Whenever a coaching change is made, there’s always something of a “The king is dead; long live the king” type of tone to the discourse that follows the appointment of the new manager. Dirty laundry is aired publicly, and suddenly the deposed manager was no good at anything.

That type of grievance-airing doesn’t tend to come from the new manager, though.

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Bruce Arena, however, is a singularly blunt and honest man, and he’s at a point in his life where he doesn’t much care to mince his words. And since he’s taken the reins of the United States men’s national team from the fired Jurgen Klinsmann – embarking on his second stint in charge, after also leading the team from 1998 through 2006 – Arena has been frank in his assessment of the German’s perceived failures.

In a new Sports Illustrated profile, Arena was even more honest than usual, taking several swings at his predecessor and his methods.

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First, he went after the team’s signature fighting spirit. Arena argued that under Bob Bradley – Arena’s protege, who succeeded him before he had to make way for Klinsmann in 2011 – it was preserved before withering in the Klinsmann era.

“I was always proud during Bob’s tenure – whether [the team] looked good or didn’t, there was fight – the right mentality, the understanding of team and playing together,” Arena told SI. “In this business, results don’t always go your way, but you want to make sure the group is there collectively, and during Bob’s tenure that was the case. The last four or five years [under Klinsmann], I just didn’t feel a connection to the program. There were too many swings up and down along the way that didn’t show the same culture that was developed after ’98.”

In the story, captain Michael Bradley – Bob’s son – backs up Arena on this. “From the first day Bruce came in, he’s done a really good job of setting the right tone and making sure guys understand that we let some things slip,” he said.

Arena also argued that Klinsmann’s plan to innovate the national playing style was foolhardy. “Right or wrong, Jurgen marketed a concept that never got there – about how good they were going to be and the style of play,” he said. “We [coaches] don’t have a lot of control over that. If you want us to play like one of the great countries in the world, it’s not likely to happen in the short term.”

And while Arena did credit Klinsmann for bringing fresh attention to the team and getting U.S. Soccer to invest more resources, he also questioned his predecessor’s strict disciplinary framework of curfews and banned agents and his long-running campaign to change his players’ eating and wellness habits.

“I don’t think that being called into the national team means you need to be locked in prison for 30 days,” Arena said to SI. “What’s the point of that? Are we going to change their diet and habits for the next 300 days of the year? If you go out and have a beer, the world isn’t over. And I have no interest in sitting in a hotel lobby, checking on curfews and all that other s—. I have enough headaches to deal with.”

[SI]

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.