Post by QPR Report on Jun 28, 2009 7:55:49 GMT
Got to admire him taking "Credit" for Ronaldo. He certainly talks a good talk. Now we'll see... 
Wales on Sunday/Blair Wood
How Sousa shaping Ronaldo could help fire Swans
NEW Swansea City boss Paulo Sousa helped Cristiano Ronaldo to the top – and now he has promised freedom of expression at the Liberty.
If Swansea’s want-away stars needed any convincing Sousa can take their career to the next level, the fact one of his former proteges has just sold for £80m should do the trick.
While his close friends include the likes of Jose Mourinho and Felipe Scolari, the Portuguese legend has already coached some of the hottest prospects in European football, including reigning world player of the year Ronaldo.
As he settles into the Liberty Stadium hot-seat, that’s exactly the sort of pedigree the 38-year-old will need if he is to keep the talented squad he inherited together. And, with midfield maestro Ferrie Bodde and top-scorer Jason Scotland already expressing their desire to move on to the Premiership, he knows even that might not be good enough.
With Swansea simply unable to compete with top- flight clubs on a financial level, Sousa must rely on his own powers of persuasion.
In short, he will need to show the Swans stars what they will be missing out on if they turn down the chance to work with him.
Oozing confidence in his own ablity the twice Champions League winner is certainly going to give it his best shot.
And, highlighting the lessons he learnt working with the likes of Ronaldo, Sousa believes Swansea’s players can benefit from the time he spent with the Portuguese national team.
During a five-year spell working as a youth coach for Scolari, the former Juventus and Borussia Dortmund midfielder helped turn a number of promising youngsters into household names.
Among them was the man who has just become the most expensive player in footballing history.
“I worked with Cristiano before he made it big,” Sousa explained, when asked about his time with Real Madrid’s new transfer record-busting £80m acquisition.
“It’s interesting to see him now.
“Our style of coaching is very different in Portugal. We give a lot of freedom to the players to increase their fantasy of how football should be played.
“These sort of players are very special and we work very hard to maximise their best qualities.
“We wanted him to play to his strengths with a lot of personality.
“Working with the likes of Ronaldo can help you understand the different qualities every individual player can bring.
“A lot of players passed through me with the Portuguese youth and it really helped me see how I can make my own players improve.
“Along with Cristiano there was the likes of Nani, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso. I worked with all of them through the age groups.”
As for how that work can be applied to Swansea, he said it depends on the specific role for each individual player.
“What I believe in, is good quality football and I will work with the players to achieve that here,” he said.
“I love to help players improve every day. I have a lot of history as a player in different cultures with different styles of play and living, and that is something I believe can help the players a lot. Then, if they improve, it pushes me to keep improving myself all the time.
“I can learn new things from them and our collective knowledge just gets bigger and bigger.”
As well as working with great players, Sousa can also call upon a string of high-profile coaches if he ever needs advice.
Having played for top clubs throughout Europe during his glittering career, he has the sort of contacts most young managers can only dream of.
Among the friends he can call for advice, two have coached teams to World Cup glory while three have won the Champions League.
And, while adamant every manager has to blaze his own trail, Sousa has no doubts Swansea could be aided by some of the greatest minds in world football.
“Scolari, Mourinho, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Carlos Queiroz, Marcello Lippi, Ottmar Hitzfeld to name a few,” he casually replied when asked which coaches he has worked with in the past.
“I have also had the chance to work with Uefa for the past six years which gave me the opportunity to learn from the best coaches in Europe and the world.
“I’m always open to learning from these great men so I can improve myself every day.
“They are still good friends of mine and I will speak with them for advice. It’s good to pass my ideas to them and listen to theirs. That’s life – it’s all about communication.
“But I still have my convictions, my ideas and I work with them.
“Above all we still need to be ourselves because it’s difficult to try and copy someone else.
“You can’t keep that going for a whole season and we need to recognise our own identity.
“When you give your input to the players, the chairman and the fans, you have to be yourself.
“People will soon recognise if you are just pretending to be someone else and it will hurt a lot.
“I know what personality I am though and I believe in my own ideas.”
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2009/06/28/how-sousa-shaping-ronaldo-could-help-fire-swans-91466-24001411/
Wales on Sunday/Blair Wood
How Sousa shaping Ronaldo could help fire Swans
NEW Swansea City boss Paulo Sousa helped Cristiano Ronaldo to the top – and now he has promised freedom of expression at the Liberty.
If Swansea’s want-away stars needed any convincing Sousa can take their career to the next level, the fact one of his former proteges has just sold for £80m should do the trick.
While his close friends include the likes of Jose Mourinho and Felipe Scolari, the Portuguese legend has already coached some of the hottest prospects in European football, including reigning world player of the year Ronaldo.
As he settles into the Liberty Stadium hot-seat, that’s exactly the sort of pedigree the 38-year-old will need if he is to keep the talented squad he inherited together. And, with midfield maestro Ferrie Bodde and top-scorer Jason Scotland already expressing their desire to move on to the Premiership, he knows even that might not be good enough.
With Swansea simply unable to compete with top- flight clubs on a financial level, Sousa must rely on his own powers of persuasion.
In short, he will need to show the Swans stars what they will be missing out on if they turn down the chance to work with him.
Oozing confidence in his own ablity the twice Champions League winner is certainly going to give it his best shot.
And, highlighting the lessons he learnt working with the likes of Ronaldo, Sousa believes Swansea’s players can benefit from the time he spent with the Portuguese national team.
During a five-year spell working as a youth coach for Scolari, the former Juventus and Borussia Dortmund midfielder helped turn a number of promising youngsters into household names.
Among them was the man who has just become the most expensive player in footballing history.
“I worked with Cristiano before he made it big,” Sousa explained, when asked about his time with Real Madrid’s new transfer record-busting £80m acquisition.
“It’s interesting to see him now.
“Our style of coaching is very different in Portugal. We give a lot of freedom to the players to increase their fantasy of how football should be played.
“These sort of players are very special and we work very hard to maximise their best qualities.
“We wanted him to play to his strengths with a lot of personality.
“Working with the likes of Ronaldo can help you understand the different qualities every individual player can bring.
“A lot of players passed through me with the Portuguese youth and it really helped me see how I can make my own players improve.
“Along with Cristiano there was the likes of Nani, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso. I worked with all of them through the age groups.”
As for how that work can be applied to Swansea, he said it depends on the specific role for each individual player.
“What I believe in, is good quality football and I will work with the players to achieve that here,” he said.
“I love to help players improve every day. I have a lot of history as a player in different cultures with different styles of play and living, and that is something I believe can help the players a lot. Then, if they improve, it pushes me to keep improving myself all the time.
“I can learn new things from them and our collective knowledge just gets bigger and bigger.”
As well as working with great players, Sousa can also call upon a string of high-profile coaches if he ever needs advice.
Having played for top clubs throughout Europe during his glittering career, he has the sort of contacts most young managers can only dream of.
Among the friends he can call for advice, two have coached teams to World Cup glory while three have won the Champions League.
And, while adamant every manager has to blaze his own trail, Sousa has no doubts Swansea could be aided by some of the greatest minds in world football.
“Scolari, Mourinho, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Carlos Queiroz, Marcello Lippi, Ottmar Hitzfeld to name a few,” he casually replied when asked which coaches he has worked with in the past.
“I have also had the chance to work with Uefa for the past six years which gave me the opportunity to learn from the best coaches in Europe and the world.
“I’m always open to learning from these great men so I can improve myself every day.
“They are still good friends of mine and I will speak with them for advice. It’s good to pass my ideas to them and listen to theirs. That’s life – it’s all about communication.
“But I still have my convictions, my ideas and I work with them.
“Above all we still need to be ourselves because it’s difficult to try and copy someone else.
“You can’t keep that going for a whole season and we need to recognise our own identity.
“When you give your input to the players, the chairman and the fans, you have to be yourself.
“People will soon recognise if you are just pretending to be someone else and it will hurt a lot.
“I know what personality I am though and I believe in my own ideas.”
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2009/06/28/how-sousa-shaping-ronaldo-could-help-fire-swans-91466-24001411/