Football according to Setien: When I saw Cruyff's Barcelona, I understood a lot LaLiga Coach explains his own philosophy

The Real Betis coach reveals in his own piece his ideas, concept of the game and what he demands of his players. He reveals how everything changed for him after watching Barcelona play under Johan Cruyff.

Football is my life and always has been. The game, the ball, the grass... they are my passions.

This sport has been the main meaning of my life in every way since I was little and played in the garden, throughout my time as a professional player up to my current position as Real Betis coach and I think it will be the case until I die.

I have always felt it through the ball, which was at the centre of my time as a player and is the same now. When I was a player, the coach tried to set guidelines for me, according to what the situation required.

Coaches direct you and sometimes ask you to do things you don't understand or don't agree with, as was sometimes the case with me.

On the field, I tried to move freely and play my game and it was only when I saw Johan Cruyff's Barcelona play that I started to understand how things really worked.

I learned a lot from them.

When I started coaching, I saw many things too and took in many different equipments. I've never had the capacity to invent myself so I've always been looking at what others were doing and incorporate those nuances into my game.

My game model is based mainly on the relationship with the ball, that is my maxim. If you have the ball, nobody can score against you, unless you put the ball into your own net, of course. And players enjoy football much more with the ball at their feet rather than running after it.

I always try to convey these beliefs to my players and let them know that they should try to keep the ball longer, get into the opponent's penalty area and therefore multiply your chances of winning.

If you try to keep the ball, then everything will be much simpler and my way of doing things can be implemented on any team.

When I arrived at Lugo in Segunda B, they told me that football couldn't be played in that way there.

The pitches weren't very good and there were not enough quality players to do it, they told me. It is true that having players who are technically gifted will make the task simpler.

You'll play better and you will have a better chance of overcoming the opponent and their pressure.

Football is like chess

Sometimes, players may find it hard to grasp that footballing idea. It is the same thing that happens to me when I play chess.

Many things have been explained to me a thousand times but I will never understand them in my life.

There are players who struggle, who understand what they are being told, but can't carry it out and time will put everyone in their place.

The reality though is that any footballer who understands space, time, positions and those kind of elements can be a better player because he will receive the ball alone and will have time to get off a pass or shoot at goal.

I don't have a specific or preferred formation. We change things according to the needs of the game.

During the half-time break, your system can change a lot. Sometimes you start with five defenders, which includes two wing-backs and in others you may have two or three in the centre of your midfield... it all depends on the situation.

We try not to have a defined system and foresee the possibility for changes that may be needed but what doesn't change is the essence of what we have.

In a recent derby game against Sevilla, we went through a situation like that when we had to modify things to help the team when we were being overcome.

I was screaming from the sideline but nobody listened to me.

Sometimes a player approaches the bench but then he has to give directions to his teammates one by one and that's not easy. At the half-time break, it gives you time and then you can implement changes, even if there are still doubts.

If we played on an empty park, without any opponent, it would be much easier to work on these things but to do it within the tension of a game is different.

When you have set out what you want your team to do, the player should have the stability to carry it out but it isn't always that easy.

There are many things that can alter a player's state of mind, such as if they fail with two passes at the beginning of the game and it then rattles them.

The other day, we saw players who don't usually miss get things wrong more often than usual and they then became nervous. Everyone knows their responsibility and you have to have many games under your belt so that these things don't affect you.

In that sense, I admired Diego Simeone's teams a lot because they have a spectacular commitment. You see them defending and it is an art form.

I like to see how their most talented players have such a high commitment when it comes to winning the ball back.

Antoine Griezmann intercepts a tremendous amount of balls in midfield and I don't know how a coach could, for example, make me run like that. That's a huge boost for any football team.

I try to surround myself with people who are much smarter than me in many aspects. I want people who are prepared and who will show me new things because I don't pretend to be smarter or more foolish than anyone else but it is always good to be surrounded by people who compel you and bring new elements.

We're all in the same boat so any contribution from any member of the coaching staff makes us all richer for it.

Giving the ball to young players

The acclimatisation in the first team of players like Junior, Francis and Loren has been very simple because they'd already been training with us or some had even debuted before. In addition, the youth team plays with a system that is very similar to ours.

Adapting or getting up to our level only requires that they have the desire and courage to play.

It never scared me to put them in the team after what I saw in training and they bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm that serves to bring more out of players who have been there longer and whose performances may have lowered.

Many games are decided by small details and these are without doubt what have the greatest influence on results.

They are very important because they can give you and then take away many points. You can win or lose through an absurd mistake or a lack of focus. You can miss out on a good attacking opportunity because a striker isn't there or you have anticipated a chance.

From a second ball, you could lose possession and then the opposition can score. Details of this type are frequent throughout a game and have big influence on the result.

What I work most on is analysing all of these types of situations after the games and usually write everything down.

During the game, I have an idea of how my player has performed but there are many things that escape me. That's why I need to see those images again and discuss them with the player.

It isn't to give them a scolding but to try to avoid repeating the same mistakes again later. I do the same when it is something positive too.

To summarise, the players who are with me have to be practical. I don't want someone to try an assist or a shot if he has attempted it 10 times before and missed nine. I value the players who are focused for 90 minutes during 38 games, who make the fewest mistakes and are always concentrating on their task.