Who and what does the new Whitecaps coach need to be?

Now that it has been a few days since the news broke about Vanni Sartini’s dismissal, many fans have been wondering who the next Vancouver Whitecaps Head Coach will be and what his qualities will look like. With Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster publicly stating that he had yet to start the hiring process upon Sartini’s firing, various names have already been thrown around about who possibly could fill that massive vacated role.

And while Schuster did not comment on any potential names, he did lay out some criteria for the incoming head coach, setting the stage for a sort of ‘profile’ that candidates will need to fit the bill for. So what does this profile look like? AFTN will be exploring this question, not only on Schuster’s criteria but also on what the ‘Caps require based on their performances and results in the last few years.

Schuster’s Parameters

Firstly, let’s look at what Schuster said about what this new head coach needs to look like.

“The profile is somebody who understands and accepts what we have here,” explained the German. “We will not bring somebody in who comes in with a lot of new ideas and he says ‘look, I play a totally different style and I will need to switch and change a couple of players’.

”I think we have more than 11 players that we can start in every given game and they can compete to win, so the person who comes in has to respect that and… he has to give good answers to me [about] how he will work with this group and what things he can do with them.”

Essentially, with these comments, Schuster does not want a coach to come in and revolutionize the club nor the squad. He just wants to bring someone in that can bring new energy to this already solid team. The CEO believes that the starting XI is good enough to compete, adding that they will likely only be looking to add depth pieces in the off-season. That means a new coach has to not only be willing to inherit a team with little budging in terms of starting players, but also be willing to work within the already pre-established philosophy of the club, including some of the playing style that Sartini had put in place before his departure.

Certainly, the new coach will be able to change the play style to some degree, but with Sartini having a very peculiar style of play (one that he himself stated only the Whitecaps and then Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri play in the whole world), the coach will need to at least resemble a bit to what the players have been used to playing the last three years.

Putting it all together, the parameters are as follows. The Whitecaps want someone who:

* Won’t shake-up the club philosophy
* Is happy to inherit a starting XI team and a few depth pieces
* Plays a not too dissimilar style of play to what was there before
* Brings new energy to an already established squad

Already that limits quite a few options based on how ambitious and controlling modern coaches like to be, especially those that are proven winners and/or proven and successful project managers. But with this in mind, let’s build what the “ideal” candidate looks like.

As A Coach

By coach, we mean the coach’s traits as a tactician on the pitch. This is crucial, especially given the coach that just left the post.

There have been many misconceptions after Sartini’s sacking that the Italian was just a ‘man-manager’ and not a tactician. This could not be further from the truth. Sartini was a very specific and in-depth tactician, who believed in a very clear and structured style of play that revolved around an idealistic football philosophy. The Italian had over 200 slides that explained what the team was to do in almost every potential scenario in a game. He was steadfast in his tactical approach and always had a firm belief that it could win as long as the players stuck to the ‘plan’.

The incoming coach will likely need to be similar in this regard. The players that he will inherit are not only used to playing in a very detailed and complex style of play, but also one that is very fluid and attacking. To go completely against the grain and move to a more defensive, more simplistic, and more restrictive style of play (a la Stoke City 2011), might be a step too far and go against what Schuster wishes to happen. So likely, the coach will need to be another detailed and structured tactician who focuses on continuing that tenet of fluid and attacking football. But for the potential coach to do better than his predecessor, they will need to also be something that Sartini at times struggled with: flexible.

Sartini was an idealist that preferred to fall onto his sword than to betray his ideals of football. Whilst romantic and admirable at heart, it led to many frustrations as teams began to understand how to neutralize and counter the Whitecaps’ style of play. This new coach will need to be able to come up with different gameplans that can serve as back-ups should Plan A or B not go according to the script. Pragmatism and adaptability would then be key traits for this coach. They would need to be willing to change things up in different games, reverting to different game plans depending on whether they were winning or losing, and what is at stake.

Everyone wants to see beautiful football. There is no question about it. But more than beautiful football, people also want to see teams win. Win big games, stretches of games, home games, championships, and more. And for that to occur, sometimes you just need to know when to hunker down and grind out a result, or throw the kitchen sink to try to salvage a point. These are aspects that Sartini was at times lacking in, and will be important for the new head coach to embody if they are to take this team to the next level.

As A Manager

In this case, a manager is the one that manages the off-field team affairs, like squad relations, morale, locker room atmosphere, and even playing-time and substitutions.

Sartini excelled in many of these regards. Through his charisma and passion, he allowed and even invited his players to get fired up whenever they were training and playing in matches. He valued enthusiasm and determination, as long as the team was disciplined enough to make sure it didn’t stray from their responsibilities within the game plan. Though very demanding, he was also very honest and open, and allowed players to speak their mind without great fear of repercussion. This also led to a fantastic locker room atmosphere where many players came out and exclaimed that it was one of the very best they’d ever been in.

But as it comes with having a soccer-crazed Italian at the helm, there can be moments of tension as well. Rumours of players falling out with him because of his viewed stubbornness on the way he wants to play and the rigidity of the roles that the players must take on. Also known for an outburst or two, Sartini became the manager that either you ran through a brick wall for – or quietly suffered in contempt.

The new coach will want to maintain that high level of morale that Sartini was able to keep in the locker room for the most part. They will want to make sure that the relations that are already there between the players are kept strong, and that their unity is supported and cultivated. Whether the new coach needs to be as passionate as Sartini was is not necessarily required, as that level of drive has equal parts pros and cons. But at the very least, the coach needs to be willing to match the hunger and drive that the players are used to feeling.

However, where the coach needs to improve upon Sartini is not necessarily in this regard, but rather in the regard of playing time and substitutions. Tying in with the tactical side of things, there were many times where people became frustrated by Sartini’s in-game decisions. His faith in certain players made it so that he would call upon them when perhaps other, more effective players, would be better suited.

Take the example of the now departed Levonte Johnson. How many times was he called upon, late in matches where the team was trailing, and ended up not producing any tangible impact as a forward should do. Yet he was persistently called to the attack instead of a Deiber Caicedo, who was available in the latter parts of the season and brought more energy and confidence than his Canadian counterpart. The new coach will want to make more pragmatic decisions based on what the situation requires rather than who is most loyal to him.

As A Character

This might be the one that will be most difficult to get right. For, it’s not usually a big factor that people look at in a manager. They look at their accomplishments, style of play and decisions in tense situations. But for the Whitecaps specifically, this one should be as important as the previous two.

This is because of the hole that Sartini left behind. Not only did he leave a legacy of trophies, big wins, and beautiful football. He also left behind a legacy of melodrama, hilarity, explosiveness, and heartwarming moments. How often did his post-match quotes go viral, whether for good or bad reasons? How many times did people quote tweet or repost his clips that saw his shirt come flying off or playing DDR in a mall arcade? How many Vancouverites left conversations with him more endeared and in-love with the team than when they first entered them?

The fact of the matter is that Sartini was one hell of a character.

He was heavily involved in the community and the supporters group culture. With his “common man” demeanour, he was always approachable, amicable and warm. He never wanted to be treated like a celebrity at events (although he did seem like he loved the attention). Instead, he acted like a spokesperson for soccer in Vancouver and Canada. He always was happy to have a beer and a chat with a fan, discuss the team’s form while on his walks through Olympic Village, and cheer alongside the Southsiders outside the stadium. He was a beloved figure in the city, welcomed as one of their own even as a foreigner.

Moreover, he also helped put the Vancouver Whitecaps back on the map in the greater MLS landscape. In an era dominated by Miami and Messi, Sartini was yet able to find ways to go viral amongst the American media sphere. Network pundits adored speaking to him, big publications yearned to interview him, and other clubs fans were eager to see what would come out of his mouth next. One need only look to his atheistic quote that went viral after the Wildcard game with the Timbers to see how divisive and popular the Italian could get.

Sometimes his virality would not always be for good reasons, but from a marketing point of view, it put the Whitecaps’ name into people’s heads. Both locals and foreigners seemed to tune in more to the games of the Whitecaps, if not to see only Sartini’s antics. He put his foot in the door for the ‘Caps, and if they were lucky, some good performances allowed them to retain some of those on-lookers and keep them relevant in their minds. He was not only a spokesperson for the club in the city itself, but across the continent as well.

To expect someone else to be able to reach that level of adoration and infamy in MLS is a tall order. There are few that can do it like the old coach did. But whoever does step into the role will need to try to at least keep some of that momentum going, whether it’s by virtue of their own self or simply the team garnering attention through impressive performances. In the end, the Whitecaps benefitted from the spotlight that Sartini brought, and they will be hard done if they are unable to continue to capitalize on it now that he has left his post.

Therefore, the new coach will not only need to contend with the team both on and off the pitch, but also deal with the image of the club at their hands. Pairing that with the conditions that Schuster outlined, and this coaching role shapes to be a hell of a job. But with little time before the season starts, Schuster will need to pick his cards right and fast – or else risk the new gaffer to start already a few steps behind and into the shadow of the man who came before.