Who makes up the coaching staff of a soccer team?

Soccer goes far beyond the tactics and orders that a Technical Director gives to its players, since in addition to them there are other determining factors in any professional football club, ranging from the physical condition of the players as well as their recovery and rehabilitation. It is also about managing the psychology of a whole group of players either collectively or individually, knowing the talents of the lower categories as well as the rivals and many more, for this reason the coaching staff is made up of various pieces that complement each other and they work together to achieve a common goal.

Second coach

Perhaps best known after the head coach, this character is the right hand of the Technical Director and they tend to stick together during club changes. According to what ABC reports, the second coach has the main function of knowing perfectly the way of working and personality of the main coach as well as of each player, and in this way to know when things are going well or badly, in the same way, they must directly advise the head coach about a player, match or training. Toni Grande, a renowned assistant who has worked with Vicente del Bosque, Heynckes, Fabio Capello among others, stressed for ABC that it is essential that a second coach goes beyond a statement, as he must clearly argue to the coach if something goes wrong or needs any correction. 

Goalkeeping coach

As its name implies, this position consists mainly of a coach specialized in preparing goalkeepers, since this is a less generic position as others can be. It also prepares the goalkeepers according to the rival, an example that Football Stadiums reviews is that if the club will face a team that usually throws centers into the area, the goalkeeper coach prepares the goalkeeper with rugby pads to simulate crashes in the area. The goalkeeping coach must also point out to his student about the type of plays that the rival makes in offensive actions, his strong leg, set pieces strategies, where he should play the ball when he has it, among other collective aspects.

Physical trainer

Physical resistance is a pillar for any soccer team and the physical trainer knows it, therefore he is in charge of taking the players to a training regimen that, together with the tactics of the Technical Director, meet the game objectives in accordance with Be Soccer. The physical trainer also assesses the physical performance of the players individually throughout the season and through training seeks to prevent injuries. One of the main challenges for any physical trainer is to condition the players after returning from their vacation, but maintaining a balance in such a way that they are not overextended and at the end of the season they are fatigued and even injured, according to Football Stadiums.

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Together with the physical trainer there is also another position called physical conditioner, this person works more individually with the players and focuses on improving the weaknesses of each one and enhancing their advantages, this is achieved through personalized exercise regimes that look for a different objective depending on the player, whether it is to increase muscle or speed, these types of coaches usually work in the club's gym although they also use yoga and calisthenics to exercise, according to Football Stadiums.

Nutritionist

A good physical preparation is not enough, the players must also eat a healthy diet according to the requirements of each one, for this reason there is the branch of study for sports nutrition that in recent years has become more important in all sports. The nutritionist is in charge of calculating the nutrient and vitamin requirements that each player needs and establishing a diet with defined schedules, in order to maintain an adequate physical condition, improve recovery and increase performance. The nutritionists are complemented by the coaching staff to know the number of games and training that the players have and thus adjust the diet to the demands of the season, according to the Sixth Ring review. It is important that they take into account the preparation and taste of the meals they assign, so that the players can access and fulfill the requirements.

Analysts

Before playing a game, you must first know the rival, this is the function of the tactical analyst also known as "scouting", a task as complex as it is important since they must identify the different patterns of play that the rival team usually uses and adapt it to the team's way of playing. With patterns reference is made to offensive and defensive tactics, set pieces strategies, positioning with and without the ball as well as other aspects which can be statistical and individual, so in addition to knowing the opposing team they should also study their players individually, according to Three Four Three.

Physiotherapist

With so much effort and training it is important to take care of the physical condition of the players to avoid injuries or accelerate their recovery. For this there are the physiotherapists, who first assess the possible injuries of the players and help in their recovery, establishing special exercises for the affected area. In this case there are also the masseurs, who work directly with the players after finishing the matches or intense training days, decreasing the muscle tension caused by physical effort and thus reducing the chances of injury and improving recovery through specific massages for each zone and problem, according to Football Stadium.

Psychologist

In addition to the physical, it is also essential that the minds of the players be stable and concentrated, for this reason the coaching staff has a sports psychologist who will be in charge of managing the emotions of each player, treating the anxiety caused by the competition and reducing stress while it seeks to maintain and optimize the concentration and attention of the soccer players. On the other hand, a sports psychologist also does everything possible to improve the self-esteem of the entire team and achieve harmony among the entire group, for this they must know the personality of each of the team's players and thus properly manage the egos, in accordance with Sport And Psychology.