"We want to support our coaches"

“Over the past 10 years, I coached numerous teams and I definitely feel best when standing by the pitch. Nonetheless, the academy needs me to focus solely on its coordination which I have been involved in since a couple of years ago. Our goals are to improve the development and training of our coaching staff and optimize the whole training process, and that needs constant attention and devotion,” explained the Portuguese coach who, last year, led the oldest players training in Poznan.

So far, Carvalho concentrated on the Poznan-based part of Lech’s academy. Apart from coaching one of the teams, he also overlooked the remaining 10 youth squads and worked on developing the training methodology and program in Poznan. Now the Portuguese will no longer regularly appear by the sidelines, but apart from that, his job will remain similar except for being significantly more intense. “Our coaching staff is very young hence they need our attention, frequent interaction and help. Our aim is not only to support our coaches with professional advice, training session and match observations, but also through development courses, workshops, and internships,” explained the academy’s vice-director.

The Portuguese will also overlook the players’ transition from the Poznan-based academy teams to Wronki which means that we will cooperate closely with coaches Marcin Kardela and Jędrzej Łągiewka. “The transition is a crucial moment in the coaching process and a difficult period for the players themselves because their life changes significantly – they leave their homes, become more independent, have to prepare themselves for training sessions and motivate themselves to study, as well as take care of themselves and each other whilst managing their free time. Of course, they are being guided and supported by an experienced and developed team of professionals who help the players adapt to a new life in Wronki. Nonetheless, this period requires synergy and coordination, as well as improvement in communication between Poznan and Wronki. The U-15 team in Wronki is a role model for the under-15s in Poznan. Aside from that, the plans and schedules of the two teams interfuse; the two squads travel to matches together and occasionally swap players which is why my presence at training groupings, matches, and everyday sessions is essential,” explained Carvalho.

When it comes to the training program, the former coach emphasized that he’s not expecting nor planning any revolutionary changes. “The coaching process occasionally requires corrections, modifications, and sometimes even revolutionary changes. Over the past 3 years, we have been putting into life a new training program that was developed by the methodology department with a special focus on the feedback received from coaching staff and current global trends. The methodology staff we analyse critically our training systems and introduce changes where necessary. We have recently noticed the increasing importance of human development as opposed to player development, hence our coaching will, from now on, employ a more holistic approach. In addition, we have been focusing more on the technical aspects of working with youth; for instance, we introduced an extra coaching session devoted solely to that topic. The ultimate goal is to prepare the players who are about to transition from Poznan to Wronki in the best possible way,” summarized Carvalho.