Michael Skubala has been explaining to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Michael Hortin about the attention to detail within the coaching structure – and it gave me a real sense of deja vu.
Ahead of our clash with Barnsley this weekend, the new Imps head coach discussed attention to detail, explaining how every player, both those involved from the start and those who are not currently playing, get regular clips of themselves in action.
It might happen all the time, but I like to hear about it. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, and I’m convinced over the next few weeks, the rewards of meticulous work will be evident. You don’t normally learn much from a pre-match presser, but this one I enjoyed.
“They get clips from me all the time at the moment about the little things,” Michael told, erm, Michael. “The details, the timing of things, the spinning, the amount of touches it takes that slows us down, where we want to play when we’ve got the ball.
“Also, within the structure, how they have to perform their little bits and roles with their detail to be the best version of themselves – how can they be the best version of themselves within the team structure.”
‘The best version of themselves’ reminds me of another former Imps manager, as does the close attention to detail. Maybe the two in between did the same and didn’t talk about it, but I got strong Danny Cowley vibes. Back then, I believed our attention to detail often gave us an edge, and I felt we improved players by encouraging them to be, quite literally, the best version of themselves.
I also think the players understanding why the game slows down and being able to rectify it is a good thing. We all want to see faster football at the Bank, and we think we know why it doesn’t happen. The presser for this game revealed it is something being actively worked on, and that’s music to my ears.
We all have triggers and things we want to hear – this was one of mine. I’ve already been impressed by Michael talking about not being able to do tactical stuff because they’re doing match preparation – again, it might sound obvious, but at least one of our two managers since 2019 said they worked on their game, not the opposition. As (spits) Steve Evans proved this weekend, knowing your opponent and reacting to their tactics is one way to get ahead.
I also think it is something the board have focused on over the last few years in terms of recruitment and setup, as Michael goes on to explain.
“The team that Lincoln has built in what I call performance services are really good, really hard working and really honest. That supports the technical staff to try and improve every day and it supports the players to try and improve every day.”
We all have things we want to hear, boxes we need ticking in order to be won over. One of mine is around preparation and what I (as a fan, not someone who properly works in football) believe we need to do to be a success. I’ve always felt details win you games – you can go out and be as committed, energetic and passionate as the next team, but those little details will always make a good team great or a great team into champions.
Bring on the Tykes!
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