A few days ago, during the All-Star Game break, Joe Mazzulla was in the front row to watch the match between Manchester City and Chelsea. Like Steve Kerr, who has often referred to the tiki-taka of FC Barcelona but also to the management of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Joe Mazzulla does not hide the fact that he was greatly inspired by Pep Guardiola. Both have also exchanged their respective “jerseys” during their meeting.
“For me, this is the very essence of basketball and the counter-attack in football”explains Joe Mazzulla to The Athleticabout continuous movement on land. “So I study Man City a lot. I study Pep a lot. He is the best coach, regardless of the level, and in all sports. He had a huge influence (on me).”
Defense depends first on how to attack
For Joe Mazzulla, as for Pep Guardiola, we must let the players improvise on the pitch, and take advantage of the slightest advantage. All while focusing on the versatility of the players, capable of attacking as well as defending. The best offense is defense. And vice versa.
“Everyone tries to divide basketball into offense and defense, but it’s one and the same sport,” explains Joe Mazzulla. “If your defensive withdrawal is zero, everyone will only talk about defense. But it's your spacing, your decision-making and your shot selection that matters, and that gives transition defense. I think the difference between basketball and football is the speed of transitions. You can be on offense and two seconds later you can be on defense. The game is therefore constantly evolving. »
This is what pushed Joe Mazzulla to create a very particular exercise: a five-on-five situation where the two teams are on the field without the ball, then the coach, without warning, gives the ball to a player, and the two formations must immediately be in “attack” mode for one, and in “defense” mode for the other. The goal ? “Readjust the brain to anticipate the transition” replies Ime Udoka's successor.
Find angles, create surplus situations
For the Celtics coach, the two sports are similar in their ability to search for space and create situations of excess. All while relying on the individual qualities of the players.
“When I watch football and basketball, it’s a bit the same sport from a tactical point of view: how do you create advantages? How to create two-on-one situations? How to recognize the weaknesses of the defense and how to take advantage of angles? » continues Joe Mazzulla.
On the other hand, where Joe Mazzulla can take a time-out and make changes on the fly in a bad period, Pep Guardiola is more limited, and the players must, sometimes, find the answers on their own. This is what the young technician appreciates in football, and we remember that last season, he refused to take time-outs so that his players could find the solution on their own.
Let the players find the solutions
“This is where my philosophy of time-out was born. I think football coaches are the best teachers, because once the game starts, you can't call a timeout. The ability to create a system in which players can operate and operate based on the ups and downs and pace of the game and how it plays out is really important. You need to empower your players to understand exactly how the match is going and how quickly you can self-correct to stop a run or create your own run. »
This inspiration goes well beyond the field since Joe Mazzulla confides that he watches interviews with Pep Guardiola, and the way he reacts after a victory or a defeat. The most important thing, according to him, is to be fair and consistent in your behavior and criticism.
“I'm not perfect, far from it, but I'm very rarely inconsistent in my approach to communication, training, play and humor. I use humor if we win, I use it if we lose. Most of the time, I don't take myself too seriously. If I have to tell you the truth or if I have to listen to you, I try to be consistent. And I think that gives me the space to do that.”
It is for all these reasons that he wanted to go to Manchester, to see from the inside how Pep Guardiola works, but also to see behind the scenes. “We find ourselves in an environment where we have an idea of greatness given what they have been doing for nine years and what Pep has done at Barcelona. It's just good to be there, studying and learning. »
