Adrie Koster, trainer of professional football club Willem II from Tilburg.

For the first edition of 'Kenneth Smit meets...', in which we enter into dialogue with people and their social relevance, we visit the beautiful King Willem II Stadium in Tilburg for a conversation with trainer and former professional football player Adrie Koster. A candid conversation with 'The nicest trainer in the Netherlands', as newspaper Het Parool describes him.

Our meeting starts with a tour of the stadium. Trainer-coach Adrie Koster proudly shows the current renovations of offices and changing rooms that should give the club an even more professional appearance. The club is successful. With the 13^de budget, the cup final and a 2018th place in the rankings were achieved in the 2019-10 season. This season that position was improved considerably with a fifth place and thus qualification for the Europa League.

What is the basis for these successes of the Tilburg club and what can the business community learn from them?

Adrie Koster, born in Zierikzee almost two years after the flood disaster on November 18, 1954, was a technically gifted right winger who played for amateur club Zierikzee in his youth. In 1977 he was discovered by Hans de Ridder, scout of Roda JC, and football club Roda JC from Kerkrade took him over. Koster was already over twenty at the time and is therefore considered a bit of a 'late bloomer'. He stayed at Roda JC until 1979 and scored 56 times in 12 league games. From 1979 to 1983 he played 40 league games for PSV Eindhoven, seven European games and three international matches. Injuries forced him to retire earlier than desired. Koster remained active in football and worked as a trainer at, among others: Ajax, Club Brugge, Beerschot, Club Africain, the Dutch Youth Team, the Saudi Arabia national team and FB Stuttgart. From 2018 he has been in charge of professional football club Willem II.

Koster about this: “In 2018 I was approached by Joris Mathijsen (technical director), the main reason for this was twofold, I already knew the club because I had already worked there from 1986 to 1991, and perhaps most importantly, the management of the club was convinced that my football vision fully matched the vision of Willem II”.

Mission

The vision arises from the mission of the football club; namely structurally ending up in the 'left row' (in the first nine) of the Premier League, through attacking, dominant, well-groomed and attractive football. In short, football for which the Willem II supporter comes to the stadium and feels entertained. This has certainly worked well in recent years. A 'sold out' stadium every two weeks with what Koster calls: “the most fanatical and enthusiastic audience in the Netherlands.”

Vision

“I am a fan of the 4-3-3 system with, analogous to my own way of playing football, a lot of initiative from players, especially when they have the ball, and playing from the sides of the field,” says Koster. A vision that he never denied and how he made all his teams play. “I don't want my players to suffer or wait for a match. I want them to decide for themselves what happens.”
Of course, this is only possible if it fits the culture of the club and the entire organization supports that vision, as is the case with Willem II; from scouting to medical staff and from management to coaching staff. New players therefore also fit within that vision so that no concessions need to be made.

Professional football club Willem II does not have an unlimited budget and that means that they have to be inventive. It starts with scouting looking for young players who fit within the philosophy and vision of the club. “Due to the limited budget, our team in the past consisted largely of mercenaries; players who left after a year, after which the building of the team could start again," Koster continues. “In recent years we have succeeded in renting young players with the option to buy, a number of players have developed well after which we have taken the 'buy' option, which has added value to the club and created a more stable selection. A development that is only possible if the entire organization supports the same vision and is able to remain calm even when things are not going well for a few matches.” At Willem II from Tilburg there is that peace and confidence. Although Koster remains realistic: "The football world is very opportunistic, if you lose six weeks in a row, there is a good chance that you will be out as a trainer, but it is important that the club does not panic and continues to support the chosen vision." , just with a different trainer.”

Team

An important part of being able to implement your vision is the composition of your team. Koster also has a clear opinion about this: “The objective is to put together a homogeneous team without major outliers, but with a few 'strongmen', with a good mix of older experienced players and young ambitious players.

Players who have a greater intrinsic motivation to want to reach the top. When I played myself I really didn't need a coach to motivate myself, I wanted to reach the top at all costs. We want those types of players at Willem II, with a willingness to fight for each other. Set different requirements: physically strong, technically and tactically skilled and affordable. Of course you talk to such a player at an early stage to see what kind of meat you have in store.” According to Koster, he relies very heavily on his experience and intuition: “You have to assume that such a young player will not reveal anything during those first conversations, but will ask what position he will be in by being genuinely interested. he can do best, etc., you quickly gain trust and you can make a good assessment.”

It appears in practice that it works. Willem's current selection stands out because of an extremely strong, driven collective that never gives up. And that fits perfectly with the culture of the club and the city. “That makes us, with the support of our great audience at home, actually unbeatable,” says Koster.

When asked whether he would deviate from his principles if, for example, Christiano Ronaldo came to play for Willem II, Koster is resolute: “No player is more important than the team and must therefore comply with the team's interests. That also means living in the Tilburg area. Conform to the rules we set. Carrying out his tasks on the field in a disciplined manner, never neglecting them and contributing to a strong balance in the team. So we have no use for a former top player who comes here to finish, but a top player who wants to contribute to the success of Willem II and therefore becomes part of the collective is very welcome. Players with exceptional qualities, such as Christiano Ronaldo, make every team stronger. So they are always very welcome, and they do not necessarily have to live in Tilburg.” Koster doesn't do it alone? : “No, I have access to a very strong technical staff, a good assistant trainer and a specialist for each discipline, such as a goalkeeper coach, a physical trainer and, in addition to an extensive medical staff, also a match analyst and data specialist.”

Strategy & Tactics

Big Data is not leading at Willem II, but supporting. “As a coaching staff we are responsible for the fitness of our players, we work on that every day. In general you can say that our experience is sufficient to know how to get our players into maximum shape, but at certain times it can be useful to give a player a little more rest or to do more work with the support of Big Data. perform. We train to win matches,” Koster continued. “And our tactics are always tailored to achieve this based on our 4-3-3 football vision. I think it is important that our players get clarity and know where they stand. I learned from home that honesty is the best policy, and that is how I treat our players. I don't overload them with assignments and I leave them as free in their heads as possible, so that they are focused throughout the entire competition. Continuously thinking in the interest of the team and considering how they can help their teammates. They have to think that they are always in the right position, as the saying goes, so that they can switch quickly. Because that is the great strength of Willem II.”

Good preparation is half the job. Supported by match and video analysts, each opponent is watched at least twice. Two days before the match, the match review takes place in which players are shown how the opponent plays in certain situations. Tactical training then takes place after the discussion. Koster: “At that moment, every player with us knows where he stands, who is playing and where and who is not playing. That clarity is important for players' confidence.”

In the days before the match, players receive individual information about their direct opponent. “By the way, our way of playing is never a surprise for the players, because we never adapt to the opponent and always try to play our own game, with minor adjustments depending on the opponent. We like to play by 'pressing' the opponent, chasing them at the right time, preferably in their own half. That is of course a bit easier against a weaker opponent than, for example, against Ajax or PSV, who are able to play football under that pressure thanks to their technical skills. In that situation we play 4-3-3 a little more from our own half to create space behind the defense with our speed.” , says football animal Koster. “Our players have a great deal of responsibility and input. If at half time they think they can apply pressure earlier and they all support it. Then we will do that too.”

Tips for business

What can the business community learn from professional football? “I am of the opinion that the business community can learn a lot from top sport,” says Koster. “First of all, the winning mentality, real top athletes do everything to win, but really everything, they work day and night, getting the most out of yourself, some entrepreneurs can really follow an example from that. In addition, having a clear mission and vision is very important. Not only having but also actually 'living' your vision. In my opinion, that is an important task for management with your entire organization, and sticking to it even when things are not going well. We train every day to improve individually and as a team, we facilitate our players in this as much as possible, for us that is a law; without training no results. I think that as management you should encourage your people to get the most out of themselves through education and training. Finally: give your employees the feeling that they can be themselves, scout them for initiative-rich behavior with great intrinsic motivation and give them the space to grow and develop, that trust always pays off.”

To dream

The 2019-2020 competition has had a bizarre ending due to the Corona crisis and no one knows what the competition will look like next year. When Koster is asked how he sees that, he gets a real Koster answer: “We start in the 3^de to train again in the week of July and perhaps a week earlier, depending on when the preliminary round of the Europa League, suppose we survive the two preliminary rounds and end up in the group stage, that will generate a lot of extra income for Willem II plus some very attractive home games. Man, what we can build with that is enormous. The fact that we are going to play football again is clear to me. Especially for a club like Willem II, which has a strong financial basis. How and when and in what setting is completely unclear and we have no influence on that. What we do have influence on is ensuring that our team is top fit, and we will do that. Everything according to Willem II's slogan: 'We are not the best, but we are the craziest and we are not afraid of anyone.'

Adri Koster was interviewed by Pieter Willemse, trainer/coach at KENNETH SMIT.

Author

Pieter Willemse
Trainer Coach at Kenneth Smit
p.willemse@kennethsmit.com
06-51589627

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