Anyone who follows the news is aware of Kwesi Appiah’s recent “knowledge-sharing” trip to England.
Apparently, it was to sharpen his acumen ahead of the World Cup.
The Ghana coach and four assistants visited Anfield in March as part of a 10-day visit to Britain. The trip also included some time with the League Managers Association and the Football Association’s training centre at St George’s Park.
But he’s never spoken openly about the nuances of his knowledge-gathering trip.
Until now.
“It’s remarkable some of the advances they have made. My interest was not in how they train or stuff like that, no. My interest was in how team psychology and match analysis has grown and how we can use it here,” the coach told Citi Sports.
The 53-year old was speaking to a select group of journalists at a debriefing session earlier this week.
The four journalists, chosen by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (headline sponsor of the Black Stars) as well as Standard Chartered (sponsors of Liverpool FC) were from Citi FM, Joy FM, Asempa FM and the Daily Graphic.
The thirty minute session was designed to allow the coach to explain the philosophies at play in the modern game, linking it to the relevance of modern techniques in this World Cup year and beyond.
“I learned a lot from Anfield, especially. Brendan Rodgers was willing to answer any questions I had and we spoke about tactics and match analysis and many things,” Appiah said at the debriefing.
“I wish I could have stayed there for longer.”
The coach, known for his frugal nature when it comes to sharing information, was keen to go into how modern analytics and match scouting advances can make or break teams in real-time situations.
“Things are so advanced that with the latest technology it is possible to do real-time editing of matches as it goes on. This helps analysts make split-second decisions that can be the difference between a win and a loss.”
Citi Sports editor Gary Al-Smith copped an exclusive session with the World Cup-bound coach which was aired on the station’s Friday football show, FC Africa.
Kwesi Appiah: “Back home In Ghana, there just isn’t the opportunities for coaches to come together and share ideas on how to coach better young players, and that’s what is really impressive to see – that this collaboration is taking place at St. George’s Park.
“It’s really difficult because our pitches and facilities mean we can’t really do that.
“It’s something which we discuss regularly to encourage, and it’s one thing we’ll take away from our trip that happens here that I think is really beneficial to coaching.”
Key points
– The gaffer discusses the impact of the trip on his selection of Ghana’s 26-man provisional squad for Brazil
– how the knowledge gained will alter his analysis style at the World Cup and
-the new things he will look out for in players because of the insights gained from the trip.
LISTEN TO FULL #CitiSports INTERVIEW: Kwesi Appiah’s post-England trip debriefing [More detail]
By: Citi Sports