Australia NewsBerger's Back To Basics |
EXCLUSIVE: Han Berger has conceded Australia’s national youth teams will play a more “realistic” style of football at future world championship – in the short term at least - in order to avoid more losses.
To see Berger's training session...
Australia lost all three games at September's U/20 World Championships in Egypt. The Young Socceroos attempted to play a more technical style of game but that proved too much for the young green and gold stars.
After an opening match loss to Czech Republic 2-1, Jan Versleijen's team went down 3-0 to Costa Rica and 3-1 to Brazil.
Berger said it was too much, too soon to expect the best current young players to play and understand the new technical era of the FFA; particularly given most haven't gone through the development system under this new ideology.
"We try to play like this with our Young Socceroos in Egypt in the World Youth Championships and the players tried very hard but missed the foundation to be successful in this way," he told au.fourfourtwo.com. "So we also decided to look for a little bit more realistic approach at those events in the near future."
The foundation that Berger refers to are the basic technical skills required to compete on the international stage. This is the basis of the FFA's plan for better footballers and national teams via programs such as a national curriculum and a uniform 4-3-3 system.
However, it takes time for this vision to work its way into the system. And in the short term at least, Berger is hoping to avoid more disasters like Egypt - albeit on the scoreboard - by playing a more pragmatic style of football.
"This bottom-up approach will take five to ten years," he said of juniors who are currently in the most vital technical development stage of roughly 6-11 years of age.
"But we also use the top-down approach with our national teams. We tried to play this type of football at the U/20 World Cup but at that level we got punished in three games so, yeah, maybe too much too soon.
"That's what I mean by a more realistic approach. It doesn't mean we throw this all overboard and only defend in the future but we have to look for a little bit more of the middle of the road, pragmatic approach."
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel with Berger already noticing the current crop of Young Socceroos are reaping the benefits of the last two years of work done by FFA.
The new Young Socceroos have qualified for the AFC U19 Championships to be held in November 2010 after a tournament in Bandung, Indonesia this month which saw them finish second to Japan.
The squad included Jets starlet Ben Kantarovski who has been converted into a defender. Other stars include Roar flyer Tommy Oar and Sydney FC duo, wingman Kofi Danning and striker Kerem Bulut.
"I must say these boys already are showing more understanding and ability in this approach partly because five players were already in the former Young Socceroos and also five were in the AIS with Jan Versleijen, so they worked almost two years with him so you can see the changes in them," said Berger.
As part of the FFA's grassroots coaching development program, Berger and his assistant Alistair Edwards visited Sutherland Shire FA HQ in Sydney's south on Tuesday night.
Over 300 grassroots coaches turned up to witness a practical coaching session using Sutherland Sharks' youth team players followed by a QnA with Berger and Edwards hosted by FourFourTwo publisher Andy Jackson.
The on-field session included how to play a 4-3-3 system and why it's the best "development" formation, playing out from the back, the role of full backs, how to play against a 4-4-2 and aspects of keeping possession.
Berger further explained how Pim Verbeek's Socceroo formation creates more "defensive stability" with their version of a 4-3-3 (a 4-2-3-1) due to Tim Cahill's extra prowess as one of the three attacking midfielders.
Berger said local coaches were quick to pick up on many of the technical aspects of coaching the FFA are trying to implement across the country.
He added: "This week we've done three of these types of grassroots coaching events.
"Not only do I love being on the park with players, but you can tell a lot of things on paper, but the most important thing is to show things on the pitch in practice.
"The coaches, they are the ones who can make the changes I can't do that on my own. I can set out the direction but they are working day in day out with the players.
"They are very eager to learn, and very interested to learn and you have to convince them and have proper arguments. After that they are fantastic people to work with. That is my challenge and mission... they [the coaches] are the disciples."
To see Berger's training session...
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