WOW.
Marcelo Bielsa is 70 years of age, and his parting message to Uruguay carries a lesson every coach should sit with.
No group is the same.
No individual is the same.
Nobody.
Bielsa admits he has never tried to be the “friendly” coach. He values order, discipline, seriousness, obsession. That has made him one of the most respected minds in football.
But even Bielsa seems to accept something powerful here:
That approach does not work for every player.
It does not work in every environment.
And knowledge alone is never enough.
As a coach, you have to find a way to connect.
Quote us on this:
“You can have all the knowledge in the world, but it is absolutely useless if the people playing don’t like you.
Player management and people management might not be on coaching courses, but don’t be kidded by associations.
It is the most important quality a coach can have.”
Football is about tactics, detail, preparation and standards.
But above all, it is about people. So many coaches out there fail to grasp this, they think they can shout their way to development or success, and this day and age you simply can't.
Canada’s run to the round of 16 at the World Cup has drawn the attention of FIFA’s technical study group. The panel features a who’s who of football talent under the guidance of Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development and former Arsenal manager.
The group points to the U.S., Ecuador, Canada and Germany as teams “with clear plans to counter-press.” And it reports that winning teams had an average ball recovery time of 14.8 seconds, compared to 18.6 seconds on average for losing sides.
Canadian Luc de Fougerolles topped the FIFA power rankings for defenders with a score of 7.4 out of 10, ahead of Spain’s Rodri and Aymeric Laporte, both at 7.3. Fellow Canadian Derek Cornelius was ninth at 7.1.
Read more, by The Globe’s sports reporter Neil Davidson: https://t.co/hX4LInoIfD
Both Sabitzer and Mahrez clearly going through it post game. Both described the last stretch of the match as awkward.
Mahrez said the ball was played and he had to make the run and try to score.
"I have to respect football."
Zlatan Ibrahimović on Canada qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for the first time ever:
🗣️ “This is why people fall in love with football. Today wasn't just about Canada qualifying for the Round of 16 it was about an entire nation creating history that nobody can ever take away.”
“I looked at the faces of the Canadian players after the final whistle. Some were crying, some couldn't believe what had just happened. Those weren't tears of weakness; they were tears of people who had spent their whole lives dreaming of this exact moment.”
“To the supporters, never let anyone tell you football is just a game. I saw families celebrating, children hugging their parents and fans singing with tears in their eyes. These are the moments that unite a country forever.”
“People will remember the goals and the result, but they'll never understand the sacrifices behind it. Years of criticism, disappointments, injuries and pressure have all led to one unforgettable night. That's what makes history so beautiful.”
“For every Canadian player wearing that shirt tonight, remember this feeling. You are no longer just footballers you are the generation that changed your country's football story forever. Every child who picks up a ball tomorrow will believe because of what you achieved today.”
“The knockout stage doesn't care about history, reputation or big names. It rewards courage, belief and those who refuse to give up. Canada earned this moment because they never stopped believing when the rest of the world doubted them.”
“And to the fans, celebrate like there's no tomorrow because nights like these don't come often. Years from now, people won't ask where you watched the match they'll ask how it felt to witness the night Canada reached the Round of 16 for the very first time.”
“This is bigger than football. This is the night an entire nation stopped dreaming about history and started living it.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick intervened to stop the opening of a bridge between Canada and Detroit and is pushing for a cut of revenues and other provisions as part of a deal, per sources. The White House backs Lutnick’s gambit. https://t.co/FsiFoAluBd
Re-upping my previous commentary on our regrettable transition to a real estate economy, which seems particularly relevant in the last week.
“Let’s be honest: status quo politicians have taken us too far down this road to turn back without consequence. The damage is already being felt — and more is coming. But that doesn’t mean we can stay the course. We must act deliberately, and with purpose, to shift away from an economic model where our primary export is real estate, toward one where we build and produce the goods, technology, and services the world actually needs.”
Read here: https://t.co/xAMm75dg6m
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Finland: Canada really hit our radar screen in security and defence when, after Russia invaded Crimea, Canada took over the forward land forces lead in Latvia. Canada really projected stability in the Baltic Sea and in our eyes, Canada became a Baltic Sea power and NATO's eastern flank power.
~I don't want to hear people criticizing the Americans because we're just as fucking bad.
Alberta elected Smith.
Sask elected Moe.
Ontario elected Ford.
NS is about to elect Houston.
BC just got by Rustad by the skin of its teeth.
Poilievre has a 20 pt lead.
WE'RE NEXT!
In all the craziness of last night...I completely forgot🤦♂️
#RFKJr will be getting a seat in cabinet & #america will be going #vaccinnefree#America
Marco Rubio on CNN on if the Senate would confirm RFK Jr: "Well, I think the Senate is gonna give great deference to a president that just won a stunning what I think is an electoral college landslide when all is said and done, and a mandate."
The fact @KamalaHarris was unable to get remotely close to @joebiden's 2020 popular vote numbers is staggering
#DonaldTrump is 3m off of 2020
#KamalaHarris is 14 MILLION off of 2020!!!
14m voters chose to stay home. Wtf!!🤦♂️ Or as a conspiracy theorist may ask: "Or did they?"🤔