England, Eddie and Jose Mourinho
Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:12 am
I was recently thinking about Tottenham's newfound position at the top of the Premier League table in the football, and the influence Jose Mourinho has had on that.
At first glance, Mourinho and Eddie Jones are very much alike. They're both coaches who believe in marginal gains, in going against orthodoxy, and they have both come up with creativity that goes against the usual concept of creativity being attacking in nature.
But there is something of a difference in the way Tottenham play now and the way England play under Eddie this year. And it's something that, knowing how Eddie likes to take pointers from other sports and his focus on one part of the game at a time, I hope that he will emulate.
Under Mourinho, Tottenham play football at pace. He does not believe in possession, believing that keeping the ball simply invites mistakes, leading to opposition chances.
Sound familiar?
He drills his players in transitions. In fact, this is the thing Mourinho works on more than any other part of the game. He wants the players to know exactly what to do as soon as possession is gained or lost. And, as evidenced by their performances this season: they now know.
But then comes the difference.
Mourinho drills his players so hard in transitions and makes sure they understand the framework for attacking play so that it becomes second nature. This means that when possession is won, his players can be found exactly where they're meant to be and everyone in that teams knows: put the ball in that area of the field and I'll find a team-mate.
BUT, after that, players are not coached on structured attacking. They're given a very simple, clear and effective framework and told to interpret it. What this means is that players drop deep on defence, then burst forward on attack in neat, straight lines, busting a gut to get to the edge of the opponent's penalty area within 15 seconds. Upon getting there, work on the underlying framework means their decisions are influenced by the structure but are instinctive and individual.
He trusts his players to make the decisions that will best serve the team. If they don't, they don't play. See Dele Alli.
What does this mean for England?
Football and rugby have a couple of very key differences. Mainly, if you restrict yourself to very good defence and a couple of pre-planned strike moves in football...it's unlikely you'll win. Do the same in rugby, and if the system is good enough, you can still win a high %age of the time.
So Eddie has done what Mourinho did last season for Tottenham. He's been working on a new system and putting in place the structures and systems for the players to follow. Only once the players are up to speed with understanding the structures they need to stick to can he give them the freedom to make decisions.
There's a reason why few players break into the England team quickly. If there is an injury, Eddie is more likely to shift a player from elsewhere than bring in a new player. The understanding of the framework is so vital for him and the system he is creating.
Amor, an experienced Sevens operator, coming in as the attack coach suggests this may be the plan.
As Eddie's foundational structure becomes second nature to his players, they should start to make more decision in attack for themselves. That doesn't necessarily mean a reduction in kicking, but it may mean the creation of more try scoring opportunities.
This combination of high structure combined with instinctual attack may be the best possible way to break teams down, especially when combined with what is a very good defensive system, a system that can be considered an actual attacking weapon on its own.
Basically, I retain faith that Eddie is building toward something with this England team and the parallels between this team and Mourinho's Tottenham give me hope we'll see a pretty dominant England in years to come.
At first glance, Mourinho and Eddie Jones are very much alike. They're both coaches who believe in marginal gains, in going against orthodoxy, and they have both come up with creativity that goes against the usual concept of creativity being attacking in nature.
But there is something of a difference in the way Tottenham play now and the way England play under Eddie this year. And it's something that, knowing how Eddie likes to take pointers from other sports and his focus on one part of the game at a time, I hope that he will emulate.
Under Mourinho, Tottenham play football at pace. He does not believe in possession, believing that keeping the ball simply invites mistakes, leading to opposition chances.
Sound familiar?
He drills his players in transitions. In fact, this is the thing Mourinho works on more than any other part of the game. He wants the players to know exactly what to do as soon as possession is gained or lost. And, as evidenced by their performances this season: they now know.
But then comes the difference.
Mourinho drills his players so hard in transitions and makes sure they understand the framework for attacking play so that it becomes second nature. This means that when possession is won, his players can be found exactly where they're meant to be and everyone in that teams knows: put the ball in that area of the field and I'll find a team-mate.
BUT, after that, players are not coached on structured attacking. They're given a very simple, clear and effective framework and told to interpret it. What this means is that players drop deep on defence, then burst forward on attack in neat, straight lines, busting a gut to get to the edge of the opponent's penalty area within 15 seconds. Upon getting there, work on the underlying framework means their decisions are influenced by the structure but are instinctive and individual.
He trusts his players to make the decisions that will best serve the team. If they don't, they don't play. See Dele Alli.
What does this mean for England?
Football and rugby have a couple of very key differences. Mainly, if you restrict yourself to very good defence and a couple of pre-planned strike moves in football...it's unlikely you'll win. Do the same in rugby, and if the system is good enough, you can still win a high %age of the time.
So Eddie has done what Mourinho did last season for Tottenham. He's been working on a new system and putting in place the structures and systems for the players to follow. Only once the players are up to speed with understanding the structures they need to stick to can he give them the freedom to make decisions.
There's a reason why few players break into the England team quickly. If there is an injury, Eddie is more likely to shift a player from elsewhere than bring in a new player. The understanding of the framework is so vital for him and the system he is creating.
Amor, an experienced Sevens operator, coming in as the attack coach suggests this may be the plan.
As Eddie's foundational structure becomes second nature to his players, they should start to make more decision in attack for themselves. That doesn't necessarily mean a reduction in kicking, but it may mean the creation of more try scoring opportunities.
This combination of high structure combined with instinctual attack may be the best possible way to break teams down, especially when combined with what is a very good defensive system, a system that can be considered an actual attacking weapon on its own.
Basically, I retain faith that Eddie is building toward something with this England team and the parallels between this team and Mourinho's Tottenham give me hope we'll see a pretty dominant England in years to come.