When I accepted the position of Acacia Ridge FC first team coach, my initial thought was what can I offer this team and the club? It has been an interesting experience, coming from Europe to coach an Australian club – where most of the players are South American.
My football experience has taught me that if we want to be successful, we have to play to the strengths of each culture. I have been especially impressed by the flair that the South American players possess – it is no coincidence that players such as Pele, Maradona and Messi come from South America.
The thing that I respect the most about Australian teams is their positive attitude. They always want to win no matter who they play against, or the strength of the opposition. However, the European dominance over the years is due to balance that they possess between technique, structure, discipline and athleticism.
This is how our philosophy of flair, attitude and balance has been created and this synergy of strengths has made us successful in our very first season.
The players have performed well, won the premiership and taken out the grand final. We are excited to see how this philosophy works next season.
