Australia is heading in right direction says Ardiles
Argentinean legend Ossie Ardiles believes Australia is heading in the right direction in developing better players and would be interested if a job was to be offered in the Hyundai A-League if approached.
Ardiles was a guest speaker at the second Football Federation Australia Coaching Conference being held in Sydney, entertaining the 350+ delegates with his insights into his career, coaching and Maradona, the player he regards the best he has ever seen.
The common theme at the conference, being run at the State Sports Centre at Homebush Bay, was that Australia is a long way behind in terms of the players- technical ability and must improve if it-s to be successful in world football.
But the introduction of Small-Sided Games last year across Australian football fields is a big step in the right direction, according to the little magician.
“100% agree with the idea of small-sided games,” he said after finishing his speaking session. “If Australia, doesn-t improve the technique of the players, you have a limit of how far forward you can go; it will reach a certain level, but not go beyond that level.
“It can be taught at 5,6,7 (of age), but again it-s a challenge for the coach, because it has to be fun in a game situation,” which he indicated was the benefit of small-sided games.
Ardiles doesn-t believe technique is hard to teach, even with older players that have been used to a particular way of coaching for many years.
“It-s not hard at all. When I arrived in Japan, the first thing I concentrated on was technique. If I can improve every player 10%, I guarantee to do that because it-s easy.
“You basically teach how to play a particular technique and the players love it of course, because they are improving and can see they are becoming better players.
“Somebody say yesterday that Australia is very strong physically. Australia is a country that produces a lot of sportsman; they have character; they are fighters; it-s in the technique and tactical part that Australia is perhaps lacking.
“This is where Australia should be concentrating, first technically and then tactically.”
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Argentina winger, was regarded as one of the most attackingly gifted players in his hey day and was a member of the 1978 World Cup winning side.
An advocate for coaching his teams in the art of the beautiful game, he doesn-t believe you can-t succeed with this particular style of coaching.
“No, no way,” he said when asked that you can-t succeed coaching this way. “If you are going to win something now, you need to be playing good football, playing the beautiful game.
“You look at Barcelona for example, they are the best team in the world at the moment, along with Manchester United and both play in a very attacking way. You tell me who the defensive midfielder is in Manchester United and Barcelona, because I don-t know! “The biggest inspiration for me as a player and in my life was Brazil 1970, with five front players.
Ardiles was open to the suggestion of working in Australia and not intimidated by not knowing much about the Hyundai A-League.
“It-s always a possibility, why not?,” he said. “I am not working at the moment, so if something happen I am interested and we can talk.
“I don-t know very much, but it-s an emerging country like in Japan when I first arrived. I didn-t know much about it, but I learnt pretty quickly.
“I like to put my ideas forward and that-s something you can do very, very quick. I am used to working in countries where I know very, very little.”
He admits though his dream is to coach the Argentinean national team and hopes his best days are ahead of him.
“I certainly hope so,” he said in regards to best coaching years are yet to come. “In England I had four clubs; two I was very successful with Swindon and West Brom; the two big clubs in Tottenham and Newcastle I was not.
“I am always questioning myself; the criticism I have of myself. In Japan I was very successful and then in another country I was sacked when we were on top of the league but again for different reasons, which I am not going to go into.
“I think my record as a coach is pretty good; I have won more games than I have lost. I hope my career is going up and my dream is to manage the national team (Argentina) for example, it may happen, it may not; I don-t know.”
The former Tottenham Hotspurs player is also a believer that Australia should adopt different cultures into its football philosophy.
“I am big admirer of Dutch football. They have always represented the top of European football.
“It-s not a question of South America or Holland or England. The point is to have the best of every culture, for example you may have certain Argentinean attributes and almost certainly you should have some Brazilian attributes. “Japan identify with the Brazilian way and Korea, Argentina, but I don-t think that is correct and everyone should be open.”