I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
I’m pretty down to earth. I’m just a normal guy who loves football and always loved the game. I was crazy about it when I was a kid, watching, starting coaching young – at 20 years old. As a coach, I’m very focused on details. I have got details and principles for all phases of the game, all situations. I’ve figured out over the years how I want to do it, but I also constantly get inspired. So, I see, “Ah, that’s a little new thing, can I maybe twist it?” I constantly like to improve the way I want to play.
I think my leadership skills are getting better and better. I’m definitely not perfect, I will make mistakes, but you just get more and more used to tricky situations – how you deal with disappointment, how you deal with players when you need to build a culture, when they are stepping over the line. How do you make sure everyone walks in the same direction? How do you make sure you get the staff with you? How do you make sure you keep going when you win five games in a row? How do you make sure you keep the energy and positivity when you lose five games in a row? All those experiences have made me better.
My early years as a coach, especially in my 30s, I was very idealistic, very [keen on] the Ajax and the Barcelona way. I also got inspiration from Morten Olsen, the former head coach of the Danish national team. He was a very offensive coach, also inspired by Ajax. I was very fixed on that offensive way, but over the years I’ve learned more and more that you need to adapt. All the best coaches in the world adapt. Pep Guardiola, for example – maybe the best coach in the world – has gone from having Dani Alves at Barcelona, one of the best offensive full-backs, to playing with four centre-backs sometimes. That’s just one example. So, adaptability in terms of different positions, adaptability in terms of systems for different games, but there need to be some core principles you believe in.
The most important characteristic for a leader, in my opinion, is that you need to have good values. You need to be very good at communicating because, if you communicate well, you can hopefully guide people in the direction you want to walk. Also, if you can communicate well – a lot of one-to-one conversations with important members of your business or team – they can communicate well to the next layers. That’s big. Emotional intelligence is also important. To deal with people, you need to try and understand them. And you need to be consistent in your behaviour. We can all be emotional, but you need to be consistent in your behaviour as much as possible.
When I stepped into this club, the three non-negotiables for me were: being on time and discipline, respect – the way we treat others – and hard work. If you have discipline, work hard and respect people, there’s a good chance you’re going to keep something very good.
Besides that, I need to try to instil confidence in the players or the staff members, but they also need to be humble enough to work hard, humble enough to constantly show respect for others, humble enough and aware enough to always be on time. You can’t be sloppy because to get success in any business is relentless. And I need to walk the talk. I would like a captain that also walks the talk, that can bring the group together and set standards. So, the captain has to be one of the best trainers, if not the best trainer. Hopefully, he can also get around the squad, just be with everyone.
I try to set the tone, but no matter what you do on the first day, if you don’t follow it up, good or bad, it doesn’t make sense. I had a meeting with the main staff here on the first day at the training ground just to set my expectations. I did the same with the players. Then, hopefully, I’m consistent and follow up with the right messages. I’ve become more consistent. It’s just become clearer to me how often I need to mention the key areas in terms of the culture: togetherness, hard work, attitude. And to give different examples of that: style of play, high pressure, recovery runs, duels, crosses or whatever it is. Repeating the messages: that’s what we do, that’s what we do.
In terms of communicating, I try to be sharp in my answers because no matter how beautiful the words you use, if you overdo it in talk, you lose people. You need to be clear and concise. I can raise my voice, but it’s not that often. I don’t say directly to a player, “You’re so bad! What are you doing? You’re useless!” That’s not making a point. But I can be very direct, and I think that’s the way to do it. I’ve been told I can’t show my evil eyes because I’m quite… My body language is very clear, let me put it that way.
But the key thing is to be authentic, to be myself. When I’m in this hamster wheel, this crazy circus of football, the day I change, I know my wife will definitely tell me off. But also my good friends: “You’ve changed now. You can’t do that.” So, I really hope that I’m the same guy I was 27 years ago.
