Blame the Coach

In Coaching by Brock Bourgase

Blame the coach. If it’s not directly the coach’s fault, they likely could have prevented it by exercising more team control. In the short-term, it may be the responsibility of individual players but in the long-term, the burden falls out the coach’s shoulders. Whether it is minor issue like high school players who come late to class after practice or serious case such as professional teams that blow 3-0 series leads, the root cause is usually something that the coach could have resolved.

Likewise, give the coaches credit when credit is due. José Mourinho proved to be an expert coach while guiding Inter Milan to the Champions League title over the weekend. Inter was not favoured in the Round of 16 or in the Semi-Finals but Mourinho devised a set of tactics to neutralize the more talented Chelsea and Barcelona clubs. Tenacious defensive play can defeat skill players who are not entirely committed.

Throughout Champions League and Serie A play, Inter was motivated and united, irrespective of the situation. Like Mourinho’s work with Porto in 2004, his achievements during his time with Internazionale what coaching and teamwork can achieve. Also, the moment when Barca turned the sprinklers on Inter’s celebration will become iconic over time.

For all of the credit Jacques Martin deserves for Montreal’s success in the first two round of the N.H.L. playoffs – encouraging players to block shots, collapse in the defensive zone, and share the puck – he deserves an equal amount of criticism for the dire turn that Canadiens playoff fortunes took in the Eastern Conference Finals.

What a disaster. When two teams of contrasting styles meet, the team that can instil its will upon the other will usually win. A quick team was playing a big team and was pushed around for four out of five series. The Flyers are an entirely different team from the Capitals or the Penguins and success was contingent upon adaptation and evolution. Unfortunately, after a good run, the Canadiens had nothing left.

The Habs’ imprecise puck movement is the fault of the coaching staff because they chose to make overly long passes and relied too much on finesse. I don’t know everything about hockey tactics but based on my ability to picture spacing on the basketball court, I am puzzled by Montreal’s plan of attack against Philadephia’s Left Wing Lock. It seemed natural and logical to advance the puck up the right wing side, drawing the winger forward to create space, flash the right winger into the middle, and just as quickly move it the centre filling the weak side. The use of passing triangles would have moved the puck much faster than the slower opponent. It took too much time to make decisions and there was a lack of urgency.

Like a good basketball team, Inter ultimately won because it maintained a one-second advantage over the defence by moving ahead of the ball and anticipating, enhancing their speed by getting to the spot first. Although the Canadiens were able to counter-attack in the first two rounds, they did not create any additional speed by moving without the puck more efficiently.

When left to their own devices, players will play one-on-one; it requires leadership to unify a team and engender buy-in.