With the experience of participating in the MX League, Hans Westerhof spoke about the youth of Mexican football and noted that they do not like to work
the Dutch Hans Westerhof warn that in Mexican football a lot of young talent is wasted, because the player in this country does not like to work with the demands that exist in Europe.
He also placed some of the blame on the coaches, who should work more on some specific aspects with the players, while in the clubs they should be more on the lookout for the youngsters and educate them from their youth. age, so that later they do not incur problems of indiscipline.
Hans Westerhof, who was part of the Pachuca Group, precisely working with novice footballers, but before that he directed Chivas and Necaxa, he pointed out that when Jorge Vergara (qepd) invited him to lead the Chivas, “for me the difference between Europe and Mexico was greater. not only in matches, (but) in players, in training. Especially in the Netherlands, workouts are much more intense, with fewer breaks; we also have to adapt to the climate, but there is much more demand. “
“I remember Chivas working with the basics, passing passes, and the player said he had already stopped. I told them, ‘Okay, when his passes are perfect we’re done … We don’t want’ more or less’, we want perfection , which is a big difference. ‘In Europe it’s more demanding, I think training is more specific; 70 per cent of work in training is by position and I think that’s also important. “
He said: “It’s not that it’s better in Europe, but it’s different. For example, there’s a lot more possibility for your own development … I say, how is it possible when you want to press a goalkeeper and you don’t know if he’s left-handed or right; the player has to work on that, he has to know if the opposing goalkeeper is left or right, and that’s up to the coach to teach them. “
“In Mexico, many times the player does not make decisions, there is no leadership, but this is the job of the coach … Those who understood are the most successful; it happened to both Chivas and Pachuca. I remember Chivas in ‘Maza’ Rodríguez and Carlos Salcido, they weren’t the most talented, but they understood the idea, how to work on these things, Marc Fabián and Chicharito too In Pachuca, Héctor Herrera wasn’t very, very talented, but he “And ‘Guti’, ‘Chucky’ and Pizarro are people who know and understood what their responsibility as players is.”
Without fear of being mistaken, he stated that talented footballers in Mexico, have stayed on the shore because they don’t like working the way they should: “For example, I asked basic strength players at Pachuca: ‘Who wants to play in Europe?’ … Everyone! … ‘Who is studying English?’ … Nobody! … You want a lot, but you also have to do a lot. “
He also said: “I worked for three years at Ajax, I worked with young people; they have no problems in their own lives, they are demanding, they know what is good for them and also for the club. Ajax, sold players last year for $ 121. million, which is not only an advantage for the player, but also for the club. “
THOSE WHO DO NOT WORK, DO NOT GO TO EUROPE
Q: Do you think the problem in Mexico is a matter of geography, or is it a matter of mentality?
“It’s a mentality, from the coach; he has to be very demanding and work on specific things, and ask things to them too … For example, do you know Hector Reynoso? He was a player with much less talent, but a lot of better attitude.I have a lot of admiration for him as he asked me, ‘What do I have to do to be a starter?’ and I said, ‘Hector, it’s hard, buddy, because‘ Maza ’and Carlos Salcido play because they’re fast “You’re a very good guy, a very good player, but you lack speed.” And in every training session, before training, he started training for speed, he did sprints. And he didn’t play in Europe, but it lasted many years. in the First Division, thanks to his attitude “.
“And the ‘Bofo’, with a lot more talent, had a lot less attitude. And that’s why he never played at a high level and didn’t go to Europe. I tell you, this is the responsibility of the coach, but also of the board. and of the federation, because in Mexico the qualification to be trainer is not sufficient “.
Q: Are you aware of the indiscipline of players in Chivas? What do you think?
“It’s incredible, it’s incredible. Indiscipline is a matter of education; that’s why we have to work first, in basic forces, to generate professionalism. You need to know that your career starts at the age of 20, and from there until the age of 32, or 33. It’s hard, but how can you find a girlfriend? The best talent needs more attention, but also off the track. “
“Once we were with Ajax in China and one night, after the match we went to a place where we had a 21-year-old player: Danny, very handsome and good at dancing … In Amsterdam it was not possible to to him to go out or relax in this way, because he was known here, they asked him for photos and these things, but in China (as he was not known here) it was easy for him to do whatever he wanted, “he said. warned.
Q: What does Chivas need to make the most of his young talent?
“It’s hard for me, because I’m far away, but for me one of the important things in Chivas was to place their basic talents. There’s a lot of young talent who were never seen, or never had a chance at Chivas, because they missed the opportunities they had in minor or under 20 categories, where you might score a lot of goals, but you get to Chivas and you go to the bench. “
D’Romario … FINS PÉREZ TEUFFER
-What do you attribute your departure from Chivas to?
“It’s very simple: Chivas had a piece of advice, which was to advise young people, not me. But they wanted to impose alignments on me and that. And I said, ‘No,’ I said, ‘the advice is not mine. boss; Jordi (Vergara) is my boss. ‘I was told that a player, whose name I will not say, would take him out, and I said’ no. ‘
Westerhof admitted that it is not easy for a technical director to have freedom of action and set the example of Romario, whom he directed at PSV in 1992.: “I remember (in the face of one of so many indisciplines in the Brazilian): ‘Romario out, you’re not a starter.’ And the managers said to me, ‘Yes, but he’s worth $ 10 million and if he doesn’t play today, do you know who’s out? You! ‘… It’s like Messi, when you say’ Messi to the bank ‘, the proposal says that if he’s worth $ 200 million, “it’s better that you go to the bank”.
Q: Why did you leave Necaxa?
“Here they just wanted me to use the first team, none of them wanted me to use the basic forces. And they didn’t pay him apart from the coaching staff. I paid my coaching staff, but also people who worked to the basic forces. Sometimes I paid the rent of a coach’s house, because the club didn’t want to pay. That’s why in November (2007) I said, ‘I’m leaving.’
“I had no problems with my coaching staff or my players; I had problems with the management and especially with Pérez Teuffer. It was very difficult to work with him, but that is a long time ago.”
WHAT DOES IT NEED TO BE A COACH?
On another topic, Hans Westerhof urged coaches in Mexico to prepare better: “In most countries, such as England, Spain, the Netherlands, you have to study at least five or six years to have the license to train in the first Division … In Mexico, of course, Paco Palència worked with different coaches, he went to Barcelona, he thought he was ready to train and it’s not like that, because the job of a coach is very complicated. He has to do a lot of training and manage changing rooms with a lot of problems, and talk to managers, to the press, to go through things that are so important for a technical director. “
He cited Frank de Boer and Ronald Koeman, who began similarly, leading minor categories and being auxiliaries, before succeeding as coaches.: “Technicians have to take a process, think long term; it’s not that easy.”
Q: What taste did Mexico leave you with?
“It’s my second country. My son is in Pachuca; I usually go to Pachuca twice a year to help the head coaches, to talk to Paulo Pezzolano. And I have a lot of friends in Guadalajara too. What a pity that in Europe, in Holland, there’s news from Mexico, almost always from narco and stuff. Because I see Mexico in a different way: good people, good country. “