and why they should not!

Image Source: www.alvaromorata9.com

Álvaro Morata baffles me. He’s good on so many fronts, yet I’m concerned that he will never be great.

Born in Madrid on the 23rd October 1992, the Spanish international joined Real Madrid’s academy at the age of fifteen following stints at Atlético Madrid and Getafe. The attacking player represented Spain on a number of occasions at youth level, and debuted for Real Madrid Castilla in August of 2010. It took just four months for his efforts to be recognised by a certain José Mourinho, who handed him his debut for the first team on the 12th December 2010. For the next three seasons, Morata was a key figure in Real’s Castilla side, averaging almost a goal every other game in nearly 100 appearances. Continue reading