Darian Wilken

UEFA A | First Team Assistant Manager @RCAofficiel | @SimbaSCTanzania | @MaritzburgUtd | @OrlandoPirates | @AmaZuluFootball

[Manchester City @ManCity]

"What a time we have had together." 🩵

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

@MuhsinErtugral ✅

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

I really enjoyed watching this interview with Coach José Riveiro about his new role with AIK.

His level of authenticity and consistency, which I have observed from an outside perspective, has always been something I have admired throughout his journey. Something that was particularly interesting for me, was the conversation with Jeremy Steele (formerly @AnalyticsFC ), who outlined the recruitment process of hiring coach José.

In my opinion, this conversation could potentially benefit African coaches who are looking to break the glass ceiling of moving from Africa to Europe - as it gives a clear guideline of what the KPI's could look like.

My key take-aways:
- A Winning history.
- Developing the club profile (competing on the continent - Champions League).
- Winning with an attractive style of play (data confirmed).
- Finally and most importantly, in my opinion, clubs are looking for a coach who improves players, especially young players (this will be shown in National Team call ups, player sales, debut's to young players while still maintaining winning results etc..).

"It always seems impossible, until it's done." - Nelson Mandela)

Steele (https://t.co/TLwuMWm7eJ)
Jose - (https://t.co/L9vbbB5YSm)

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

Tata 🇿🇦

[Maher Mezahi @MezahiMaher]

Magnificent choreography from Esperance de Tunis supporters tonight ahead of their quarterfinal clash against Al Ahly

It reads "Football & Liberation" and honours:

- Nelson Mandela
- Rachid Mekhloufi
- Chedly Zouiten
- Mohamed Aboutrika

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

If you have the ball, there’s always a way..

[Reece Edwards @ReeceEdwardsX]

Porto v Gil Vicente (Build-Up v Mid-Block)

🔷 GV’s front two grew increasingly fixated on staying narrow enough to cut off a pass from Porto’s CB’s to single pivot.
🔷 This elevated the commitment from GV’s double-pivot to cover FCP’s 10’s.
🔷 FCP - Capitalize 🎥⬇️

[Raja Club Athletic @RCAofficiel]

Tuesday Training Session 💚

[Rémy M. @remymrts]

𝐅𝐂 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐢 𝐯𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐨́𝐫𝐢𝐚.

Dentro do processo ofensivo o FC Porto necessita emancipar-se da intermitência dessas sequências associativas onde consegue tornar factível um ótimo conhecimento das capacidades / possibilidades permitidas por cada um dos que se envolvem.

- Acomodação posicional

- Mobilização - Distração - Iniciativa

- Fixar para libertar

- Atrair para densificar e suscitar vantagens, a posteriori, através da velocidade dos passes curtos para aproveitar o que se esvaziou.

- Multi direcionalidade (nas desmarcações) e aproveitamento do contra movimento (apoio / ruptura).

- Favorecer o aparecimento de espaços entrelinhas.

- Alto valor comunicacional através do conceito de 3o e 4o homem (cara a cara : relação entre o protagonista anterior e posterior onde cada um pode ver o que o outro não pode). A atitude e postura sem bola (não verbal) reivindica, por si só, o protagonismo.

- Alternativas reflexivas - recursivas - posicionais : interior que lateraliza (Gabri) e lateral que aproveita a confusão gerada nas perseguições contrárias como opção vertical para superar linhas de pressão.

- Overlap em situações de superioridade numérica.

- Triangulações que asseguram a “funcionalidade” de cada um (nenhum dos lados do triângulo encontra-se paralelo às linhas laterais).

- Energia estabilizadora permitidas pela interpretação do espaço (e entorno) de Froholdt, Veiga ou Mora (liberdade individual adequada e complementaridade entre as iniciativas de cada um).

[Magnus Eriksson @ErikssMagnus]

FC Porto build up play

[SABC Sport @SABC_Sport]

🏆 𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝 🏆

#SABCSport crew caught up with Raja Casablanca coach Fadlu Davids and assistant coach Darian Wilken!

📱 Stream live on https://t.co/26PdrPrnVE - download the app and stay in the game!

#SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 #ItsGameOnEverywhere

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

🦅 ❤️

[African Five-a-Side podcast @AfricanFiveSide]

Fadlu Davids 🦅 (@FDavids10) on 2025 AFCON, growing up in Cape Town, periodization and returning to Raja

https://t.co/HVBcNKLzQG

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

@EdwardStratmann Their understanding of who is pressing them and their distances are brilliant.

Alex Valle against Lazio this season, top example of different FB positions in different phases of the build up!

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

Ending off the year with the Tactical Tendencies of 2025 with @Ruxiiii4 https://t.co/aDuPJ4WLlk

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

2025..

A year full of lessons and growth. Determined and ready for 2026 and the rest of the season ahead.

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

Football continues to evolve; this is a really great video on how teams are trying to exploit man-marking https://t.co/ht8XqyaWVG

[Paulo Andrade @pauloanalise10]

All the similarities between Francesco Farioli’s football and his mentor Roberto De Zerbi 🧠🎥

▫️First phase of build-up in a 2+3 structure with inverted full-backs
▫️2-3-2-3
▫️Triangular combinations in the wide area
▫️Inverted full-backs to get the ball to the wingers
▫️Patience in build-up before accelerating the play

️
They worked together at Sassuolo in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and now Farioli is bringing the same ideas to Porto 2025-26 ⚽👀

[GOLZ @golz_tv]

Meet Yoann Damet, the 35-year-old who just became a new head coach of MLS side St. Louis City SC.

- Never played pro soccer. Instead, he started his coaching career at just 16 by taking over Beaune FC U-13s.

- After eight years coaching youth teams in France, he arrived to Canada in 2014 to coach Montreal Impact Academy U-12s.

- Served as assistant coach of FC Cincinnati from 2017 to 2021. Served as interim head coach twice during that spell.

- Spent 2022 as head coach of LA Galaxy II and assistant coach for LA Galaxy.

- Worked under Wilfried Nancy as assistant coach for Columbus Crew from 2023 to 2025.

After 19 years of coaching youth teams and serving as assistant for senior teams, Damet is ready to be the head coach and bring success to St. Louis.

Let’s see what type of project the Frenchman will build in Missouri.

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

@11v11Sam 😅🦅 🟢

We have been following each other for so many years now Sam.

Appreciate it always.

[Darian Wilken @CoachDarian]

#NewProfilePic

[The Individual Coach-Analyst @IndivAnalyst]

If you’ve got 90 seconds, listen to Kim Helberg talk about using a system he’s never coached before. You start with player qualities, build relationships (combinations), and the system grows from that — not the other way around. Enjoyed it 👏

[Raja Club Athletic @RCAofficiel]

New week, same focus 🎯💚