I think every notable manager in the game has a player or a type of player that really reflects the personality of the manager and his football philosophy. This player can also be the manager's "blind spot" – someone who is trusted and valued above their ability for seemingly irrational reasons. That's just one of the quirks of human nature – we place more value in people or things that correspond to the dominant traits of our own personality. If you think about it, it would be strange if it wasn't so.
Rafa was a good case study. I think the dominant features of his personality are the desire for control, predictability, safety and power. The types of players who best embodies those traits were the "defensive forward" (best example: Kuyt, worse examples: Crouch, Voronin, Jovanovic, even Sissoko (not really a forward, but used high up the pitch despite having no attacking abilities)) and the "midfield controller" (best example: Alonso, worse examples: Lucas, Aquilani, even Aurelio (Rafa's attempt to have another Alonso even at LB)). Players who had inherent unpredictability about them, such as Benayoun or to some extent even Gerrard, were not completely trusted. They always operated kind of outside the main team mechanism, even if in reality the team relied on them.
For Brendan, I think the first type of player he loves is somewhere between Allen, Henderson and Lallana. The possession-keeping, quick-turning, hard-working, team-first, manager-adoring type. Reading Brendan's comments about Lallana's "character" today
I think the 2nd type of a player Brendan really likes is a super-athletic, creative and technical type, best embodied by Sterling, Sturridge and soon probably Origi (with Moses and Assaidi representing rather less successful examples). Unlike Rafa, he loves to give these kinds of players their freedom to create within the system and his main requirement to them is the willingness to work on improving their tactical awareness. That's probably why Assaidi never got going at LFC – he was deemed not very coachable. That's also why Brendan's biggest priority this summer seems to be replacing Enrique, who is not coachable, with someone who he considers coachable, even if it's Ryan Bertrand. Like I said, it's all a bit irrational, but on the other hand it makes certain sense too.
For Mourinho, I think the type that he especially relates to is the bad-boy defender. Carvalho, Terry, Materazzi. Mourinho likes strong characters; if those characters are controversial/misunderstood/universally despised – that's even better. All this anger at the outside world can be used to Mourinho's and the team's advantage, as long as it doesn't turn against Mourinho himself.
What other managers have players who embody their characters? Let's make a list.
Rafa was a good case study. I think the dominant features of his personality are the desire for control, predictability, safety and power. The types of players who best embodies those traits were the "defensive forward" (best example: Kuyt, worse examples: Crouch, Voronin, Jovanovic, even Sissoko (not really a forward, but used high up the pitch despite having no attacking abilities)) and the "midfield controller" (best example: Alonso, worse examples: Lucas, Aquilani, even Aurelio (Rafa's attempt to have another Alonso even at LB)). Players who had inherent unpredictability about them, such as Benayoun or to some extent even Gerrard, were not completely trusted. They always operated kind of outside the main team mechanism, even if in reality the team relied on them.
For Brendan, I think the first type of player he loves is somewhere between Allen, Henderson and Lallana. The possession-keeping, quick-turning, hard-working, team-first, manager-adoring type. Reading Brendan's comments about Lallana's "character" today
kind of brought this trait to the fore once again for me. I don't think Brendan likes a Roy Keane type, a type that can challenge his authority and manhood. I suspect among our midfielders only Emre Can has the potential to be such a player (although he has the "willing to learn and be coached" thing too) and maybe that will create some tension in the future. We'll see.
I think the 2nd type of a player Brendan really likes is a super-athletic, creative and technical type, best embodied by Sterling, Sturridge and soon probably Origi (with Moses and Assaidi representing rather less successful examples). Unlike Rafa, he loves to give these kinds of players their freedom to create within the system and his main requirement to them is the willingness to work on improving their tactical awareness. That's probably why Assaidi never got going at LFC – he was deemed not very coachable. That's also why Brendan's biggest priority this summer seems to be replacing Enrique, who is not coachable, with someone who he considers coachable, even if it's Ryan Bertrand. Like I said, it's all a bit irrational, but on the other hand it makes certain sense too.
For Mourinho, I think the type that he especially relates to is the bad-boy defender. Carvalho, Terry, Materazzi. Mourinho likes strong characters; if those characters are controversial/misunderstood/universally despised – that's even better. All this anger at the outside world can be used to Mourinho's and the team's advantage, as long as it doesn't turn against Mourinho himself.
What other managers have players who embody their characters? Let's make a list.
