We have heard thousands of times about experience in football. There are always questions marks coming into the season when a young and inexperienced coach takes control of a big club.
All the analysts speak about the lack of experience, and suggest that it could be the first problem for him and for the team. The most recent example of this is Pep Guardiola, new head coach of Barcelona.
It is his first job, and there were doubts about how was he going to manage the team, and how he was going to make them a winning team. The grind of the season, and the way they are currently playing the game is answering the questions.
His early success and some other examples of inexperienced although successful coaches have brought to my mind a new question:
Is coaching experience something overrated in football?
In the past, I’m sure that I would have answered this question with an "absolutely not. An experienced coach is the main key for a winning team."
Right now, my opinion is different; and yes, believe or not, coaching experience is something overrated in football. It’s not as important as motivation, preparation and finding the correct pieces and way of playing.
I think that these are real factors, the other one is a media issue. Let’s take a look to a bunch of examples:
Vicente del Bosque
Current head coach of the Spanish national team, Del Bosque had the best times in his first four seasons as Real Madrid coach.
He won two Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Toyota Cup. Above this, he was able to keep joined a bunch of stars, making them play as a team. Because of his character, Del Bosque didn’t have the credit he deserved.
Later in his career, he struggled as Besiktas head coach. He had no coaching experience; yet he was able to lead Real to the top.
Jose Mourinho/ Avram Grant
It took him a couple of seasons to build his legacy. Mourinho led an underdog such as FC Porto to back-to-back European titles. The UEFA Cup and the Champions League trophies made him the most highly rated coach in football.
His way of preparing the team, and the effective game Porto practised during his era opened the future for Mou, as Roman Abramovich made him the best paid coach of the world when he was brought to Chelsea.
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