With the experience of participating in the MX League, Hans Westerhof spoke about young people in Mexican football and stressed that they do not like to work
The Dutch Hans Westerhof He warned that a lot of young talents are wasted in Mexican football, because the player from this country does not like to work with the requirements that exist in Europe.
Part of the blame has also been placed on the technicians, who should work more on certain specific issues with the players, while in the clubs they should be more aware of the youngsters and educate them from an early age. , so that later there are no problems of indiscipline.
Hans Westerhof, who was part of the Pachuca group, worked with new footballers, but before directing Chivas and Necaxa, He pointed out that when Jorge Vergara (RIP) invited him to lead Chivas, “for me the difference between Europe and Mexico was greater. not only matches, (but) players, in training sessions. Especially in the Netherlands, training is much more intense, with fewer breaks; You also have to adapt to the climate, but there is a lot more demand. ”
“I remember that at Chivas I worked with the basics, receiving passes and the player said to stop. I would say, “Okay, when your permits are perfect we’re done … We don’t want ‘more or less’, we want perfection, which is a big difference.” In Europe it is more demanding, I think the training sessions are more specific; 70 percent of the training work depends on the position and I think this is also important ”.
He said: “It’s not that Europe is better, it’s different. For example, there are many more possibilities for your own development … I say, how is it possible when you want to put pressure on a goalkeeper and you don’t know if he is left-handed or right-handed; the player has to work on it, he has to know if the rival goalkeeper is left-handed or right-handed and that’s up to the coach to teach them ”.
“In Mexico, often the player does not make decisions, there is no leadership, but this is the job of the coach … Those who understand are the most successful; it happened in both Chivas and Pachuca. I remember “Maza” Rodríguez and Carlos Salcido in Chivas; They weren’t the most talented, but they understood the idea of how to work on those things. Marco Fabián and “Chicharito” as well. In Pachuca, Héctor Herrera was not very, very talented, but he understood. And “Guti”, “Chucky” and Pizarro are people who know and understand what their responsibility as players is “.
Without fear of being wrong, he said that talented Mexican footballers stayed on shore because they do not like to work as they should: “For example, I asked the Pachuca grassroots players:“ Who wants to play in Europe? ? ‘… Everyone! … ‘Who is studying English? ‘… No one! … You want a lot, but you also have to do a lot ”.
He added: “I worked for three years in Ajax, I worked with young people; they have no problems in their own lives, they are pretentious, they know what is good for them and also for the club. Last year, Ajax sold players for $ 121 billion, which is not only an advantage for the player, but also for the club.
THOSE WHO DO NOT WORK, DO NOT GO TO EUROPE
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 them questions too … For example, do you know Héctor Reynoso? He was a player with much less talent, but with a much better attitude. I have a lot of admiration for him, because he asked me, “What do I have to do to be a starter?” And I said, “Hector, it’s difficult, my friend, because ‘Maza’ and Carlos Salcido play because they’re fast. You are a very good boy, a very good player, but you lack speed. ‘And in every workout, before training, speed training started, sprinting. And he didn’t play in Europe, but he lasted in the First Division for many years, due to his attitude “.
“And the much more talented ‘Bofo’ had a much less attitude. And that’s why he never played at a high level and never left for Europe. I tell you that this is the responsibility of the coach, but also of the board of directors and the federation, because in Mexico the qualification to be a coach is not enough ”.
– Are you aware of the indiscipline of the players in Chivas? What do you think?
“It’s amazing, it’s incredible. Indiscipline is a matter of education; That is why it is necessary to work forward, 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 like that? The best talents need more attention, but also on the field “.
“Once I was with Ajax in China and one night after the match I went to a place where I had a 21-year-old player: Danny, very handsome and good at dancing … In Amsterdam he was not possible to relax or unwind. in this way, because he was known there, they asked him for photos and things like that, but in China (since he was not known there) it was easy for him to do whatever he wanted “, he warned.
Why does Chivas need to take more advantage of his young talent?
“It’s difficult for me, because I’m far away, but for me one of the important things in Chivas was to place their core talents. There are a lot of young talents who have never been seen or never had a chance at Chivas, because they lacked the opportunities they had in the minor or under-20 categories, where you may have scored many goals, but you reach Chivas and go to the bank ”.
DE LA ROMARIO … LA 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 groups on me and others. And I said, “No,” I said, “the council is not my pattern; Jorge (Vergara) is my boss. ‘They told me that a player, whose name I will not say, will take him out, and I said’ no ‘.
Westerhof acknowledged that it is not easy for a technical director to have freedom of action and gave the example of Romario, whom he led at PSV in 1992.: “I remember this (before one of the many indiscipline of the Brazilian):” Romario out, you are not a beginner. ” And the managers told me, ‘Yeah, 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 council says that if it’s worth 200 million dollars, ‘it’s better to go to the bank”.
“Why did you leave Necaxa?”
“There they just wanted to use the first team, none of them wanted to use the basic forces. And they didn’t pay part of the coaching staff. I paid my coaching staff, but also the people who worked in the basic forces. Sometimes he paid the rent for 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 painting and especially with Pérez Teuffer. It was very difficult to work with him, but he is gone “.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BE A COACH?
On another subject, Hans Westerhof urged Mexican technicians to better prepare: “In most countries, such as England, Spain, the Netherlands, you have to study for at least five or six years to get a license to train. in the First Division … Mexico, of course, Paco Palencia worked with different coaches; He went to Barcelona, he thought he was ready to train and he is not, because the job of coach is very complicated. He has to do a lot of training sessions and deal with locker 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 quoted Frank de Boer and Ronald Koeman, who started similarly, leading junior ranks and assistants, before succeeding as coaches.: “Technicians have to carry out a process, think long term; it’s not that easy. “
“What taste did Mexico leave in your mouth?”
“It is my second country. My son is in Pachuca; I usually go to Pachuca twice a year to help the head coaches talk to Paulo Pezzolano. And I have many friends in Guadalajara. Too bad that in Europe, in the Netherlands, there is news from Mexico, almost always about drug trafficking and others. Because I see Mexico in a different way: good people, good country ”.