Why are Coaches the Villains in every story?

After watching soccer for almost my entire life, I look back and wonder if I have ever supported a coach completely. One would think after 12 years of watching soccer religiously with my dad, I would have a favorite coach but honestly, I do not. When the trainer on my favorite team does well, obviously I support them; however, once things start going south, that is when the most avid fans start changing their opinions. Even sometimes the team could be doing well, but there is always negative feedback for these instructors. It seemed as though no matter what they do they will be villainized for their actions. Once the media finds a negative angle, they begin portraying these coaches in a way that promotes resentment among fans. For that reason I interviewed Head Coach, Mike Avery, to get more insight into the job and how he guides his team. 

Mike Avery is the Head Coach of Fort Wayne FC, a USL League 2 pre-professional soccer club in Indiana. He was very kind to agree to this interview, and truly gave thorough answers to each question I had. The phone call lasted almost 30 minutes, yet there was one quote that truly stuck with me and changed my perspective on Head Coaches around the world. 

“Players win games while coaches lose them,” Avery said. 

Once we finished the interview I thought about this quote for a while and realized how true this statement was. Avery then went on by saying, that they bear responsibility for the outcomes, regardless if they were at fault or not. The coach could have good intentions and believe in the 11 players on the pitch, but at the end of the day, the person who plays is the player, not the coach. Yet, people always seem to forget that they are not responsible if a player has an off day considering that it is out of their control. 

Avery then stated how it is difficult coaching professional teams since it is necessary to accept that being fired is part of the job. This is a disappointing truth, as all the time and effort these people put in could be undone if some players underperform or if certain problematic issues resurface. This highlights the uncertainty of the job, as a coach’s future with the club often depends on the performance of others. He emphasized that coaches must possess the resilience and maturity to navigate these situations with grace. 

Now, I look at the current coach of the Uruguayan team and I think about how the Latin media paints him. His nickname is “el loco” Bielsa, which means crazy English, because of his interesting tactics on the field. Many coaches respect his strategies and even take some pointers he teaches in his school for trainers. However, fans and players either hate or love him because of his personality and way of going about things. 

Luis Suarez and Agustin Cannobio had many harsh words to say about how he does things and this criticism all started now when Uruguay was not playing “as they should be”.  Of course, many Uruguayan media outlets and players had amazing things to say about Bielsa when we beat World Cup Champions, Argentina, and Brazil. Yet, because Uruguay has not won a game since the Copa America in July, people want him to resign. 

Before this interview, I was one of those people that wanted him to leave. He is affecting many Uruguayan players in a negative manner and for being the best-paid coach in all of the Americas, he is not playing to that level anymore. However, I think about the interview I just had and try to be more considerate. Bielsa has not won any major trophies and I believe that his incentive is to do that with Uruguay. No coach wants to see their team lose so obviously, Uruguayan players speak to the press about how poor of a coach he is, right when his team is not playing at the level they used to. 

So, I am trying to have more empathy toward my coach considering Bielsa is getting painted like the villain of this story, yet the real culprits are the players. These Uruguayan players play internationally and have won Champions Leagues and La Liga so the fact that they could not beat one of the last teams in the standings, Peru, is not Bielsa’s fault but theirs. I believe Bielsa has demonstrated his capabilities, but I think he needs the trust of the Uruguayan people to prove once again that he excels at what he does. 

That is why, in these two upcoming games that Uruguay will play, I will have faith in my coach and trust that he will bring out the best 11 Uruguay has, to beat these teams. Both Colombia and Brazil will be very difficult, yet I trust that he knows what he is doing and will make the Uruguayan people proud.

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