đSoung of License
The Concert in Central Park
A perspective on a player I like who just joined West Ham.
Or, well, that I grew up to like.
And a discussion in finding hidden value in players because of circumstances, by changing their postcode on the pitch. Players are skillsets, not positions.
Random Uber Eats Academy dribbling box to box, turned into a centre back everyone wants. Thatâs Soungoutou Magassa.
Early red card and DM moved to CB - now a professional, was also Bamoâs story covered here. What was the thought process behind it.
But pushing it further, centre forward turned into central defender :
I did that with Karamba at U19 National level, transforming one of the most tactically intelligent forwards Iâve coached from a striker to centre back ; playing two years up against the best team in the country in 2020
Shutting down the forward everyone was talking about in Europe.
The musical tapestry is the incredible âThe Concert in Central Parkâ that gathered half a million people in Central Park in 1981.
How many words, like silent raindrops fell and echoed in the wells of silence when it comes to listening and platforming the emergence of talent.
The whole playlist exists on YouTube
Gatekeeping players from the National Team
May 2023 ; as I was indulging in binge watching football to take my mind of things, I watched the U20 World Cup on FIFA+
The new platform that allows you to watch (or rewatch) most FIFA U17-U20 competitions, and also every first division fixture that hasnât got a commercial TV broadcaster. Vanuatu, Iceland, Malawi if ever you feel like it.
Who cares?
Not a tremendously huge audience. Least of them, French clubs, all embroiled into the short sight perspective of asking their internationals to sit this one out and help them get results that 35 matchdays previously couldnât help them to achieve.
No U20 World Cup for you.
Thinking of Nancy refusing their own academy player Lamine Cissé to be involved, so they could try to salvage their place in third tier (surely what was pitched to a 15 year old Lamine Cissé when he joined from US Ivry (2011-2016), Montrouge FC 92 (2016-2017), AC Boulogne-Billancourt (2017-2018).
Weâll be a few games from losing professional status and weâll prevent you to get called up for France in your age groupâs World Cup.
What comes around goes around ; out of that crop of AS Nancy graduates, Lamine Cissé, Warren Bondo, Christopher Wooh and Neil El Aynaoui. All left as free agents in the past couple of years (except the latter for half a million).
Marvelous Nakamba, Michael Cuisance being others before them
LâEst RĂ©publicain came up with a ranking of players who turned down professional terms at ASNL - Michel Platiniâs boyhood club.
All levelled up to play in the top flight, or the Champions League.
Gloating about âsolidarity paymentsâ after future transferts is nothing to boast about.
And from a national standpoint ; diminishing the chances their athletes would be involved in the 2023 World Cup one year before the Olympic Games held in⊠Paris is fairly short sighted.
In other words, decision makers werenât there for the last ones in 1924 and wonât be there the next time Paris hosts them. Good process.
Where is that going?
Well, that FFF bent over before clubs and had to call up a bunch of players, some who barely ever played together (let alone called up) in the seemingly endless reservoir of French players.
The Sound of Silence
Soungoutou Magassa being one of them.
All in all, fairly regular top talent pathway.
Three clubs in Paris to reach FC Gobelins Paris 13 in his U15 season.
Now called Paris 13 Atletico - 13 for the number of the borough, one of the famed talent hotbeds (not the biggest ones but still saw Karl Toko-Ekambi, Arnaud Nordin, Souhailo Meïté and others spending a few seasons. 8 professionals.).
The club ventured into National (tier 3) a few times the past few years.
Hereâs Sofiane who I signed from Reims where he played with⊠Hugo Ekitike
making his best young Raheem Sterling impression away at⊠Gobelins Paris 13 in National U17 League for Reims.
Gobelins borough, named after Jehan Gobelin (died 1476) who set up a dying manufacture in south east Paris which still exists to this day, the Manufacture des Gobelins is a state-run institution producing high-end tapestries for official buildings.
Thereâs also tapestry, painting, goldsmithing, and furniture-making in a working class area of eastern Paris
The club has been renamed Paris 13 Atletico with a logo featuring the lime-est flashy green you could ever imagine, but Iâd imagine many people still call them âParis 13â or âGobelinsâ or a combination of both.
The talent pathway in France, whether youâre from the countryside and reach Monaco (Badiashile), from Paris and end up in the last chance saloon in Nantesâ reserves, or get signed and fast tracked into the team to end up at Monaco too (Youssouf Fofana).
Soungoutou Magassa was signed by Monaco aged 15 in his U16 season once the 50km restricton is lifted - and players are accomodated on site.
But also ; never called up for U15s camps, U16 ; U17 ; U18 (the Toulon Tournament is usually the last chance saloon to kind of round the review of potential called up - even Michael Olise in 2019) ; and finally U19.
Magassa was called up in September 2022 for the double header vs Tunisia and barely completed a combined full game. Not seen in the subsequent international breaks
Landry Chauvin ruing the evergreen situation of U20s who never quite settle a starting spot in clubs, and as a result lack match fitness. âThe idea is to review the most players that we canâ he said.
âWeâe also called up players who we havenât called up for a while because of injuriesâ
If you get 28â in two games, and stay at home for the two subsequent three-game windows, the writing is on the wall.
France at the U20 World Cup 2023
Predictably, Franceâs endeavours at the U20 World Cup in Argentina was an unmitigated car crash.
An initial defeat vs Korea, was followed with a defeat to Gambia; leaving their destiny to fate vs Honduras
Magassa did well vs Korea once coming on, and was rewarded with a start against Gambia.
And hereâs the thing. Soungoutou was called up as a box to box midfielder, with his squad number leaving little room to interpretation.
Came on for Warren Bondo in the first game against Korea as defensive midfielder.
and featured in a midfield with Martin Adeline and Florian Sanchez a step ahead, behind a front three of wingers in Odobert / Efekele / Virginius
Comes the third game where France would have had to beat Honduras by +3 whilst Korea would beat Gambia to go through.
Korea and Gambia drew anyway to send both of them through in a non-dead ruber game (9 shots on target, 24 shots)
Magassa started as part of a midfield three with Etienne Camara and Martin Adeline.
After 10 minutes, Ousmane Camara, the gigantic Angers SCO defender chased his first touch and clipped the striker as the last man and was predictably sent off.
Needless to say that for every FIFA competitions, thereâs something new thatâs trialled, and this time two years ago was refereesâ microphones to explain decisions.
Still took ages to make a decision, close to 3 minutes.
Brainstorming in the storm
I believe in coaching experience, preferably meaningful. Not so much in âIâm gonna get in the most famous club I can to pick up the cones forâ but actually working with what youâve got in your small environment. Canât beg for new players, because you actually have to talk and relate to the ones you coach already.
Foundation Phase experience (6-7-8-9 a side football) gives you a good indication on how the âpower dynamicsâ work. Hereâs some of them
2-3-2 vs 3-3-1 ; how do you defend wide areas and wingers?
3-4-1 ; do you play a flat midfield (left right) or one AM on top of a DM ?
And amusingly, also because you prepare your 5 or 6-a-side teams in training for the âunitsâ you want to see at play (two strikers together etcâŠ), this is coming very handy when you get players sent off at 11- a side level. Let alone, erm, two.
How do you layer your team with a player down. 4-4-1 ?
I used to like a lot 4-3-2 accounting for the fact that CCB is the easiest position to play in a back 5 (donât listen to tacticos, listen to coaches and where theyâe give debuts to players two years up)
Then it comes to who would you drop down at CB.
Magassa being the kind of leggy box to box midfielder with a defensive edge, fast, the solution seemed fairly straightforward.
I appreciate I have sat on benches with existing but limited stakes : I could keep things as is, as long as Iâd stay up and keep my job as such - nobody pays a fulltime at Regional level ; but I was keen on creating value.
But I think a sending off is an opportunity to reveal someone in a new position ; a CM at CB, or a winger in midfield.
Taking off your striker for a CB is a weak ass move, in my opinion.
Rennes took off Kader Meïté vs Marseille to hold on the draw and nick a win.
They had 2 red cards in the opening 10 minutes vs Lorient the week after and proceeded to lose 4-0.
I also appreciate (and advocate) for continuity, better lose 0-1 leaving people frustrated and waiting for more ; than 0-4 and seeing pressure mounting.
Iâm also thinking of always trying everything, especially in terms of packing the pitch with forwards from the start (but keeping one off the bench). Who can go above and beyond the âstructureâ.
Break my system (but still find a reason to work hard and track back, which is the #1 criteria for buy in), youâll win us games. Thatâs 4D chess.
I donât believe in setting the team defensively and bringing on 4 forwards and make shit up on the go ; nor do I to start with forwards and end up bringing more defenders too early.
Timing and balance, but donât take off the guys who can score ; nor ayone who can get hold of it upfront. Adjust the other pieces accordingly ; if you have buy-in you have 1, 2 or 3 soldiers who will run through a brickwall for you.
The Conor Gallaghers, or the entire Charlton Athletic team coached by Nathan Jones.
The game went from bad to worse as Odin Ramos (fine little player) scored th direct free kick in TimothĂ©e Lo-Tutalaâs top corner
As things kinda settled down after the goal, Magassa moved down one floor leaving Martin Adeline and Etienne Camara holding the midfield in a pair.
And the vision that was planted in my brain
It took me a few plays to draw my close attention to Magassa.
A midfielder who reads the play, makeshift CB.
From a throw-in, the idiosyncratic idea to simply get in front
Football is a pyramid, the quickest, fastest, more mobile go through. And amongst them those who can handle pressure from behind play in midfield ; those with perception / execution (relative) shortcomings get moved back to CB or fullbacks.
Thatâs why the whole gimmick carried on by jumped up UEFA Pro License coaches who never bothered to coach a U15-U16 team (the easiest sandbox : players are all there, donât talk back and you can demand a full pitch) - or got sacked after 12 games in Serie B with Buffon in goal ; to âinvert their fullbacksâ
Gusto was an average winger, midfielder on the verge of being released. Massive at U13 level (he was also playing rugby) ; other players caught up.
Turning him into a right back gave him a transfer to Chelsea after 30 pro games.
Why exactly would you turn him into a midfielder again?
This is like licking a rusty metal gate in an attention seeking stunt that youâll re-invent the cure to Tetanos.
Thanks mate but someone tried it before you, it didnât work (the inverted fullbacks)
Stop wasting everyoneâs time and project your insecurities.
Tactical gimmick as a fig leaf for management skills (or lack of)
Gusto is a fast fullback whose key attributes are : finding separation, going very fast on short and long distances, and putting good crosses.
Heâs an overlapping fullback. Crowding him in midfield is setting him up to fail.
Maybe thatâs the point, to create room for more transfers.
For sure, thereâs specific skills to press a player back to goal that is part of the CBâs craftmanship. And majority of the time, a fullback or CM at CB will explode because they donât have the same use to maintain a stance whilst being backboarded.
In some instances, the repartition of skillsets mean youâll create value :
One pure stopper, and two flying fullbacks as wide defender in a three.
Roberto Martinezâs Wigan with Boyce and Figueroa around Caldwell
Nathan Jonesâ Charlton with Alex Lloyd paired with Amariâi Bell and Kane Ramsay
My own side who platformed three international and two future professional defenders in 2020-21.
You maybe wouldnât play them as CBs in a four
(but then again, the whole idea here is : why wouldnât you)
What Magassa does here is idiosyncratic, but shows the dynamism and agility to step in front.
Which you tend to not always find with CBs who work more on solid stance, strength ; the one whoâs strong and dynamic will go right to the top.
Raphaël Varane, Trevoh Chalobah.
Stepping up ; first touch with shoulders over the ball
The âballerâsâ gamemanship. Caged football, team that wins stays on and that particular 50/50s will stay mine. I wonât lose my decorum and get nutmegged.
Thereâs strength involved there, core strength and enough force (and control) to not stamp two footed ; yet stay robustly in position (to prevent the knee to crack open like a cold beer).
A clean left foot pass, ankle flexibility and hit in the middle of the ball.
The sort of âankle flexibilityâ that you usually find with a strong foot, rarely with a left foot (even less with accuracy).
Narrow streets of cobblestone
One of the self expanatory reasons to play a CM at the back is that they have more time and space to ping a pass
The ping toward a fullback is still excellent and fluid, relaxed motion and follow throughh
Another example later : see the consistent motion and follow up
You also get the quick decision making to time a release and bait opponents, which you donât really do at CB. Not because you canât draw an opponent to press you, but because heâs usually covered by someone who will jump the receiver .
Quick release delayed at the last minute to find Etienne Camara
Another instance, with a sharp release with the inside of the foot, kissing the pressing run that could block off the passing lane
The difference between that and a regular âleft foot pass round the cornerâ is definitely the speed you can hit the pass with.
Bend with the left, an you need to weight it, because an overhit pass wonât have time to start spinning to stay inbounds. A right foot punched pass can be hit a bit harder to meet the team mateâs run. A diagonal first touch is a tad easier (because of the force in it)
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
To win a header with an impressive leap. If you win headers, you can play at the back.
If you canât, the opposition with pin their best headers against your worst one.
That split the night
Building up a match up also works via these âplausible denialâ fouls to go through people, and pretend it was just lack of cooridination.
Aim : âmake yourself feltâ to the centre forward (who will either start getting at it, or chicken out and ask the ball away from dangerous areas). Football was played before tacticos.
Nothing malicious, just crash into a player
Making sure to absorb the contact (wthout elbowing) by bumping into the player
Quick glance to test the refereeâs limits : will he get angry, or pretend he didnât see it.
Players will extend refsâ boundaries of whatâs tolerated (because then refs will play a silly catch up of âI canât call this one if I didnât call the previous one'â and over compensate the last decision until the game escalades in nonsense - or they start using their cards.
The correlation between not booking the first big oul at U19 level, and games ending up in a free for all is too high to be ignored. I always knew the color, not the one of the cards, based on the opening dozen of minutes did unfold.
Written on the subway walls
of the corridor of uncertainty.
On the subsequent cross : can you get on toes, side on, and defend the near post area?
Thatâs what Magassa does as second nature
Take my arms that I might reach you
2v2 is a matter of universal playing principles. Pick the runners.
Thatâs not âtacticsâ ; or maybe, it *is* tactics.
Always amusing that players (say Marc Cucurella) are said to be able to interpret complex tactical roles ; yet are incapable to defend a 2v2 properly.
If my bartender canât prepare a Whisky Coca-Cola ; Iâm proably not trusting him to do anything else.
Magassa telling Varela to pick the runner in the channel
So he can change direction cleanly
I didnât find much use for this :
Chelsea signed Aaron Anselmino for $25 million, on the back of 3 hamstring injuries in the same season (9 starts) and another when he joined Chelsea.
Trust the process : which presumably and obviously also seems to involve teaching players how to run
Should probably have considered signing Gretelmino instead.
Carry on. Nothing to see here (for now). But Ares management probably waits âround the corner, and wonât have an administrator trip over directional shifts..
For OL, Ares named Mark Affolter to chase up and look after their 425 million euros. Remains to be seen whoâll be sent to look after Aresâ ÂŁ800 million loan to BlueCo, more than knowing when.
I like French players for their creative problem solving to issues encountered. Games are more chaotic as a result of spending more time at grassroots, trying to get signed at 14-16 by pro clubs.
A different structure than England putting the focus on U8-U9-U10 recruitment to get players under âcontractâ to claim compensation when they get transferred.
Players like Magassa might have to impress as U14-U15 in Regional 1 Paris league in a concurrential talent pool, they canât start deciding that delivery or channel ball doesnât ought to be played. Every ball is a version of survival.
A kind of control / cushion between two legs. The kind of skill players know to do, but canât really explain. Just controling and dissociating limbs, just like when you catch an egg. Whole body maintains a stance, but arms and hands cushion the egg.
For a nice lofted pass for Joujou around the corner. Composure
In restless dreams I walked alone
Or in this case ; backtracking diagonally to reach the near post area (with a yard to take a leap and end up level with it).
Get on toes, ready to handle the cross.
Thatâs âpositional senseâ
Same here, as heâs calling for team mates to track back. Not so academic as it looks like calling for offside, but from a âscoutingâ standpoint it appears as a willingness to communicate a message even if the optic is a bit off.
In line with the near post to defend a possible cross.
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
In which case, a player able to nick the ball without fouling.
From a situation of second ball, with France 2v4 in the middle of the park
Before being able to duel, you need to be in a position to do so
France losing it, Adeline (usually a creative 8) loses the 50/50 in the air
Magassaâs decsion making is interesting whithin the context of that game.
His natural reflex as a mifielder is to get to the drop point when the ball is in the air (not when it lands, zere we land, because thatâs too late) - the author canât say âthereâ, but says âzereâ - for avoidance of doubt.
Realises that now heâs a CB and has a striker to mark.
Thatâs why you need to train players in chaotic situation (known boundaries, not whatâs being cooked). Neuronal connections are stronger when players have to break down actions in pieces that rely on perception / action.
In other words : itâs crucial to learn how to perform a task whilst being disrupted, thatâs how you thrive in chaos. You build a library of past experiences, and ability to recognize relevant cues.
These situations are more insightful to evaluate defenders than compilation of ten yarders for their fullback.
How do they adjust with carrier not closed down and space behind
Can they adjust their decision making (step in / back off) during the play
Getting in the starting blocks : on toes, leaning forward
Ready to react
Dynamic on toes mean the footing is close : the player can decide to âactivate the muscular chainâ from the most relevant location.
In other words, if you have feet in cement, or flat footed, or feet apart, you probably will have to hop like you stepped barefoot on an urchin, then when landing, push forward. Which is a waste of time. Clattering the forward late, stems from bad preparatory footwork
The speed at which Magassa unfolds his leg to snatch at the ball, is what you will often find with French CBs.
Duelling is an art, going to ground (on the fabled concrete) hurts ; but even on a 3G pitch it burns (or wound playersâ precious pride).
France love fencing, fighting with swords.
Because that article was leaning dangerously close to being analytical only, I feel compelled to post this extraordinary piece of historical trivia.
Two MPs quibbling in the assembly in 1967 âshut up, stupidâ.
As the right-leaning MP René RibiÚre (44) was seeking for an apology from the 56 year old titanic leader of the left, Marseille mayor and MP Gaston Deferre (Mayor from 1953 to 1986, key figure of the Résistance and laying out the groundwork for Decolonisation) ; swiftly rebutted by the man who was also a media mogul due to his ownership of Le Provençal (centre left)⊠and Le Méridional (right wing) therefore able to literally dictate both sides of the agenda.
Pause to process that information.
What followed in the âSalle des Quatre Colonnesâ at the French Assembly behind a panel of flabbergasted journalists
âYou called me an idiot. May I ask why?â
âBecause thatâs what I think.â
âThen I demand satisfaction - by arms.â
Both men agreed to settle it in a private Paris townhouse garden, with Deferre entitled to pick the weapon and format, which would be the Ă©pĂ©e at first blood ; refereed by Jean de Lipkowski whoâd went on to become Minister for Foreign Affairs (basically other peopleâs business, on brand).
Pause to process that information
Despite Le GĂ©nĂ©ral de Gaulleâs strong disapproval who tried his utmost to get the whole thing called off (cancel culture). Jacques Chaban-Delmas couldnât manage to convince the protagonists ; he who wasthe president of the French Assembly (1958â1969, 1978â1981, 1986â1988), Prime Minister (1969-1972) and Mayor of Bordeaux (1947â1995) also named General (the youngest since the Napoleon wars) during his efforts in the WWII resistance.
Jacques Chaban-Delmas is the name of Girondins de Bordeauxâs old town Stadium
Yes, thatâs my photograph when I was ball boy at the EURO 2016 - Spainâs behind closed door MD-1 session before playing Croatia.
After three rounds and two (benign) stabs, referee Lipkowski packed it up and sent RibiĂšre tend to his own wounds.
Deferre knew about swords and duels. He gloated about where heâd aim at, and itâs important to mention Deferre also duelled someone else.. with pistols twenty years before.
Oh well, last time I checked France is a real country.
"risk your life under the sword for a petty political insult, when youâre due to marry the next day [RibiĂšre would] is not things of our times [1967]â said the Television
For a more contemporary cultural reference
Thereâs obviously differences more than similarities between fencing stance and football jockeying
The starting position is âen gardeâ (from the frrrrrench) with
Feet shoulder-width apart
Front foot pointing forward, back foot angled (~90°)
Knees slightly bent, weight evenly distributed
Sword arm extended forward, rear arm folded
Torso upright but slightly forward ready to spring
âGreavesâ is lunging, Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is âen gardeâ and caught âoff guardâ
Footballers use their upper body and core strength as anchor, and whip with the leg.
for Fencers, itâs the opposite : the lower body is the anchor, and the arm is the needle to pin the opponent.
Some questions (without answers) wrt : Jorel Hato on a relatable (not identical) situation
Hato showing a shortcoming to explode from these situations,
Magassaâs support leg under his shoulder, whilst Hato lands the Timberlands at an angle too far behind him. Which one generates spring to nick the ball
End game : Hato clatters the player, Magassa comes out with a flick
And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more
-having a free go at the back four on transition ?
Seasoned CB FĂ©lix Nzouango Bikien (ex Juventus, Berschot VA and now free agent) rolling the red carpet. Magassa ready to close the door (and show the team mate wide) - whoâs showing the striker towards goal and who isnât
Thatâs a 3v4 that is relevant to train as such, many times coaches train 4v2 or 5v2
Magassa tells his counterpart to pick up the runner.
Backtrack, then stop
And time the moment he can step in and block the striker after a lose touch.
Magassaâs biggest trait is his reading of the game.
Some will look at shoulder width, or whether they can carry 80kg on 8 floors when evaluating central defenders.
Well I tend to read whether player can think ahead
Change of direction (curvilinear run)
And crisp one touch pass with the weak foot for an attacker in the pocket
âFoolsâ said I, âYou do not knowâ
A good reaction to a lose ball
to nick it
I also liked that play. Pump the ball on the two forward goal hanging.
Some CBs nightmare. French Academy CBs routinely have to handle that (mix of politics, uneven squad with locals vs parisiens etc⊠442 diamond with Wissaâs brother upfront and Oumar Solet at the back, and anyone who we want in midfield)
Making sure the defender doesnât get in front (the small nudge to put the upper body off balance), letting it bounce
Bracing for impact (shoulders over the ball)
Shoulders over feet, to resist
Thereâs a few deceptive cues to âplay off beatâ
In other words : delay the next move so that it disrupts the striker
(âwhat is he doing nowâ)
To then shift the ball left
Get away, draw someone else and release.
Tactics donât get you that. Plasticos want the ball to the GK, and draw pressure.
Something expanded on the Canvolution newsletter :
Drop the shoulder to break the stride of the striker pressing
Knock past too early, and you get mugged (and subbed off)
Do it âoff beatâ and you break the forwardâs stride
How to deal with a curveball
Already on his bike before the long ball is played.
Jordan Semedo-Varela : sleeping at the backpost, now in Bulgarian 1st division
FĂ©lix Nzouango Bikien : tangling his legs when backtracking : free agent
Soungoutou Magassa, running to defend the long ball. International and at West Ham
The combo : chest + volley is refreshing for a good coach / scout
Albeit probably never worked on as such, but lands perfectly on his team mate
Covering the long ball
Leap to win the ball in the air
Thatâs a needle pass, kissing the defenderâs feet
No one dare disturb the sound of silence
Sometimes you need to take one for the team.
2-1 whilst 10v11 ; channel ball that is
far from goal
ca leave the team with a 3v2 / 3v2
Just take out the opponent
Magassa debuted in Ligue 1 in 2022-23, thrown at the deep end after Youssouf Fofanaâs expulsion vs Rennes but pretty much didnât appear after that, mostly playing showcase games with Monaco Reserves (having been removed from their leagues).
Following his successful U20 World Cup on an individual level in the summer 2023
Magassa starred at the Emirates Cup vs Arsenal at the summer 2023, which is the game that put him on the map for English audiences
Then proceeded to start the season as CB for Monaco in 2023-24
Breaking the chart when it comes to progressive passes, and getting around the number of tackles vs success rate at it.
In 2024-25, Adi Hutter used him as defensive midfielder again
2 interceptions is a lot, and a player who intercepts + plays into space is always worth the matchday ticket
On the international stage, Soungoutou Magassa was called up for the
2024 Olympic Games where France narrowly missed out on the golden medal vs France
2025 U21 Euros
In December 2019, I took charge of the U19s of the club becoming the youngest full time coach at the level.
A reshuffling of cards saw the U19 coach inherit of the B team, opening the vacancy.
After a 0-0 draw against Stade Rennais with 11 players, December saw three fixtures scheduled in close succession
Away at Tours FC : winning 5-2 from 2-1 and two players down
Vieillevigne La Planche in the French FA Youth Cup 5th round (1 / 64th) won 0-5
Girondins de Bordeaux before the break, beaten 1-0 bring us to 6th place
Karamba was a local boy, working hard but who didnât score a goal for the struggling rock bottom U17s (I think he scored one) ; and as itâs often the case, taking heat proportionally to his industrious activity. Itâs always like that.
The French Youth Cup 2020 was a U18 competition (for 2002-2003 and 2004s), meaning the 2001s couldnât be involved ; so I had to make up a team for the 15th of December clash with some players playing with me, and some I knew from observation (after applying for the U17 vacancy the previous summer).
I was looking forward to that, because every coach has different perspectives on players and roles. The richness is the opinions, and the connection you build with players. Conveying a message matters just as much if not more thah the message iself.
Also, players playing one year up always try harder because they canât fake it.
I thought 442 diamond was a good platform to make sure weâd keep a 4+1 screen able to defend counters and long balls, whilst allowing side midfielders and strikers to link up.
The idea was to stretch them with strikers drifting wide whilst far side players would crash the box
The aim was to break down the defensive block of the last county level side still in the competition, on a non league stadium with a decent turnout.
France will always root for the outsider, itâs a wonder how they win so much in sport.
In the build up to that tie, we worked on âphase of playâ sequences - well, tried to.
France is a liberal country, that includes timekeeping that is meant to be a fun quirk if you are 15â late to everything. Maybe youâre off from sharing a coffee with Jean Paul Belmondo. Maybe youâve got an inflated sense of your own importance in the organisation you pretend wishing the best for.
I remember vividly one of my first interactions with Karamba in that session, as he was slacking off finding separation (the timing and speed was off). I think I remember telling him in no uncertain words Iâd play someone else if he didnât fix up
The rest of the session from his standpoint was spectacular in terms of intensity, quality but moreover and this is the think that stuck me : he picked up *everything* at first try
Movement to find space in possession, defensive closing down runsâŠ
As the first team crashed out in acrimonious fashion against a 7th tier team in the French Cup a month before, I taunted the players in the pre-game team talk we had at the Regional League headquarters that we wouldnât be the late Thanksgiving turkeys getting stuffed against the last Grassroots team.
I knew scoring the first goal was important, this is my most worthwhile piece of insight on this whole newsletter thing. Every game, because Iâm confortable seeing out games (My sides only ever bottled 3 or 4 leads at 11-a side, losing twice).
But also because usually minnows play the occasion before playing the game, there was such a build up that it would be convenient to pounce on the first five minutes before things settle.
As youâd expect the Academy side to get everyone on the ball twice and the goalkeeper three times on an agricultural pitch to âshow of our game modelâ to people enjoying a sunny January sunday at the footy with a pint or twelve, my idea was to ask players to spam diagonals and put crosses in straightaway.
We did score the first goal which had the effect of an impromptu wave of air conditioning before the last first half beers were poured.
We didnât concede much after that, beside some deep free kicks from tactical fouls, that the referee seemed alien to entertain the idea of that letting the opponent roll the ball 10 yards in front of where it should be played would result in it landing in the D and not in midfield.
When the Match Delegate came to me to tell me he used to be a ref too, I replied that my curiosity didnât quite stretch that far, puncturing his need for relevance and his unsolicited rĂ©sumĂ© drop midway through the first half.
Probably the reason why he didnât seem bothered to stop the game when I told him that receiving crumpled paper balls from the stands would likely escaladate to lighters, coins or worse approximately twenty minutes later.
Which it obviously did, itâs never enjoyable to see a plastic cup with a cigarette butt drenching like a lizard in a jacuzzi, landing in your technical area.
But oh well, let people enjoy their afternoon at the footy. Not everyone is working here.
You have one job, is to file 50 pence by kilometer expense sheet with a minimum of 45⏠being paid, and stop the game when thereâs crowd unrest.
I remember being on TV, before talkshows and chatting to players who played in the late 90s early 2000s how it was to take a throw-in in Corsica, as youâd receive the entirety of the specatorsâ belongings stored in their pockets. Coins, batteries, bolts, but also spits (you have no idea how far it can reach until you receive one) and believe it or not, set of keys making me wonder how these people would even go back home.
Weâe eventually break the deadlock with late (and nice) goals for a 0-5 win.
Dembo, my right back on wheels (now international for Guinea with Serhou Guirassy, and professional for Lorient in Ligue 1, loaned in Ligue 2) was âclutchâ in that month of December 2019
One goal vs Tours (shamelessly goal hanging at 90+2 on the left wing as a right back, whilst 9v11 and 2-4 up from 2-1 down - nothing will ever trump these playersâ high confidence of themselves. He wanted to score too).
One assist vs Vieillevigne
and the only goal vs Bordeaux to win 1-0.
Was it a surprise to see Dembo being the most decisive U24 fullback in Europe in 2023-24?
Not to me no, thanks. I know ball.
Nathan was my Conor Gallagher ; the balancing act in midfield who also came up with goals, two in three games crashing the box.
The whole point of my newsletter is to open access, not gatekeep.
But if you never coached or donât see the value of these players, stay over there.
GaĂ«l would probably be playing professionally if his circle wasnât so keen to pick a âLigue 1 Academy maybeâ over a staying where he was in the midst of a pandemic and the uncertainty around it. Scored a good goal from right back, on a set piece rebound. Top bins
Karamba (#11)âs second involvement was in the subsequent French FA Youth Cup tie at Tours (that we beat 5-2 ; 9v11) against players Iâve coached yeaaaaars before.
Not the draw I wanted. 10 days to prepare a tactico 5212 against a team that would wait to ambush us on a 3G pitch behind an industrial zone, somewhere in a no-mans land with crowd all around the fences.
Karamba was fundamental upfront with his workrate, but also because he could trap an airbus and win a header against anyone.
Tactically, it was close to perfection with pressing traps and fast breakaway through needle eyes :
In the build up to the game in training as I was looking at different scenario (modelling on Mourinho constructively dismantling PSG in 2014 by preparing subs, change of shape to end up with firepower on the pitch) and in one training situation Karamba ended up winning a few 50/50s in midfield.
Despite reviewing footage, delivering video sessions ; I didnât pursue the idea further (as of then)
I proceeded to make a tactical change at the hour mark : my diminutive 10 who scored the second goal (and didnât feature as much in the League, despite a clear eye for goal, as we were progressively finding a way to see each other eye to eye) had the system kind of built around him.
Ibrahim, signed by the same scout who found Serhou Guirassy was also leading the line in âsplit strikersâ.
I took off Karamba after 60â because he didnât have the backlog of sessions, and brought on a set piece taker.
We opened the scoring from a corner taken by the newcomer, headed by the 10 at the near post (why not) and smashed home like Drogba by Ibrahim.
We could or should have seen out the game. The opposition brought players that were featuring at regional level, somewhat not at National level (they were second from bottom), and thereâs probably a reason to that considering the scrutiny there is on National game sheets when you start bringing on 6ft3 players out of nowhere.
That kind of creative decision making and liberties taken at every level that leads clubs to eventually fold.
Failing to clear a channel ball resulted in a cross, followed up by a rash tackle from behind that everyone would agree to be a foul. And a 89th equaliser. They nicked the winner with a striker going through at 90+3 before the penalties.
My regret given some parameters I could control (Karamba was fit to start, but weâd keep an eye) was to not find a way to keep him on the pitch whatsoever in some kind of Fellaini midfield role. Just man mark the best header.
January restart was a challenge with a mini-break, little time to prepare in a challenging cost saving (Academy would shut down for two weeks).
We played three games vs Tours (Youth Cup with two stoppage time goals), then Guingamp and Niort were the next opponents finding our way back to fitness.
As the derby vs Le Mans approached mid-February, I wanted more firepower upfront.
We signed one of Hugo Ekitikeâs Academy strike partners in January, and I picked a U17 striker to make the bench.
The third time time Karamba was involved with my side was off the bench in the Le Mans derby in February 2020 as I knew I needed someone to play 30 minutes.
Sofiane, Ekitikeâs academy strike partner (whoâd relate to him as âHugoâ the way people say âStephâ for Stephen Curry, making a common name resonate with gravitas) just joined, scored the first goal after 3 minutes but had only one hour in the legs
Karamba scored his second goal in his third involvement with the team, from his first kick of the game. Arguably the worst finish Iâve ever seen, but also warmly congratulated by all his team mates (including Sofiane who didnât have time to put up his jumper.
My playmaker kicked the ball after the whistle, was shoved to ground by the goalkeeper and only one player got sent off (for a second yellow).
I didnât think twice and moved back Karamba in midfield in 5-3-1 where he made some crisp recoveries.
One closing down run âwrong sideâ.
Hey Karamba, protect your goal first and close down forward next.
Next thing he did was to snatch the ball (and the soul) out of the ball carrier like a top level DM. Something Iâd usually take weeks to nail with midfielders.
That, in itself, was satisfying enough as the misfiring U17 striker cristallising critics would become a reliable option at U19 National level.
And Iâd make sure to put emphasis on the fact that he was picking up every bit of information straightaway to whoever woukd ask. But also pre-emptively to anyone else before theyâd ask.
Due to the loss of the Academy status in the previous 2019 summer ; squads were tight and there was a group of 45 players ; including 30 eligible to play for the U19s and B team. U16s canât play U19 Football, nor U18 (for what itâs worth) but a U17 can play U19 football. We didnât have many U17s, mostly community scheme U16s.
After winning back to back games vs Le Mans (2-0) and Vannes (0-1) with a goalkeeper dressed up as outfielder on the bench and six U17s starting.
weâd then host SCO Angers
44pts in 19 games (2.33 per game) who actually were losing pace in the previous weeks (they lost at Bayonne - at the frontier to Spain).
One of the most dominant U19 Champions in recent years who qualified for the 2020-21 UEFA Youth League
With defenders either suspended, slightly injured or trying to salvage the U17s
6 matchdays from the end of the season, we had 26pts - accounting for the fact that safety (I did the math) was usually around 21-22pts.
On the 15th of February 2020 (one month before, and one week after beating Le Mans) I took the train to Angers to, well, film the entire 90â on my phone.
By the handrail, most of Angersâ U17 squad including⊠Etienne Camara who would went on to play not only against us in March 2020 but for France in the⊠World Cup U20 in 2023, in midfield, screening⊠Soungoutou Magassaâs central defence.
Always one or two degrees away, Iâm not circonvoluting ; Iâm charting the whole mind map.
65 clips, another week end brainstorming like Charlie Babbit over the best way to disrupt their team. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
All that footage is from my phone, or my own GoPro ; just using the camera tripod at the club that no-one was bothered with using (mandatory for pro academies, itâs not mandatory to work however, nor turn up before 3pm at work on a full time contract).
No analyst, no intern. Just me, and lonely evenings in a miniscule city (where you could sleep in the middle of the street) making sacrifices to capitalise on and move places.
My reaction was still âdamn theyâre goodâ in their perfectly drilled 433, moving the ball about and being compact to press, whilst feeding their front three early.
Angersâ rise from National to Ligue 1 was backed by a football / recruitement / mentality that would set them apart and polish diamonds like Nicolas PĂ©pĂ© or Rayan AĂŻt Nouri in a way the industry knows how to.
Something to be mindful of, when expecting players to compete at the highest level. Thereâs an environment that leads to that. Uber Eats âI want this but not thatâ
Doesnât work like that.
Well, the plan I came up with was to play a 4-4-2 diamond but this time asking the strikers to smother their âhorseshoeâ (CB-Fullback-CB-CB-Fullback-CB-DM) or âU shapeâ (I refer to it as a toilet bowl pattern) ; by pressing out to in with the two strikers. Ball side doing that run, opposite one tucking inside a bit.
Midfield would be a mix of man marking (for both 8s and 10) with a sweeper DM picking up extra runners. Fullbacks would float and defend half and half ; man marking wingers or picking up runners. And CBs 2v1 against their striker
Of course, jokeâs on Angers because we drew this one 1-1 but repeated the feat 5 months later to win 0-4 in front of all the executives ; chairman, both club secretaries, Ligue 1 coach, Academy director and whatnot. Mayhem.
The training drill would be a rectangle with cut off corners ; and forwards having to find the solution to block off the mini-goals. In other words, exploring to come up with the cuvilinear âout to inâ pressing run. My set up, your solution. 4D chess.
The composition of the front two was a very difficult decision.
Two 6ft2 strikers, originating from Angers. Never signed by Angers SCO and kicked the ball about local grassroots teams. Ibrahim (signed by the same scout who found Serhou Guirassy, who broke through at the club on the back of a 30 goal a season at U18 Regional 1) and Abdoulaye who would play his last game (before moving to a senior team) who I named captain (with the official UEFA armband I kept from EURO 2016).
In central defence, Iâd have a conondrum to solve and came up with the idea to back two U17s against essentially the best U19 side in the country.
Ullrich I signed from my former club Quevilly in January, a tough tackling and determined DM - now a FIFA international for French Guiana.
Karamba, who I trusted, trusted as forward, trusted as midfielder so Iâd push it further during a player meeting where he was called into the office so that I could tell him about my plans to play him as centre-back.
Basically, a DM and a forward playing to years up against the future Champions in a makeshift central defensive position they never played before.
I had a bit of credit in the bank after telling players at half time 2-1 down 9v11 at Tours : âdo this, do thatâ and weâd come on to win (5-1-2 ; ball far wingback tucking in). Then beating Bordeaux the week after. Then taunting them to âcatch Bordeauxâ when we were 8pts behind. Two months later we were 3pts in front.
The biggest difference between coaching decent and good players, is that when you tell them the (same piece of) didactics ; it works immediately.
Bordeaux who were on a good winning streak, properly imploded after the game (we won 1-0) that got them rattled beyond belief. Thereâs so many hilarious storylines behind that game that I might share in the future. Next time theyâll probably re-consider tapping up (and signing players) on matchday. The day theyâre back at professional level, obviously. Couldnât happen to a nicer club.
One Bordeaux player just signed in Premier League, we also had words (or well, he) was very keen to share his feedback towards my bench.
Shame he couldnât back that with a single shot against a team down one player, against a 15 year old GK.
The two attractions vs Angers - thereâs always something when you play a top Academy. Someone who was on the Ligue 1 bench the week before, someone who wasnât meant to play but at the last minute does, or the one everyone talks about
Usually, it means game over, 4 goals by half time kind of nonsense.
They were :
Mohamed Ali Cho ; signed from Everton to Angers, aged 15 and would be the first 2004-born player to play in the top flight in Europe whithin the year.
And a player I clocked after a few minutes - Etienne Camara, aged 16 before heâd move to Huddersfield Town at the end of the 2020 season.
Both professionals - For Sociedad then OGC Nice, and Charleroi for the latter.
Etienne Camara took 5 minutes to clock the man marking scheme and started finding space where he couldnât be pressed because heâd be in between players whoâd have to make a decision. I thought - you ; youâll go far
Cho remains to this day one of the most electric players Iâve seen live, for sure coaching against. Springy to the point heâd actually teleport from the touchline in front of the dugout to two yards in front on every change of direction.
Like how on earth (more like : hovering over it).
Some of Karambaâs plays vs Angers in March 2020.
This one encapsulates the idiosyncracy, yet efficiency and sheer quality.
Some more :
Against Etienne Camara (pictured below) who would then pay with Soungoutou Magassa, the playmaker turned centre back at the 2023 U20 World Cup.
With all options short being blocked ; Angers had two options : carry out of defence (they never did and stuck to their tiki taka Academy 433), or play a long pass on the CF
Very well, weâll pick up that. A clean recovery back to goal without a foul by Karamba
The next play was one rare instance of Angers playing one touch combinations to release the third man (fullbacks) whoâd launch the fourth man (a CM) into space
Trust players.
Makeshift CB, playing 2 years up, usually a striker. Every reason to think this will be a red card
Nope. Left foot (Karambaâs right footed) last man stop staying on his feet.
This is a one million euros ability.
The same Dembo (1 million to Lorient), Owen (1.5 million to Leece) would display.
I canât imagine for the players. From my perspective, I knew we couldâve have sent one player in the French National Team for a U18 camp such as the Toulon Tournament of we continued winning games and empowering players to reach uncharted heights.
Or in another timeline, possibly the U20 World Cup as bench filler maybe.
That wasnât a fairytale, call-ups are regulated (because clubs earn money out of it), but also the U18 (then U20) French coach was someone I had on the phone once and who was originally from the local area. Which means he would necessarily turn up in person (or was keeping an eye from closer to elsewhere maybe).
COVID-19 lockdowns, but moreover sporting policies did a damage some of these generations will always feel in one way or another.
When I saw Magassa at the U20 World Cup in 2023, my reaction was that âwow Iâm movedâ but also âhey thatâs Karambaâ.
Seen casually computing the trajectory of the lose ball, bounce
Chest it over the opponent
Then half volley reverse pass to find the 10 unmarked with split strikers ready to run
Idiosyncracy : a mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
What makes a player jump to defend the cutback cross? See when Karamba starts the interception.
First touch into space
Commit the defender then release
I have a deep hatred against people who canât acknowledge differences, canât accept the world doesnât revolve around their cognitive bias and plaster their insecurities over their surrounding.
Empower players, theyâll come up with things they *do have in them* , you need to provide the platfom for them to do so.
I enjoyed my position then, as I was with some of the most competent and creative people I worked with ; having little (but gradually more and more) âpoliticsâ in steps I still consider as âbuilding blocksâ of my career.
However not âinnovationsâ considering this is a feat Iâve done every season Iâve coached, Mamadou also moved from CF to CB.
Also because the other forwards in that side were : Ansley, Hacene and Paul
And Beendo Z đ
In the following season, after a shortened pre-season (4 weeks) and a gradual start of the season, Karamba started making the U19 Matchday squad as the John Obi-Mikel in midfield, shutting down games. He had two brief cameos, then twice half an hour.
Building a squad has to take into account players who raise the standards, because they appreciate the chance they have to play at this level, and bring a skillset (tactical understanding, passing range, ball winning and heading) that correlates with winning games. Being a good individual matters, canât shift the goalposts or force players into lineups. Team mateâs acknowledgement is what matters.
Karamba is in the team that broke the clubâs U19 record of consecutive wins with clean sheets. A feat not achieved by Oumar Solet, Serhou Guirassy and other Nordi Mukiele playing with the same age groups in years prior.
3 games in 8 days, 8 players playing >90% of the minutes
9 points against
Concarneau (1-0) : back to front
SCO Angers (0-4) : U19 Champions and UEFA Youth League qualified
Stade Brestois (0-3) : at the far end of Brittany
315 minutes without conceding.
He moved to Franconville, then came back locally to play for Stade Mayennais at Senior level.
Announced as a CB / DM but going back to what he also like doing ; scoring goals
If scoring ugly-ass goals is a talent, Karamba deserves the Ballon dâOr.
Stade Mayennais had had an incredible jouney in the French Cup 2023
The big thing about the French Cup is that they provide the kits, who are the closest color to the home side, but usually generic Nike + sponsor.
The French equivalent to the Englishâs next guy who âhad a trial at Dagenham & Redbridgeâ in non league training, is someone who has the French Cup jersey - usually handed over after 4 or 5 rounds.
Reaching the 8th Round (or 1/64th) - which is the round before Ligue 1 sides enter.
They played against Ligue 2 side Rodez (sponsored by Zinédine Zidane)
For Rodez, I came across #5 when he was U13 in one of my former club.
#17 was playing for Caen U17s when I was at Quevilly
I was expecting #10 TaĂŻbi to play against us with SCO Angers U19s but he was with the B team
Karambaâs two mates Moussa and Dembo play respectively in the Netherlands and in Ligue 2
đ«Full of Beans: Ibrahim Fullah
This season, I liked Charlton U21s who are somewhere at the top end of the Professional Development League ; the Category 2 Academiesâ U21 league.
Everyone wants to âcreate valueâ ; but most confound the outcome with the process, and want the easy route of âupgradingâ
If your set up puposefully exists so that nothing happens, a blackhole of creatvity, swiftling expression and identity, therefore itâs a poor representation of your reality. Just like a kidâs drawing of the weather. The closest you get to formatting players, the less surprise and events (and life) you can find.
Players carry their history, their way to solve problems and some more resources that they or their environment ignores. Until a challenge is thrown at them and they find a way to overcome it. And thatâs the story of understandinf the emergence of talent.
It is volatile. Thereâs a strong component of reminiscing windows of opportunities that come and go, or donât draw enough consensus to be explored further
Magassaâs journey epitomises the scarcity of these openings. Couldâve stayed a fairly standard Academy midfielder; until that gateway to align his location on the pitch with his skillset transformed the perception of his ability.
Karamba is one of the players who put me on the spot in real life as a coach, having been part home schooled via the Montessori method and also aware for a long time about neurodivergence (long before it was a trendy quirk) - not everyone learns the same way, but once you find a way to connect, the ceiling belongs to the players, just like the heights they can reach
Did I âteachâ him how to play CB ? Get side on, goal side. It would be presumptuous.
My message was one of unfiltered trust, eye to eye.
Some pieces of individual defending vs Angers (the benchmark in 2020) were slightly idiosyncratic at times, yet well beyond anything Iâve seen at this level.
Some plays reminiscent of Junâai Byfield :
This approach to exploring talent as they present is increasingly against the âvaluesâ (or lack of) carried by modern football.
If you (pretend to) work with what youâve got, itâs often seen as an admission of failure of exploiting your network to re-shape based on your prerogatives on what you think it should be looking like.
Issue is : many people also aim to do the same with a gradually more blurry frontiers between scouts, agents, coaches. Who speaks the loudest, and the latest wins the raffle to push his agenda
In the meantime, people who platform players to create value and solutions are increasingly left aside of the trendy train ; just like the omens before a the burst of a speculative burst. Their words echo in the wells of silence
Listening to the fools on the high street, or sellout scout, trojan horse executive carrying a transparent vested agenda, before actually giving a voice to the key protagonists.
They are the thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
If there were less coaches, thereâd be more good players told me my UEFA A tutor
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
The challenge is to tend to a garden to let form arise, acknowledging the raindrops of identity and expression as emergence of something - without stifling and projecting a ceiling on players - and people.
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