Welcome to the Training Ground Guru Podcast. In every episode we bring you insights from the teams behind the teams in professional football. Thank you for list...
It's great to be back for Season 6 of the TGG Podcast - and with a new sponsor, Genius Sports.
Our first guest of the new season is Vitor Matos, the former Head of Elite Development at Liverpool. During five seasons at Anfield, Vitor helped to nurture a new generation of talent and deliver a number of trophies.
Since leaving Liverpool at the end of last season, he has been Assistant to Pep Lijnders at Red Bull Salzburg.
In this episode, Vitor told us what it was like to work alongside Jurgen Klopp, the key components of development, how Curtis Jones can lead the new generation at Liverpool and how Arne Slot has made subtle changes this season.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:10: What he's been doing since leaving Red Bull Salzburg in December 2024. Reflections on that period now.
04:36: Jurgen Klopp coming in as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull but periods didn't overlap. Parallels between Red Bull clubs and Liverpool.
06:33: How he started in coaching. Mourinho as an inspiration.
08:02: Meeting Pep Lijnders for the first time.
09:40: Influence of Professor Vitor Frade/ studying under him at University of Porto.
11:56: Why is Portuguese coaching so strong? Why is there a paucity of top English coaches?
16:49: How the move to Liverpool came about.
23:18: Manager and club committed to youth development and giving opportunities.
24:40: Development of Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah. Considering whether to loan players out or not.
35:33: Who should we be looking out for in the next generation of young players at Liverpool?
36:29: What was it like working with Jurgen Klopp and what makes him so special? Could you have stayed on when he left?
39:23: Transition of Arne Slot into the club. Tactical changes. Transformation of Ryan Gravenberch.
45:25: Ambitions for the future.
48:24: Favourite training exercises.
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50:50
Robbie Savage: Pundit to Manager
Our guest on Episode #65 of the TGG Podcast is Robbie Savage.
As a player, Robbie made 346 Premier League appearances and captained four clubs. After retiring, he became a household name as a TV and radio pundit and appeared on Strictly in 2011.
Now he's pursuing a different career, as a Manager, with Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League. Robbie told us why he'd turned to coaching, about his approach to leadership and about his lofty ambitions as a Manager.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:07: Wishing he'd gone into coaching earlier. How move from Director of Football came about.
06:44: Coaching badges? Starts A Licence next year and then hopefully Pro. Need your badges. Sees coaching as a vocation and ambition to reach the top.
10:58: Engaging with fans. Pitching in. Change in relationship with players when you become Manager. Treat them like he would treat his son.
13:40: Change in man management since he was a player. Becoming less visibly emotional. Calmer. Use of video analysis. Macclesfield expected to win every week.
18:43: Style of play. Preferred formation. Players win matches, not tactics.
24:40: Behaviour on the touchline? Setting the mood or calm and composed? Heart rate going high in technical area.
27:55: Change in style of play in non-league. Guardiola influence. Wants his team to get the ball forward quickly when possible. Not keen on playing out from the back.
32:36: Assistant wears a GoPro because of abuse from fans. Doesn't get paid at the moment. Could change when they go full-time.
38:15: Approach has changed on 606 phone-in. More understanding of Managers. Important to have consistency of messaging as a pundit or Manager. Has had offers as a Manager at bigger clubs.
44:15: Released at Manchester United. Make or break. Coached a team at Macclesfield made up of players who had been released and had great success. Callum West went to Burnley and now at Barnsley.
49:21: Do the Academies prepare players well enough? James Edmondson from Blackburn. Difference between Academy and senior football. Strength of the pyramid.
54:16: Different than he seemed as a player. Pantomime character. More than 350 Premier League games and captained four clubs. Keeps a book about all matches and what the Managers said.
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1:02:09
Paul Fernie: English Sporting Director making a mark in Germany
Our guest on Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast is Paul Fernie.
Paul is Sporting Director of SV Darmstadt in Germany. He grew up in Hull and worked in analysis roles in England before the opportunity came to join Wiesbaden.
He progressed from Head of Recruitment to Sporting Director and led the club from promotion to Bundesliga 2.
Paul told us how the Sporting Director role works in Germany, what it was like to work under Graham Potter and Paul Mitchell and why more English staff should give it a go abroad.
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40:18
Danny Röhl: Masterminding Sheffield Wednesday's Great Escape
Our guest on Episode #63 of the TGG Podcast is Danny Röhl.
Danny led Sheffield Wednesday to one of English football's great escapes last season. When he took over in October, the club were seven points adrift of safety with no wins in 10. By the end of the campaign they were three points clear of relegation.
In this episode Danny told us how that remarkable metamorphosis was achieved and charted his meteoric rise as a coach, from RB Leipzig to Southampton, Bayern Munich, Germany and now Sheffield Wednesday, as a manager in his own right.
SHOW NOTES =>
02:11: Currently in Leipzig. Family have stayed there while he worked in Sheffield. About to work for ITV as a pundit at the Euros.
05:04: Now looking ahead to next season. Had offers from other clubs but journey not finished at Sheffield Wednesday. Need to improve the club and the squad.
08:15: Reflections on his first season in charge. Wanted an increase in intensity, while being mindful of injuries. Was always positive and believed in the players - something he learnt from Hansi Flick.
13:15: How did he win the players over so quickly? Laid out a plan for how they could be successful: pressing, counterpressing and improving ball possession. Developing players off the pitch as well as on it. "A good coach can change a game; a great coach can change a life."
19:07: Having different personalities and qualities in coaching team. He sets the plan and strategy for the week, but they get ownership of their area.
21:34: Influence of RB Leipzig on his playing philosophy. How this developed during his career. "I am not a manager to cross my fingers and wait."
27:20: Has principles and habits, but decision-making is down to the players and he builds this into his training sessions. Risk and reward in the final third.
29:17: Why did you take the Sheffield Wednesday job? Potential.
32:03: Start of coaching career at RB Leipzig as a coach-analyst. Why this dual role is important. "You cannot be just a tactical engineer on the laptop."
38:51: 6-0 defeat by Ipswich in March - took the decision to be proactive and take risks.
40:16: Ambitions for the future.
42:12: Is the owner fully behind the project? "We dream of the Premier League."
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42:59
Natasha Patel: Innovating in New York and Southampton
Our guest on Episode #62 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, is Natasha Patel.
Natasha is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football.
From 2011 to 2019 she was Academy Analyst and then Head of Performance Analysis at Southampton, before leaving to become Head of Performance Analysis at New York Red Bulls for the next three-and-a-half years.
Welcome to the Training Ground Guru Podcast. In every episode we bring you insights from the teams behind the teams in professional football. Thank you for listening.
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