Antic Interview

[Frogga]

Ich hab in nem englischen Forum ein Interview von einem User gefunden, habs 1zu1 herauskopiert - Fehler bitte net bei mir kritiseren leider in Englisch!

This is the title of an interesting interview in "La Vanguardia". Here it is. I 'll translate it the best I can.

Did you feel like an orchestra conductor whose musicians where interpreting what he was asking of them?

_Yes, indeed. I have no words to explain it. The players are responding brilliantly. This (the club) is not a house where someone arrives, enters and leaves, but we are here, we have coffee together, we have snacks together, we speak about ourselves. We are beocming a family. It has been a miracle that the team has played so confidently after what they were going through. With all the pressure, scoring 5 goals and not conceading one looks like a dream, a miracle. If you do this when things are going well, it is noraml, but under these circumstances it is more than a feat. Our play is the consecuence of putting into practice a concept. We are being given more credit and the atmosphere is changing. This is the way.

Two more games like the one against Inter and they will ask you to win the CH L...

-They don't have to ask me ofr anything as I know what Barcelona represents, I know what club I am in. If there wasn't these swings from pesimism to euphoria it wouldn't be Barça. I told my players before the game that they were priviledged for defending this shirt and for playing an historic game. For we made history against Inter. Barça have won 11 consecutive games in the CH L. 100 years will pass for other club to beat this record. This is a priviledge for the player because he will live all his live owning this record.

What is the main point of you philosofy?

-To commit yourselve to an idea. I am not in favour of numeric systems because football is a live game where rigid systems do not allow humans to express themselves

You don't believe in fixed systems...

-What I like most is when people comunicate with each other and they are capable of sacrifising themselves for the benefit of the group. That is the most difficult system.

The team have improved faster than expected...

I am an optimistic person and my believe is that if you have doubts about achieving somthing you are not going to get it.

Sometimes you need to talk to yourself. Especially when you are down to get out of the situation. An example...When Philck jacson was asked about Shaquille O'neill poor free throws technique he said something very important "When he feels that he needs help the problem will be solved. If we impose a solution to the problem the player will feel uneasy and won't achieve the goal". that is part of our work, to know that you have different individuals, that have different cultures, psycollogies...Very seldom you achieve goals if you order somthing against the player's will.

To convince is the key then...

-To have the ability to do so.

What has Barcelona given you?

-Great satisfaction. I am starting to feel like a coach again. It is a chance to show to myself that I can coach a big club.

You had an idea about the players and the club. Was it the real one?

-I had already worked in big clubs. With good players it is easier to relate to as we always talk about football. They know how to create spaces, why we should play this way , why our body reacts before anything happens...all that helps.

Have you had time to see the city?

-That is for tourists, I came here to work.

Why the Balcan people have a winning mentality in team sports?

- The most important thing is to play best when it matters most, to live for it, and never hide. Technique is not sufficient. Team games are collective sports and the way we understand them is the right way. In my country sport is part of the education. Here is business. From young age, players have competition experience and that gives them confidence. When I was a child I had 2 hours per day sport activity. They say that we Yugoslavians are a race, but that is not true, we are the product of a system of working.

Physiology os very important for you...

I was lucky to study at the university of Belgrad natural sciences, pedagogy, psicology, anatomy, medicine, and I felt in love with all these subjects.I know how each physical exercise affects the body. The training we do is destined for something. If you analyse it with logic you know that Overmars must play on the right.

Is it about common sense?

-You can call it in many ways, but sometimes it is very difficult to do the easiest things. I even feel that De Boer and Puyol are like they were born for each other . They have a totally different personality, but as a couple they can't be bettered. if you analyse problems well then half of the solution is already there.

Puyol-De Boer, Xavi-Cocu or Kluivert-Saviola had already played together

-But they were playing in a different manner. Why the only time Vieri got behind our defense it was Puyol who stopped him?Because that is his ability. If we didn't have Puyol we would need to drop our defense, to reduce space behind it. Xavi appears in the opposite box. How many times was that the case in the past?

A goalscorer was needed and you pull a rabit (el conejo hehe) out of the hat

-I said from the beguining that there was not need to sign a goalscorer, but what it was needed is to chage the style so that more space for strikers was created...

Saviola now says that he plays in his best position.

-Why did you enjoy Saviola's game? because the team created spaces for him to show his game. We all like to see Overmars sprinting. With Saviola is the same. We play to exploit their virtues. Before the game I told Saviola: when you have the chance to shoot do not turn one more time. His first goal was like that. Why Overmars plays on the right? Because I don't want him to turn. A player who turns and switches the ball from one feet to the other can not attack well.

12 points from a CHL spot. Can the team still get there?

-Next game is our first goal. We shouldn't make predictions.

De Boer's improvement is to do with his attitude? Was it because Andersson was looming?

No. He is very professional. No way. It is true that if he hasn't got any protection in front of him, like Cocu for instance, he has a bit of a problem when the attacker faces him, but we try to compensate for that. he has a good jump, can pass the ball well, we have moved the defense a bit forward, and now he feels much more solid. Since I joined I was "accused" of giving too tough training sessions to the players but what I am trying to achieve is to activate all the areas of the muscle, that the player is resistent against clashes, that he is not afraid of distances and that he can improve himself.

Cocu is very important in your system...

-Well, everyone... If I expect one goal per game from him every match it may be a bad idea (laughs)

Can Luis Enrique bring his spirit on the pitch?

-Whoa! I enjoy watching him training. He is a real player. he will give us many new things, more alternatives

Some people say that this team lacks guts, that it is too soft.

- The team is not soft, it is the opposite. The way we defend and the way we play... our character will come. That comes with everydays work

Nobody remembers Riquelme...

-I want to be clear about this. Riquelme is working well, he will have his chances. He must feel useful, like everyone. He has an enormous pressure and all the balls he touches he feels like he should convert them into goals scored, but no player can do that. We are working for Riquelme to play 3 easy balls and one difficult, not trying to play a telling pass from the four of them. He doesn't need to show anything. He is a great player, with good techique, and with some special abilities that I will use when I need them.

Note Some bits of the interview are difficult for me to understand in the original text.

[pepiporn]

super, dankeschoen echt interessant was der kerl zu sagen hatt... und seine philosophie gfallt mir sehr gut, hoffendlich gehts in meisterschafft jetzt so weiter!

[mariodonna]

Noch kann man nicht sagen ob die Verpflichtung von Antic richtig war. Es spricht aber nicht für den Verein wenn man zuerst mit van Gaal einen Trainer holt von dem man weiss, dass bei ihm das System über alles geht. Und durch Antic mit einem Vertreter der gegenteiligen Philosophie ersetzt!!

Quo vadis, Barça?

[Frogga]

Noch kann man nicht sagen ob die Verpflichtung von Antic richtig war. Es spricht aber nicht für den Verein wenn man zuerst mit van Gaal einen Trainer holt von dem man weiss, dass bei ihm das System über alles geht. Und durch Antic mit einem Vertreter der gegenteiligen Philosophie ersetzt!!

Quo vadis, Barça?

find ich net schlimm...

aber hoffen wir das antic weiter so gut das schiff schaukelt :-)

[Thomaz]

Ich bin so froh das Van Gaal endlich weg ist! Man diese kerl ist ein arsch, arroganter Holländer.

@Mariodonna

Hast du übrigens die gerüchte gehört das Frank de Boer und Philip Cocu sehr warscheinlich der Klub am ende dieses saison verlassen werden?

Die beiden gehen warscheinlich zu England oder zurück nach ihre Heimland....

[mariodonna]

Ja ich habe gehört (und auch schon im ASB berichtet), dass Frank und Philipp nach Holland zurückkehren möchten - beide zu ihren Stammvereinen Ajax bzw. Feyenoord. Die Gerüchte von England habe ich auch schon gehört aber das glaube ich nicht so.

Da van Gaal aber jetzt weg ist könnte ich mir vorstellen, dass sich die Situation wieder verändert hat. Gerade bei Cocu denke (und hoffe) ich, dass Antic und Barça alles versuchen werden ihn zu halten.

Meine grössten Wünsche wären: Cruyff wird Präsident od. zumindest Sportdirektor und holt Koemann als Trainer!! Das wäre Weihnachten und Ostern auf einmal.

Könntest du uns bitte auch weiterhin mit den News aus den holländischen Medien versorgen was die spanisch - holländischen Transfergerüchte anbelangt? Danke!

[Thomaz]

Könntest du uns bitte auch weiterhin mit den News aus den holländischen Medien versorgen was die spanisch - holländischen Transfergerüchte anbelangt? Danke!

Werde ich sicher machen! (wenn ich die zeit dafür habe)

Meine grössten Wünsche wären: Cruyff wird Präsident od. zumindest Sportdirektor und holt Koemann als Trainer!! Das wäre Weihnachten und Ostern auf einmal.

Das wäre nur ein traum bleiben denke ich. Cruyff wird kein Präsident werden, weil er das nicht mehr nötig findet.

Und Koeman, der hat selbst immer gesagt das trainer von Barca sein auch sein Traum ist. Aber ich erwarte das er erstmal noch ein paar Jahre bei Ajax bleibt (logisch) und dann diese grosse Schritt werd machen!

[Frogga]

Koeman wäre sicher super, aber so lange antic so arbeitet brauchen wir ihn nicht (noch nicht )