Clarity, unity and a real work ethic are essential to a title push, says the serial trophy-winner
“Every season my team just misses out on winning the league title. What can we do this year to lift the trophy?”
Scott Goodchild, via Twitter
Salomon Kalou says:
“When I won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2010, coach Carlo Ancelotti was very clear about what he wanted from us. He gave us a lot of confidence. He created the right balance and involved everyone, and that’s the key to a happy dressing room.
Socialising was crucial to our team spirit. We bonded really well. There was a lot of fun and laughter and we sensed we could win. We had a lot of respect for each other, and that’s something I’d advise having in any team. If you’re a young player, your role is to listen to and learn from the older players.
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The key ingredient to a title-winning team is every player knowing that no individual is more important than the team. If you have that attitude and work for the side, and everyone else in the team thinks the same way, you will eventually succeed.
You also need a squad. The fringe players who don’t always play are key, because they need to come in and make the difference at crucial points over the course of a season.”
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.
