Chapter 557 - 487: Tactical Periodization
Chen Yu discovered that Mourinho was an incredibly curious person. He was very interested in the various pieces of equipment in the rehabilitation center, wanting to personally try almost every new machine he saw.
He had also heard about the various high-tech devices, as many teams in Europe had begun using them over the past two years, thanks to media reports.
Of course, a poor team like Porto couldn’t afford them.
Still, the tour was an eye-opening experience for Mourinho, especially when it came to Chen Yu’s concepts of training and rehabilitation.
"Chen, compared to you, my team doctor is like an infant who has just learned to walk."
Mourinho silently compared the skill level of Porto’s medical team and sighed with sincere admiration.
Before Chen Yu could speak, Mourinho continued, "Chen, I know you’ve rejected many teams in Europe."
Real Madrid, Inter, AC Milan, Bayern, Manchester United... the list of teams Chen Yu had turned down was filled with giants.
"But I can sense that you’re a man with great ideas and ambition. You have your own dream, and you’re constantly working towards it. So, would you like to come to Chelsea? We have the financial resources to let you realize your ambitions."
He looked at Chen Yu, his gaze alarmingly bright.
Seeing the surprise in Chen Yu’s eyes, Mourinho patted his own chest and said, "At the end of last month, I met with Mr. Abramovich. He was very satisfied with me, and I’m very willing to start my career at Chelsea. Chen, are you willing to work with me to build Chelsea into the greatest football club in the world?"
Chen Yu was silent. ’What, are you trying to sell me a pipe dream?’
’Even if someone were to make me grand promises, it shouldn’t be you. At the very least, only Abramovich is qualified to do that.’
Rather than the invitation, Chen Yu was more curious to ask Mourinho what dream he thought he saw.
But after a moment’s thought, he didn’t ask. Chen Yu said, "Mr. Mourinho, let’s forget about a club position. I have my own business. However, a partnership is no problem. As you know, I’ve established a sports consulting firm with the goal of providing professional medical and training consulting services to various clubs."
At this, Mourinho immediately extended his hand to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was slightly taken aback.
Mourinho said, "After seeing all this, I’m not willing to work with anyone but you."
Chen Yu thought to himself, ’This guy really has a strong personality. He’s so flamboyant in his speech and actions.’
Shaking Mourinho’s hand, Chen Yu led him outside and said, "Actually, aside from the partnership, I have some other questions I’d like to ask you."
There was a lounge area just outside the rehabilitation center, and Chen Yu led Mourinho to a seat.
"I’ve read your profile. Your first head coaching job was with Leiria in the Portuguese Super League. Midway through the season, you led Leiria to fifth place in the league. Then you went to Porto and took them to third place, qualifying for the Alliance Cup."
"Then, in your second year, you became the UEFA Manager of the Year, leading Porto to a glorious treble. And this season, you’ve turned Porto into the biggest dark horse in the Champions League."
As his achievements were brought up, Mourinho didn’t show the slightest hint of modesty. His face was filled with pride and self-satisfaction.
Chen Yu continued, "Judging from these performances, you have an exceptional ability to manage weaker teams and mold ordinary players into a cohesive unit. So, I’d like to ask you: how should one build a weak team to get results quickly?"
The fact that Mourinho could lead a relatively unknown team like Porto all the way to the Champions League final was proof enough of his ability, especially his talent for getting results with underdog teams.
That’s why Chen Yu wanted to consult him on how to achieve success with a weaker team.
He was asking for the Chinese Men’s National Football Team.
With Liu Xiang’s explosive results, Chen Yu could feel a shift in Yuan Weimin’s attitude. His own proposal should be successful.
When it came to basketball, Chen Yu was more familiar.
Besides, basketball only has five players, making team construction easier.
But with football, Chen Yu’s knowledge was limited, the number of players required was much larger, and he really had no concrete idea how to build a team.
For a long time now, whenever he had a spare moment, Chen Yu would look up a lot of information, but he had yet to form a solid plan.
That’s why he was asking Mourinho.
This was also part of the reason he had revealed Mourinho’s identity earlier.
"China?"
Mourinho grinned and said, "Their skill level is pretty poor."
Zero goals in the World Cup, second to last among the 32 teams—they certainly deserved to be called "pretty poor."
However, after hearing Chen Yu’s proposal, Mourinho’s interest was piqued. He sat up straight, thought for a moment, and said, "Separating the clubs from the National Team, with one side being purely professional and the other concentrating resources on developing national players... I’ve never heard of such a method. Chen, do you really think this is feasible?"
Chen Yu shrugged. "Who knows? China’s situation is different from Europe’s, so you can’t just copy the European model of football development. I don’t know if this method will work, but I do know that the professionalization they’re envisioning definitely won’t."
Mourinho grinned and nodded. "Then I’ll trust your judgment. But I must say, I’m quite envious of you. You have an opportunity to build a national football team from scratch."
At this, his eyes darted, and he asked, "Chen, have you ever heard of the theory of tactical periodization?"
Chen Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head.
Mourinho chuckled, patted his chest proudly, and said, "Weren’t you asking me how I succeeded at Porto? Tactical periodization is the method behind my success."
"It was proposed by my mentor, the famous Portuguese sports science expert Professor Vitor Flad. It’s a football management method that combines knowledge from cybernetics, anthropology, and psychology. I think it’s perfectly suited for the problem you’re facing right now."
"I can mail you some materials with the specific details later. For now, I’ll just give you a simple overview of the theory’s core concepts."
"For example, training."
Mourinho began to talk endlessly, introducing the theory.
From his explanation, Chen Yu understood that the so-called tactical periodization theory was like a football formula. The coach designs suitable parameters according to their own vision, applies them to the relevant players, and ultimately obtains the desired result.
It covers every stage, starting from the very desire to form a football team. From the beginning, you establish the goals you want to achieve. Then, considering the national football culture and skill level, you find the most likely way to realize those goals. After that, you define the style of football and the tactical system you want to play. Finally, you find players who fit this system and develop them specifically for it.
The whole process is like writing a program: first, you determine the final effect you want to achieve, and then you write out each step to get there.
"Take an eight or nine-year-old kid. He starts playing football, enters the youth academy, and begins to practice the fundamentals. He might get good at individual skills, but in a match, he can’t string his learned techniques together into a cohesive whole, nor does he know the best time to apply them."
Mourinho focused on the training and player development aspects: "The core concept of tactical periodization is that the training of fundamental skills is no longer made up of scattered, individual modules. Instead, it’s integrated into game simulations, connecting all the modules into a systemic whole."
"To be specific about the kid from before, he would first train on individual game details. As he gets older, the training content extends to multi-player collaboration in a match. Eventually, he learns how to perfectly play his role in an eleven-a-side game."
"Chen, do you understand the difference?"
Mourinho spoke very quickly, rattling on and on. He probably felt he was talking too fast himself, so he paused to ask.
Chen Yu thought for a moment and nodded.
He had understood the general idea.
Mourinho’s point seemed to be that if you’re building from scratch, you should cultivate a player’s ability to adapt to a match situation right from their time in the youth academy.
And when dealing with an existing team, you should approach it like designing a program. You set a target result, identify potential opponents, find the most suitable path to achieve that target, and then design the style and tactical system. Only then do you go find the right players.
It doesn’t matter who is more famous; everything is subordinate to the needs of the tactics.
The core principle is to have one hundred percent control over the team.
And this theory was, in fact, a perfect fit for the proposal Chen Yu had outlined.
Most importantly, it could be applied not only to football but to basketball as well.
"Mr. Mourinho, when are you heading back to your country? If you’re not in a hurry, I’d like to talk more with you and get a better understanding of this theory of yours."
The more Chen Yu thought about it, the more useful this thing seemed.
Take his own rebuilding of the Pioneer, for example.
If he had mastered this theory back then, Chen Yu might have approached the rebuild differently.
For example, he would have set a clear goal from the start, found the most likely method to win the championship based on the league environment, then looked for a coaching staff suited to that method and determined the tactics to be played.
If he had based it on D’Antoni’s Run-TMC tactics, then he would have made those tactics the core and sought out players who fit them, rather than aimlessly trading for anyone he thought was good or had potential.
He would even immediately get rid of any player on the roster who didn’t fit.
Everything would be guided by the ultimate goal.
Instead of the current situation, where he first traded for Milicic and then started building the team around him.
"By the way, today is the 25th. If you still have time, you can also send your Porto players to the United States. I’ll help you get them physically conditioned."
Chen Yu added, returning the favor.
But it was probably a long shot; there wasn’t enough time.
Real Madrid had made preparations in advance, getting all the visas and everything sorted out, which is why they could come over immediately.
A sharp glint flashed in Mourinho’s eyes.
He had only one football philosophy: win, and win at all costs.
Sending the players to Chen Yu would definitely get them in top condition before the final.
But it was obvious there wasn’t enough time.
"Forget it. They’ve already rested for a long time, so it’s not necessary. Besides, chartering a private jet is quite expensive," Mourinho said, shaking his head in refusal.
But he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. ’If I had known how skilled Chen Yu was, I would have prepared in advance no matter what.’
"Besides, it’s only Real Madrid. It’s not like we can’t beat them."
As he finished, Mourinho once again patted his chest and spoke with a tone full of pride and confidence.
Chen Yu broke into a sweat. ’Those words are just too arrogant,’ he thought. ’I might as well just call you the "Special One" from now on.’