Is Redknapp proving at Tottenham that football really is a simple game?

The People newspaper this morning reports that the amazing transformation achieved at Tottenham under the wily old manager that is Harry Redknapp may be simpler to understand than most people think.

Master plan

Redknapp has openly revealed the tactical master plan that inspired Tottenham’s incredible winning comeback against league leaders Liverpool last weekend. He told striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored the winning goal, to “run about.”

There we are then. That is the type of tactical genius that wins football matches! I am, of course, being facetious but this did get me wondering if some coaches try to over complicate things, particularly when things are not going well, and that leads to further problems.

Great

The great former Liverpool manager Bill Shankley once said, “Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.”

Shankley also said, “Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.”

Whilst Shankley was obviously understating the tactical ability he possessed and the fabulous way he got his Liverpool team to play, I wonder if there is a strong element of truth in what he said?

Sleepless nights

If a team hits a bad run of form, which all teams will do at some stage, the manager and coaches will have sleepless nights trying to work out what is going wrong and how to put it right. They will think of new formations, new players, players in different positions, new ways of creating space, new routines at set plays and new ways of trying to do absolutely everything to put things right.

The players then become a little confused about what is expected of them and what the manager actually wants to happen. That confusion shows itself very clearly on the pitch and the hoped for improvement doesn’t materialise. In fact, things get worse, because the manager and coaches have got themselves in a position where they are asking players to do things differently and often in a way in which they are not comfortable.

No chance

Results will get worse and confidence will drain away. As everyone knows, a team without confidence have got no chance. Fitness in the head is as crucial as fitness in the rest of the body.

Look at what was going on at Tottenham in the last few weeks of Juande Ramos’ tenure as manager. The team played all sorts of different formations. Their big signings, David Bentley and Luca Modric were being used in a variety of roles and certainly in Bentley’s case. Wasn’t even on the pitch at times.

Understandable

It was totally understandable that Ramos would be trying everything he could to put an end to the alarming slide his team were suffering, but in the confusion, it seemed like he was making things worse, not better.

Then, along comes Harry Redknapp. He picks the team with David Bentley in his favourite and best position on the right and tells him to get crosses and shots in. He plays Modric in his favourite and best position of being an attacking playmaker and tells him to make the team tick.

Banter

He creates an atmosphere around the camp where he tells everyone how good they are and encourages everyone to engage in the good old football banter that dressing rooms thrive on.

Then he puts his team on the pitch with a clear message and everyone knows exactly what is expected of them. He may have even quoted Shanks and said something like, “Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass.”

Players respond

With a clear head and a better understanding of what is going on, the players respond and play football the way that everyone knew they could.

If the players aren’t quite doing what is expected of them then instructions can be shouted from the bench. Pavlyuchenko was being too static. Redknapp saw that and told him to “run about.”

A few minutes later a Pavlyuchenko goal saw Tottenham earning an unlikely win against Liverpool.

I know it isn’t as simple as I am saying and I also know that within the simplicity there is a fantastic ability, tactical genius and man management skills of the highest order.

Despite that maybe Shankley was right. Football really is a simple game.