Should Football Managers Be Encouraged To Control Their Emotions?

Spurs’ Antonio Conte, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone are all known for their unbridled celebrations and outpouring of emotion on the sidelines. All three have been fined for misconduct in recent seasons.

It’s possibly unfair to highlight these three managers as there are many more examples of managers crossing the line, but it is worth considering the impact that the actions of an emotional coach can have. The fines imposed might be an irritating expense for the club or manager, but they are inconsequential in the wider picture.

Jurgen Klopp:

“I would like to win the Premier League at Liverpool in my lifetime with supporters.” #awlive [bt] pic.twitter.com/V1c11QmFJx

— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) April 4, 2022

Ignite the passion

Liverpool and Man City are neck and neck in the league with the Premiership title odds listing Pep Guardiola’s men at 1/2 while Klopp’s team are 15/8 at the time of writing. With such a close race, tons of media scrutiny and large professional and financial implications, it’s not that surprising that coaches let their emotions get the better of them sometimes. Yet, we need to also consider the rollercoaster that fans can sometimes be on due to their support of a football team.

Clearly, football has passionate fans and clubs should encourage supporters to be loud and boisterous in encouraging their team to win and create a great atmosphere in the stadium. Fans are fervent in their desire to see their team be successful, but also increasingly have a monetary interest. While some fans place a bet on the overall winner and generally forget about it, others will have multiple bets in play for just one game. While gambling on a game can increase the enjoyment for many, it also heightens the emotional investment in the game. 

With fans so invested in the action on the pitch, should coaches do more to ensure that their actions don’t signal that it’s acceptable for fans to cross the line and engage in behaviours that are clearly detrimental to the game? It would be difficult to make a direct correlation between a coach’s emotional outburst and undesirable behaviour from fans, but it isn’t beyond comprehension that fans will take cues on how to act from the man in charge.

Thierry Henry loving life whilst Antonio Conte is wondering how his Spurs side lost 4 times to Chelsea this season pic.twitter.com/0IiHxpQ7ef

— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) April 6, 2022

Player power

Managers can use emotion to connect with players and transform the mood around a dressing room, but only when emotion is used in a controlled and intended way as part of a broader strategy. The use of emotion is treacherous when used irrationally and without a sufficient level of introspection to evaluate what is best for the players. The public berating of players has become constant in José Mourinho’s management style and while it might be a deliberate tactic that has served him well in the past, you wonder if it has now become simply an emotional response to disappointment.

Frank Lampard has clearly followed the Mourinho playbook in criticising his Everton players, but judging by his choice of words you would have to conclude that he hadn’t carefully considered his approach and was acting on pure emotion. While ex-players will testify that a public berating from their manager was just the tonic to motivate them, it appears to be counter-productive with today’s players. That isn’t a criticism of the mental fortitude of today’s modern player, more a statement that emotional public scolding by coaches should be confined to the past.  

There have been numerous managers accused of not being passionate enough and Rafa Benitez and Sven-Göran Eriksson both suffered from fan backlash for not being more animated on the touchline. Managers can’t be expected to portray a different, fabricated personality as both players and fans will see right through it. Yet, we can insist that coaches stop and think about the ramifications of their emotional outbursts and take visible and constructive steps to ensure that fans and players are aware that such actions are unacceptable in the modern game.