Brendan Rodgers’ Barcelona and Johan Cruyff influences explained
Leicester City head coach Brendan Rodgers has had an interesting journey from football to coaching. Here is what has influenced the successful manager.
The Northern Irishman is the King Power’s most successful head coach. Aside from the miraculous Premier League winning side, Rodgers has constructed and instructed the most consistent top team the Foxes have ever had. Of course, winning a domestic cup and a community shield in that time.
The philosophy and value employed by the boss have developed over a prolonged coaching career, going through a myriad of roles, and has been influenced heavily by particular individuals and perspectives. Let us have a brief look at those facets.
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Brendan Rodgers: a focus on development
There are a plethora in variety of coaching styles. I like to understand there as tactical, motivational, developmental, and authority styles of management. Pep Guardiola is your tactician, Jurgen Klopp your motivator, Jose Mourinho your authority; historically, Johan Cruyff was the developer.
Rodgers was interviewed by The Coaches’ Voice, and touched on how his career led more towards the developmental style:
"“I was a lover of the European game. I loved what Johan Cruyff brought Barcelona. I also admired Sevilla, and Valencia, who have an inherent belief in young players”"
That was the key point I took away from the interview. Before then, the gaffer had been convinced to go into coaching by Kevin Dillon – a Newcastle coach – who had held the same philosophy as all those he mentioned. Sevilla, Ajax, Barcelona, etc. all have strong academies and a concrete pathway for youth towards the senior side.
With Barcelona, Cruyff was passionate in the development of La Masia, and the style he employed influenced Rodgers immensely. La Masia is a footballing academy, but in the same it is an academic institution, living accommodation, and principally a social environment.
From working as an academy director to managing youth teams at Reading, then getting into senior management, Leicester’s head coach was always youth-minded. He has been around academies and a part of that development pathway all his career.
Even at Chelsea under Mourinho, the Foxes’ boss worked with Neil Bath to create a pathway which could create world class talent. An intense focus on footballing aesthetics and instructing technical ability formed the foundation of the coaching philosophy, and we see the impacts of this here at the King Power.
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An intense 4-3-3 drifting into a 4-4-2 in defence, high pressing, possession recycling, and a lot of youthful players. The hallmarks of Rodgers are laid in the influences of greats and in a long apprenticeship. It seems fitting with the likes of Sammy Braybrooke, Tawanda Maswanhise, and Joe Wormleighton that the head coach could look to improve even more youthful talent for Leicester City.