This from Freddie Ljungberg (via Joshua Mayers of The Seattle Times): Mayers writes about the ginormous expectations on the SigiSounders this year. Ljungberg knows a little something about pressure from his days at Arsenal, and he knows how best to deal with it. He says the key is creating a game-day routine and sticking with in, whether in a friendly or a massive playoff match. Seems to me there’s invaluable wisdom in that simple trick.
Two quotes I’m loving today
Ljungberg: “I don’t mess around, even if it’s against a bad opponent and we’re up 3-nil. I’ll do it proper, and hopefully I’ll get better.”
And this from hard-ass Philadelphia Union boss Peter Nowak (via Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Remember, Nowak is old school. Old school like MS-Dos. Ford talked to Nowak about players’ dedication to the craft.
Nowak: “YouTube highlights are not good enough for me. For me, you have to come to work every day like every other worker in the country. Then, the rest of the time, you have to think what you can do to make your game better.”
But he’s dealing with kids who weren’t exactly raised in Cold War
Nowak: “They do now. I know that it is not easy to train and play for me. I know that very well. They know it’s going to be hard, but sooner or later, these young men with great potential will realize that potential needs to be shown on the field. It’s good for a coach to have a team with potential, but potential will get you fired at some point.”
Two quick points. First, was there a better coaching fit for blue-collar Philly? And then this: Does anybody else wonder how this guy (Nowak) could possibly have had a problem working with little Freddy Adu?
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