Niko Kovac Quotes

Normally I keep criticism of my players inside but sometimes people need to know what the manager is thinking.

You don't have to be popular with the players to be a good manager or coach.

One of the things I like to do is let the players play and the coaches coach.

I am very lucky that Julen Lopetegui gives me total freedom to move where I like.

As a coach you're able to have better relationships with the players because you're not picking the team.

I can't figure out how you can hire a coach and tell him how you want him to play.

When you want to be a good coach you have to have the full package, that's for sure. I don't believe that you always have to punish or instil fear into players like the old days.

My idea is to know every player and to know, also, the personality of the players.

When I was coach at Ajax, in the first half of the season, the players needed time to adapt to me, to know who I am as a person and as a coach.

What I like about Pochettino is the way that he looks in control. He is in control of his players, in control of the way that they play.

That is what it is like with Pep. At first, you don't understand. But then you grow up, you work, and now we understand the things he wants much better. It's not like the first season when it took him more time to make us understand his ideas. Some players didn't understand immediately what he wanted.

As a coach you need to choose the characteristics your players can contribute. I don't think it's a good thing for a coach to analyse his team by looking for something he sees in other teams. He has to pay close attention to the characteristics his team have, and make the most of those.

But I still think it's part of the skill of being a coach or manager - to know who responds to what. And some players do respond to a rollicking. If it needs to be done, you have to do it. As a player, that wasn't necessarily me.

I think there will be one overarching coach for Tests and one-day cricket. I think you need one person in control and in charge of that environment. Also it's important for people to know I am not going to be playing a tracksuited role. The execution of strategy is over to the captain and coach as it always has been.

Pep is not the best coach in the world. I prefer Mourinho. He is the No.1, because Mourinho is more transparent and more direct than Guardiola.

I think the 20-year-old me from that time, if I could have been managed under Jurgen Klopp, I'd have benefitted.

I don't know why Mourinho didn't trust me.

From Rick Adelman to Kevin McHale, it was a big difference. Things are a lot stricter with McHale, and with Rick, things are a lot different, offensively, defensively. You go from being successful as hell with one coach and being comfortable with the coach to, yes, I was really successful with Kevin McHale, but I just didn't do it the right way.

Whenever you are coaching, you are trying to get the most balanced team that you can: balance between defense, offense, and rebounding.

I've worked with some brilliant coaches, and I've taken a real interest in all the methods they use and the choices they make. And I can tell you that Moyes's sessions and the things he says in his team meetings are spot on.

Neil Lennon was a great manager; he really got your team in the mood and wanting to play for him.

Whenever I hear people crying about Kobe yelling at people in practice or wondering whether or not LeBron is best friends with his teammates, I just roll my eyes. You know how many off-court conversations I had with the Zen-Master Phil Jackson in my entire time with the Lakers? One.

I think it's very important to have contact with the players that I will coach.

I always get saddled as a player's coach, and I'm happy about that.

The concept of head coach simply means being hyperfocused on the pitch and team performance.