Suriname, 7 June 2024. Second match of the second round to qualify for the final play-offs for the three direct places and two play-offs for United 2026. After the draw on the first day, and with the maths in hand, we have to win to remain in contention for qualification. Today marks exactly two years since the Salvadoran national team’s last victory. If we haven’t won in two years and only a win will do, we can safely say that the situation is extremely complicated. It’s 40 degrees at 4 p.m., with 90% humidity, the pitch is burning hot, and only a rain shower before the warm-up suggests that we won’t be burning up. The players with the most international caps and the captains remain on the bench. It is time for two forwards aged 18 and 20, a recent debutant and a league goalscorer who, for various reasons, has been unable to attend matches since I arrived. The rest of the team consists of players at their peak performance alongside a couple of veterans who give the group confidence. And on the bench, alongside the two captains, a total number of international caps that exceeds those on the pitch. Match strategy.
The match starts with a goal in our favour. We are in complete control and the plan is executed to perfection. But before half-time, they equalise from a corner.
It’s time for calm in the dressing room. There’s no need for shouting and recriminations. In the silence, recovery; and after three minutes, I give my diagnosis. Maintain the same pressure and subdue them even more with the ball, transitioning from long possession to a more aggressive style after breaking through their first line. To do this, our 34-year-old playmaker, who was decided not to start due to the adverse weather conditions (he plays in the Scandinavian league), was going to take control of the game with a more tired opponent and in a more favourable context. A few minutes later, the first goal came. The young players gave way to the captains, who came on to finish the game. A third goal ten minutes from the end gave us a victory that was not enough; we deserved more goals.
Two years later, El Salvador won another game. And qualified for the World Cup.
After two weeks of talking about preparing the team, we can only conclude with the decisive factor: the match. The competition. What you train for. The ultimate goal of preparation. After two, three or six sessions, more than three video sessions, individual talks and sketches of set pieces, it is the player’s moment.
The die is cast… Or is it?
Well, no. The die is not cast. First, because I am not in favour of talking about luck to justify what I do not know. I take full responsibility for what happens to me. And for them, I structure the microcycle as we discussed last week. In the recovery session, we focus on video and on the pitch on what we understand to be trainable in reduced conditions based on what we can improve and repeat; on defence day, we look at the opponent’s attack and our defensive performance; the opposite when we train attack. And set pieces are practised every day in different ways. If we add individual or group talks, templates in the dressing room to see the position in set pieces, plus analysis of our opponents, what else can be added? Many things. And my responsibility is to be at the service of the players before we go out so that everyone is clear about the plan, their starting positions and set pieces, and that my confidence is theirs. Once on the pitch, with the ball rolling on the grass, I have to be focused on seeing what is working in our favour and what is not, and how to give the players ideas so that they continue to insist on what is working and make what is not working work.
The initial ideas
The initial ideas were more about how to surprise the opponent, since my team always played for the same objectives from the same basic positioning at key moments in the game. From there, the game opened up, and our knowledge of the opponent was useful in exploiting their weaknesses through our dynamics. As our idea was not going to change in essence, but was open to specific modifications, the tools at my disposal to help the player focused mainly on two things:
- Player modifications: while maintaining the same system, a player with different characteristics could change the course of the game.
- Tactical variation: the team started with a 1352 base formation trained from day one, to which a player from the 5 line could be added to the forward line, turning it into a 1343. With that single modification plus the changes in player characteristics, the different combination of variations was enormous, and it did not affect the dynamics of the game patterns or the trained habits in the slightest.
Variations and changes. Anything else?
If the match does not change due to tactical modifications or new players, there are many other complementary factors that the coach can influence to help the team achieve the desired result.
- With five substitutions per match under the Qatar World Cup rule, there are many possibilities for giving the team a boost. Five players are half the team. One half could be worn out in the first half and have practically a new team in the second half. Intelligent management of this resource can be crucial to the result.
- Hydration breaks allow us to modify aspects of the game that are becoming entrenched. To do this, we must be very clear about the concept we want to convey because there is hardly any time.
- Knowing the opponent is crucial so that the changes that can turn the game around are ours. Against poison, an antidote. We must be prepared with all possible options for change, including those of the opponent!
Above all, convey an image of confidence and calm. Confidence, first and foremost, because each player’s self-confidence stems from the confidence of the person who puts them on the field, and if that person conveys that they are confident in them, the focus of attention shifts away from the outside world and, when it shines, it reassures; and calm, because in an environment where the players are at their peak, the coach, from the outside, can only help by making decisions with a cool head, even if his heart is boiling.
