PZPN

The training workshop under the name 'Do you want to become a coach?' was attended by a group of 20 participants of the UEFA Pro course and four lecturers. What was the purpose of the trip?

Along with the federations of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, we were invited to the classes which were held from Monday to Thursday. The programme of workshops was very tight. Every day, we started at 9.00 am and ended at about 11.00 pm, after the Champions League matches. All the course participants learned many new and interesting things. In addition to acquiring knowledge, a very important part of the trip was practice, as well as discussions, joint analysis and an exchange of views on the issues discussed. The workshops were evaluated by all as very good. In the opinion of the coaches, it was a long time ago when, in such a short time, they received so much valuable information which will be useful to them in the future.

What were the workshops about?

The federations were combined in pairs. We, along with the Scots, had to analyse the match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Our task was to look at this game from the perspective of the coaches of 'Red Devils' and find weaknesses in the defence of the Bavarians. To make a thorough analysis, we conducted the training led by Mariusz Rumak and Bartłomiej Zalewski. The aim of the course was a smooth transition to counter-attack Bayern, especially through the use of gaps in the lateral sectors of the field. We know that Pep Guardiola's team often attacks on the wings, so that's where we were looking for possibilities to counter-attack. After the training, it was the time to compare our findings with what we saw during the Champions League match. It seems that we drew good conclusions because, despite the overwhelming advantage of Bayern's possession of the ball, the match ended in a draw, and David Moyes's players had many opportunities to score a goal just after the counter-attacks in the lateral sectors.

You could say that Mariusz Rumak, at least for one day, was walking in the shoes Man Utd's coach?

After the training, all praised Mariusz for the way he had led classes. Out of 18 students, not including the two coaches – Rumak and Zalewski – two eight-man teams were to be created and two goalkeepers assigned. Such teams focused on the schemes of play in attack and defence, modelled on the teams from Manchester and Munich. In the same way, on Wednesday, two remaining federations - Ireland and Northern Ireland were divided and they took a closer look at the match between Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea. At the beginning of the workshop, before watching the Champions League matches, the participants had to prepare a 15-minute presentation, which was to include an analysis of the strongest and weakest sides of the opponent. Our coaches did a very good job. They were perfectly prepared for each task.

Did UEFA, during the stay, ask what courses would be conducted in the near future at the PZPN Coaching School?

We are one of the first federations in Europe, which will conduct a course for the coaches of goalkeepers - UEFA Goalkeeper Coach A. We will start with the project on 14 April. We invited many outstanding Polish goalkeepers to the opening in Biała Podlaska. We will also have excellent lecturers. The opening will also host the creator of this course – Patrick Joseph Bonner. Soon, the PZPN Coaching School will begin a training course for the coaches of UEFA Elite Youth A. It is designed for the coaches who will specialise in the training of children and youth. In the near future, the Polish Football Association is planning to introduce to a licence manual for clubs the need to employ at least one coach with UEFA Elite Youth licence – it will be one of the mandatory personnel criteria.

Interview by Paweł Drażba and Aleksander Solnica