Samet ÖNDER – The Tactical Board

Interviews with some of the leading football managers in the world come together for the first time ever in a single book. Arthur Zico, Qurban Qurbanov, Muricy Ramalho, Brian Priske, Artur Jorge and many others share their on-field philosophies, tactical understanding, and decision-making processes with both technical depth and personal sincerity.

This book is not only for football enthusiasts, but also for anyone interested in game models, strategy, and team management. Through these interviews, you will:

• Discover the football philosophies of managers who have achieved success across different regions.

• Learn about modern football’s tactical trends and innovative approaches.

• Gain in-depth insight into decision-making processes and training methodologies.

Selected excerpts from the interviews:

Francis Graille: “To maintain financial balance, we had to make some difficult decisions — for example, selling Ronaldinho… With the revenue from that transfer, we were able to preserve the club’s sporting value and sign an important player like Pauleta.”

Arthur Zico: “During the two seasons we spent at Fenerbahçe, our results were truly outstanding. I am certain that if Roberto Carlos hadn’t been injured in the final stages of the Champions League campaign, we could have reached the final.”

Michael Beale: “To create numerical superiority, the team gathers as a block and faces the opposition attackers. Once this structure is formed, we are ready to press, and the entire team can step forward and apply coordinated pressure.”

Yalçın Koşukavak: “…Pragmatism is a good philosophy; it saves the day but does not build the future. To build the future, you need an ecosystem and continuity…”

Qurban Qurbanov: “Maintaining the distance between the blocks is extremely important in modern football, and to execute this properly you need talented players. The players must complement each other and be able to retain possession effectively.”

Other football figures featured in the interviews:
Dorival Júnior, Francis Graille, Arthur Zico, Michael Beale, Muricy Ramalho, Brian Priske, Artur Jorge, Yalçın Koşukavak, Qurban Qurbanov, Glen Riddersholm, Oswaldo de Oliveira, Bernhard Peters, Maurício Barbieri, Tom Saintfiet, Paulo Autuori, Marcel Licka, Freyr Alexandersson, Ossi Virta, Ney Franco, Mârcio Sampaio, Kenan Koçak, Işık Emrah Çelikel, Michael Wimmer, Lars Friis, Timur Kapadze, Mersad Selimbegovic, Mehmet Öztürk, Carles Cuadrat, Özhan Pulat, Robin Veldman, Vladislav Lupashko, Can Ünal, Augusto Ambrogi, Ali Naibi, Benoît Pedretti, Patrick Foletti, Faruk Hadzibegic, Gordon Milne, Levir Culpi.

A must-read for anyone who wants to explore the tactical layers of football and draw inspiration from the experiences of world-renowned managers!