On the eve of the PSV quarterfinal - Liverpool, The Independent correspondent Glen Moore talked with the 44-year-old Dutch champion's coach about the importance of tactics and technology, about openness and hatred and realized that Kuman’s arrival in foggy Albion was really around the corner.
Kuman is far from thinking that in the Champions Quarterfinal preliminary layouts in favor of his team. And not only because of the injury to the leading defender of the Eindhoven's Alex, whose goal in the confrontation with Arsenal was decisive at the previous stage. At the same time, even the few achievements that Kuman achieved in his still poor coaching career promise a completely intriguing tactical battle of minds.
“There is nothing impossible,” Kuman argues about the chances of his team. The participation of football players in matches for national teams undoubtedly affects their functional condition. But Kuman has something to start from. Last season, his “Benfica” first crossed the path of “MJ” in the group stage of the Champions League, and then twice won “Liverpool” in the first round of the playoffs.
As in the recent PSV duel with Arsenal, in the clash with the Reds, the home victory 1-0 in the first meeting was largely key. “There are always chances in relegation matches,” Kuman said. “Losing a away match is 0: 1 fraught because if you miss again in the return match, then you will need to score three goals already.”
This thesis, which completely contradicts the notorious total football, in the atmosphere of which Kuman grew up, Arsenal fans will be the first to meet with hostility. But you can understand the views of the Dutchman, since his choice is really small. “This is the only way to confront European giants like Arsenal and Liverpool, which will always be more skilled teams in comparison with us. If we play tactically against them correctly, we will have a chance. In general, the “kids” in the Champions League are getting harder every year, as clubs from England, Spain and Italy play an increasingly important role. And how much English clubs earn on television is generally unbelievable! Premier League outsider gets more PSV! In Holland, they gravitate towards more attacking football. But we cannot play in Europe as well as in Holland. In European competition rivals are stronger. Therefore, an additional injection of realism does not hurt us. I am not a typical representative of the Dutch coaching school. Following me is the experience gained in Spain and Portugal. In the Netherlands, they believe that they can always act in their own way and play pronounced attacking football. But you have to be realistic. I think there is more realism in me than in the average Dutch coach. ”
Pragmatism is a hallmark of Mourinho. With his help, he acquired more trophies than friends both outside, and, perhaps, in Chelsea itself. Cuman sympathizes with the Portuguese: “The criticism of Chelsea can be understood. But coach Mourinho is different from coach Ferguson, even if only because he is Portuguese. But still, he deserves respect for his excellent work. People are waiting for victories, and with him Chelsea twice in a row became the champion. And watching the game of Robben, Drogba, Shevchenko and Lampard is a pleasure. Great players, you can’t say anything. I also admire the game Manchester United with Cristiano Ronaldo and other great performers. Pleasing to the eye is Steven Gerrard from Liverpool. Each team has its own style instilled by the coach. But the result is produced primarily by the players. ”
In PSV, Kuman, who trains the club from Eindhoven for only the ninth month, has another year of the current contract, and he is not going to interrupt it. In addition to a successful performance in the Champions League, PSV still has excellent chances to maintain the title in the national championship. Kuman previously won it twice with Ajax between 2001 and 2005.
However, the work in the English Premier League does not seem to run away from him anyway. In the past, his name was among the potential coaches of Middlesboro and Newcastle, but no one turned to him. “I like to be outside of Holland; it is useful for experience. I am a young mentor, but I am not going to engage in coaching after 60. Therefore, I do not want to stay in one place. I like English football and what is happening around it. It would be great to work there. Thanks to finances, many English clubs have much more opportunities. So in the future, everything can be ... "
Speaking of finances. When Wim Jonk left PSV in 1998 after playing brilliantly at the World Championships in France, he did not go to Barcelona or Juventus, but to Sheffield Wensday, where his salary increased fivefold.
Kuman has no problems with money, just as he did not have them after a seven-year career at Barcelona, where he spent his happiest years in football. Although true success came earlier, in 88th. “PSV won the championship and the Holland Cup that season, defeated Benfica in the Champions Cup final in Stuttgart, and finally, I became the European champion in the national team.” Not a season, but a fairy tale! In which Kuman accumulated 24 goals. Being a quarterback.
In England, Kuman's gambler talent seems underestimated. He was a powerful, not very fast, but hardy and perfectly reading the game footballer. And his phenomenal right! Long transfers performed by the Dutchman were exceptional in accuracy. Sir Alex Ferguson once noticed that Kuman had such an excellent pass through the entire field that the defenders of the opponent every time did not have enough inches to interrupt him. And Roberto Carlos could envy his wall-blow! Kuman played more than 600 matches and scored on average more often than in every third match.
Basically, he acted as a stopper, located in front of another central defender, and often launched attacks. Kuman does not argue: there are no more like him in football, but in the past there were only a few. Like, for example, Frank de Boer. And Craig Brown, the former coach of the Scottish national team, first cites the examples of Dave Mackay and Bobby Moore, but still comes to the conclusion that Kuman was unique. “I was an attacking defender,” Ronald says. “And now most of the strongest European teams in defense have more destroyers.”
In the Netherlands, he is revered no less than Rud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Raikard. But they once went to Milan, while Cuman continued his career at Barcelona. “Maybe because my family and I always spent our holidays in Spain. In addition, in Italy at that time, the defenders almost did not cross the center of the field. And also because the coach of the Catalan club was Johan Cruyff, who professed a brightly attacking style of play. ”
Cruyff, who was known not only as a trainer, but also as a teacher, worked with Kuman back in Ajax. Together they won four Spanish golds (in the Netherlands, Kuman the soccer player has 5 championship titles) and the Champions Cup in the 92nd year, when Kuman scored the only goal at Wembley in the final against Sampdoria. His career ended at Feyenorde, where he became the second footballer following Ore Gels to play for all three leading Dutch clubs. His brother Erwin, a former national team partner, is currently training Feyenord. “Parents are very proud of us,” Ronald shares. Their father, an ex-Dutch national team player, works as a scout at Groningen, his former club, where his sons began their careers.
Kuman with unfading reddish-blond hair shock, thanks to which he received the nickname Snezhok, is considered to be a tactical coach rather than a psychologist in Holland. Individual work with football players is more dealt with by his assistant, former teammate partner Ian Wooters. In his work, Kuman pays great attention to physical training, but does not forget about technology. “Thus, it is best to make progress in the game. I do not mean circus, this is for the beach. Real technology is a one-touch game. This is what, for example, Gerrard and Lampard handle the ball well. Taking a shell, they do not make unnecessary movements. One touch - and they have time and space for the next moves. This is what technology is in my understanding. ”
With a light hand of the Dutch Federation, Kuman's coaching began with being assistant Guus Hiddink at the 98 World Cup. “I, like Raikard, Gullit and Johan Neskens, were lucky to be among the few who got the opportunity to take coaching courses in just one year. Visited an internship at Chelsea. In the class with the understudies of the “blue” I performed the task with Mark Hughes and other famous players. In general, learning is never too late. It takes time to become an experienced trainer. This is a very difficult job. Heavier than the players. And to become a coach, you must first change yourself. ”
At the last World Cup, the Netherlands were represented by four coaches. England is not a single one. So the Dutch are better? “Yes, there is a demand for us. You can often hear: “Look at what Hiddink did to the Koreans. We also need a Dutchman. ” It sounds a little exaggerated. But be that as it may, this opens the way for other Dutch coaches, ”says Kuman.
Dutch experts are undoubtedly more inquisitive and tactically savvy than their English counterparts. When Bobby Robson worked at PSV, he was struck that some of his decisions, especially substitutions during the match, were sometimes questioned. “In the Netherlands, it’s sometimes much harder to work,” says Kuman. - I played in Spain, worked at Benfica. But only the Dutch footballer always needs to know why he was replaced or not included in the starting lineup. The leading teams in England and Spain have 24-25 good players each, many of whom are national teams. But none of them discuss coaching decisions. In Holland, people are much more open and democratic, sometimes even too much, and this is a hallmark of our country. ”
Therefore, the most difficult work in football is with the Dutch national team coach Marco van Basten, whose straightforwardness is worth learning from the steering of the “three lions”. “In a national team, unlike club work, a coach has to make decisions more often. And van Basten accepts them, Kuman continues. - For him there are no midtones; either yes or no. He dispenses with the Bavaria and Real Madrid goalies of Macai and van Nistelrooy. Nor does Van Bommel. Although their game is consistent with the level of the team. But sometimes you have to make decisions. The most important thing for a trainer is to keep a balance. And England in recent years, probably had too many names, but there was no team. When Gerrard plays in midfield at the same time, Lampard and Beckham are already too much. Sometimes we need those who do not have a big name, but are extremely useful for the team. Like, for example, Owen Hargreaves. This is the eternal problem of the national teams: you can have 30 good players, but not have a team. "
Twice the protector-warrior set up whole nations against himself. First Germany, then England. In 1988, Kuman and Co., on the way to triumph at the European Championship in Germany, defeated the hosts in the nervous semi-final - 2: 1. The Dutch have bitter memories of the German occupation during World War II and of the defeat in the 1974 World Cup final. And after that winning match of 19 years ago, 70 percent of the Dutch population held street festivals. At the end of the match in Hamburg, Kuman, who equalized with a penalty, exchanged t-shirts with midfielder Olaf Ton. And then, holding a souvenir, in front of the frustrated German public, he gestured with a gesture of toilet paper.
When talking about this sensitive topic, Kuman's face takes on a hint of regret. “Emotion overwhelmed. In such cases, sometimes you just lose your head. The Dutch are hated in Germany. And then on the eve of that match, the Bild newspaper concocted fables about us ... It turned out ugly. But that was a lesson to me. It is necessary to control emotions, although sometimes it is difficult to do. " Tone later admits that he forgave Kuman.
Five years later, Graham Taylor's England team went to Rotterdam for a point that guaranteed the British participation in the 1994 World Cup. At the end of an hour of the game, David Platt ran away on a date with the goalkeeper. But Kuman brought him down at the very border of the penalty area. German referee Karl Assenmacher limited himself to a yellow card. And after two minutes, Kuman scored from the penalty area. The Netherlands won - 2-0, England was left without a mundial, and Taylor without work.
Now a grin is playing on Kuman's face, as if the Dutchman knew in advance that the talk about this episode would definitely go. He no longer apologizes. He just did his job. And the Assenmacher is to blame for everything. “To be honest, I thought they would remove me. After all, it was a foul of last hope. But I was lucky: I got off with only a warning. And then he scored a goal at all, which really doesn’t climb into any gates. I remember that the British then hated me. But it was necessary to hate the judge, who behaved in an unusual way. After all, Germany and Holland relate to each other in the same way as a cat to a dog. ”
Translation by Andrey KARNAUKHOV