For coaches there is always something to tell the team

If only I had a dollar for every game where a coach is yelling at his players on the sideline and giving them “the talk” after the match.  Is this effective?

One of the challenges in coaching is what to say and when to say it, and during games it can be very hard to hold back when we see things not going well.  The post game talk seems standard practice and the coach’s best chance to provide feedback without interupting the game experience: a key coaching moment.  But what is most effective?  

In youth coaching there is a lot of constructive advice on this and other subjects from organizations such as the Positive Coaching Alliance but as the competitive blooded people that coaches are, we may want the opinion of one of our own on  these subjects rather than hearing from some do gooder organization.  Who better to ask than Jose Mourinho, the Special One?

How much can you change during a match?

When it comes to games, I am much more analytical during the first half because at half-time I need to help my team. It is difficult to communicate with the players during a top match so I don’t shout too much but I do take notes, but only in the first half. The second half I can analyse at home. During the half-time team talk, I try to control my emotions and to be what the team needs me to be – this means that I can be very cool or I can be very emotional because the team needs a certain response from me. There is always a certain emotional component as well as a tactical contribution. There is always something to tell the team at half-time, but after the match not one word, because the players are not ready to be analytical at that moment.  – Jose Mourinho

Courtesy of  The Technician – Uefa Newsletter for Coaches