Four coaches, four stories

There are now just four teams left chasing glory at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, and each have their own footballing nuances. FIFA.com spoke with each of the four coaches to hear about their tournament experiences, and look at how they approach the game. This is what the had to say:

USA - French: There is no pressure on USA

A former national team player, and owner of a silver medal from the 2000 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, Michelle French has an impressive CV. Now at her second FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup as USA coach, French has a track record of just one defeat in nine matches at this level. And now with a semi-final match-up against Korea DPR looming, the Stars and Stripes are just two wins away from a record fourth world title.

FIFA.com spoke with French about the form of her team during the tournament, their epic comeback win over Mexico in the quarter-finals, the challenge offered by Korea DPR and the weight of expectation.

FIFA.com: What do Korea DPR offer as an opponent? 
Michelle French: They are another completely different team to what we have faced. They are really good defensively, really good in wide areas, lethal in set-plays. So we have a lot of areas we need to tighten up defensively, if we want to be successful. In attack, we want to be aggressive and get after their organised shape. We know the success they have had, and how much better they have got as a country. You look at the success with the U-17s and he (Korea DPR coach Hwang Yongbong) has brought that to the U-20 group, so we know it will be a really tough game.

Is there a level of expectation or pressure that comes with USA being three-time champions? I don’t think so at all because this group hasn’t won anything. Those teams were completely different teams. What this age-group has done in the past is extremely impressive, but this group of players still wants to put their own stamp on the game.

Is the team where you would want them to be after four matches? We have faced a number of varying challenges based on playing against very different opponents. So I would say pieces of our game have evolved, but we can definitely be better in certain areas. In the France match, we were back on our heels a little bit and could have been more aggressive. There have been things from each game we have tried to improve. In the Mexico game, we had moments of really good soccer, there were little bit of transition back and forth having to defend Mexico’s direct play.

The impressive thing for me, regardless of how we performed in the game, collectively there was never a lack of belief that we could come back and get the result. So it has been a process for us as we build throughout the tournament, but I’m happy with where we are at and where we are headed.

It is a relatively young team so has a lack of experience been an issue? I think it played into the first couple of games because many of them just don’t have that World Cup experience. Many of them weren’t even on the qualifying roster. We are at the point now that they have this belief, and that lack of World Cup experience isn’t an issue any more.

How much focus is there on developing players against winning trophies? Our responsibility with the youth teams is to be successful on the world stage, as well as produce players that can compete for roster spots on the senior team. So this cycle, the coaching staff really focused on doing everything we can so that if any player from this group gets the call-up, they are ready for the standards and expectations of the senior team. As best as we can do on or off the field, we know that is a massive part of our role.

The team came from behind to win against Mexico and draw against Ghana. What can you say about the resolve of this team? I said (after the group stage) our best soccer is ahead of us. The game (against Mexico) was not about the soccer piece of it all, it was about the hard work and determination and the USA mentality. The resolve this group of players played with, from players one to 21, and the belief that we would come back and get the result, was one of the most impressive I have been involved in. They 100 per cent felt that they could come back, and that is something that has been built into our culture.

Korea DPR - Hwang, the mastermind behind the Korea DPR goal machine

Mysterious and unorthodox, Hwang Yong-Bong is a tactical genius who seems to always have an ace or two up his sleeve. Indeed, whenever the need has arisen during the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016, the Korea DPR strategist has pulled a rabbit out of the hat. 

A prime case in point, out of the many examples available, came during the group stage, when Nicollete Ageva scored the hosts' first and only goal of the competition to leave Korea DPR trailing after a quarter of an hour. Five minutes later, Hwang made a double substitution. Ri Un-Yong was one of the players introduced, and before the half-time interval, she had bagged a brace, putting her side on course for an eventual 7-1 rout.

"I make no distinction between my starting XI and my bench. Whenever I make such switches, it's always to try to help the team," said the coach after the encounter.

On top of his versatility, another feather in his cap is the mental strength he has instilled in his charges. Shrugging off the aforementioned early setback, his team positively smothered Papua New Guinea, harrying them, spraying the ball about and linking up with aplomb en route to running out emphatic winners with 70 per cent possession.

Four days later, however, that figure was reduced to 46 per cent against Spain in the quarter-finals. On that occasion, the Koreans played a patient waiting game, capitalising on La Rojita's mistakes to seize the upper hand. Although the plucky Spaniards fought back bravely to extend the tie to extra time, Hwang's game plan paid off again when Kim Phyong-Hwa pounced on a poor clearance from a corner and curled home from outside the box.

A goal machineThe cornerstone of the coach's approach could not be simpler: it is all about teamwork. Each and every one of his players has been performing her role to perfection, whether as a starter or as a substitute, and they have all been chipping in both in terms of defensive duties and in front of goal.

The right flank is the focal point of most of his team's attacking moves. Their calm and collected style means that they rarely sweep forward on the break: on the contrary, after gaining possession, they slowly but surely probe to find openings. They have done so with supreme success: tellingly, Korea DPR racked up more forays into the opposition box in the quarter-finals than any other country.

Once we factor in their energetic pressing, their compact unit and the number of players they get around the ball when they are under threat in and around their own box, it is clear that Hwang has plenty of grounds for optimism ahead of Tuesday's semi-finals, when his well-oiled machine will take on USA for a place in the decider.

Stat attackThe following statistics shed some light on Korea DPR's prolific exploits in their run to the last four.

63 per cent – The percentage of Korea DPR's shots that have hit the target, putting them top of the tournament charts in that respect. Second on the list, but significantly adrift, are Japan with 42 per cent, while upcoming opponents USA have found the mark with just 32 per cent of their attempts.

9 – The number of Korean players to have got on the scoresheet in Papua New Guinea. Their leading scorer is Kim So-Hyang with four goals.

7 – The number of times Hwang's on-song side have notched from set-pieces, either directly or indirectly. Penetrating passes in behind defenders have been their next-most lethal weapon, leading to six of their goals.

France - Meet the multi-faceted Gilles Eyquem

If you have been following France’s superb progress at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016 closely, you may have found yourself asking just who their coach Gilles Eyquem is.

The mastermind of their epic 1-0 defeat of Germany in the quarter-finals, Eyquem sat down for a long chat with FIFA.com ahead of their semi-final meeting with Japan and revealed five sides to himself. A former central defender and a born teacher, he quickly developed a taste for coaching and has proved his worth in developing France’s brightest young women’s players, steering the U-19s to the European title in 2012. Among the charges flourishing under his careful stewardship is Hawa Cissoko, who also gave us her views on the Bleuettes coach. 

1. An old-school playerI was what you might call a 'no-nonsense' player, an old-fashioned stopper who went in hard, was short on technique and was a bit of a workhorse. I knew players who were a lot more gifted than me, but who didn’t have the career I had. I never got injured and my coaches knew they could always count on me. I was fortunate enough to play with some great players like Marius Tresor, Alain Giresse and Gerard Soler when I was at Bordeaux, my first club. I ended up moving to Guingamp, in the second division, because I loved playing and I wanted more time on the pitch. I spent most of my career in the second tier and I wound up as a player-coach in division three before finally hanging up my boots for good in 1989.  

2. A social workerWhen I was in charge at Agen, one of my local clubs, I got really involved in football-based social inclusion programmes. I gradually became a social worker and got more and more involved in everyday problems affecting people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, helping out families in need. It was a purely social thing and had nothing to do with football. I got a lot out of it on a human level and it’s been really useful for me in my coaching career.

3. A keen pupilI learned a lot from Aime Jacquet. At Bordeaux, he’d turn up half-an-hour early for training, so a few of us would turn up early too and have a chat with him. He was a great coach. He was very close to the players and very kind and modest with it too. I was also lucky enough to be Philippe Bergeroo’s assistant when we won the U-17 European title in 2004 with the famous 'Class of 87', which featured the likes of Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa. Philippe is a wonderful person too and he taught me a lot about tactics and the psychology involved in working with players.

4. A family manThe team and the coaching staff are like one big happy family. I treat everyone a bit like a father would. I give out instructions and I’m not afraid to raise my voice, if I have to. My two assistants, Sandrine Ringler and Sandrine Roux, are more maternal and have a stronger emotional bond with the players. I like my players a lot and the hardest part of the job for me is making choices. It’s always heartbreaking to have tell a player that they haven’t made the squad or that they’re not going to play. My job here is more about helping them progress than actually winning the World Cup, though it’s very rewarding to win things.

5. A shrewd tactician I’m always telling the girls to be more patient and more cunning. Against Germany, we could see that they were waiting for us to push on so they could hit us on the break, and we kept on pushing on, even after we’d taken the lead. It almost cost us dear. I’m lucky to have some very talented and gifted players, but they’re a bit too naïve sometimes. I’m trying to make them see that football is like a game of chess, where you have to outfox your opponent. I loved that side of the game when I was a player and I’m trying to get that across to them now. 

The players’ view on Eyquem: Hawa Cissoko, France central defenderI’ve known Gilles for two years now. The first things I noticed about him at my first training camp were his accent and his keepy-up skills. When a coach keeps the ball up like that, you have to listen to them. Gilles is a really nice guy off the pitch. He makes us laugh, and he gets the balance just right. He treats all the players the same way, no matter whether you’re playing or not. He gives us confidence on the pitch. He gets stressed sometimes and he can lose his temper during games, but that doesn’t stop him being a good coach. On a personal level, he’s helped me a lot over the last two years and especially during this tournament. I didn’t have a great game against Ghana, but he picked me up and gave me confidence. A lot of other coaches would have just stuck me on the bench, but not Gilles. After the win against Germany, he told me he knew I could do it. The whole team has faith in him.

Japan - Takakura: 2011 was the turning point for Japanese women's football

When Japan take to the pitch for their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016 semi-final against France on Tuesday 29 November, coach Asako Takakura will have more than a possible final appearance in her sights. After all, few people have a better insight into the way these youth tournaments can help when working with a senior national side than she does. In addition to overseeing the U-20s, Takakura steered the U-17s to World Cup glory in 2014 and has been in charge of the senior team since last spring – an arrangement unlike any other in women’s football.

"The main advantage of looking after players from U-17 level onwards is that you can observe their development extremely well,” she told FIFA.com. “I can judge their potential better if I’ve been working with them over several years. For me, winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was a kind of springboard to the next level,” Takakura added, before explaining: “After the tournament I’ll decide which players are good enough to progress to the first team. Several of them are capable of taking that step."

Women’s youth teams from Asia showed again last month why they are consistently among the favourites at any major tournament as Korea DPR and Japan battled it out for the U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Jordan. Although the Young Nadeshiko lost that particular showdown, the former international – capped 79 times for her country – was nonetheless quick to express how proud she was of her young charges. "When it comes to technique and pace, we are on the same level as North Korea, but we still have some ground to make up in physical terms,” she explained. “We take our youth development very seriously at home, so good World Cup results always give us a boost. Winning the Women’s World Cup in 2011 not only generated more interest in the game but also vastly improved our youth work. That victory inspired a new generation. It was a turning point for women’s football in Japan."

New horizons
In April 2016 Takakura took over as women’s national team coach from Norio Sasaki, who led Japan to two FIFA Women’s World Cup™ finals and Olympic silver at London 2012 but resigned after failing to secure qualification for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2016. He handed over the reins to a woman renowned for her talent and creativity for both her club Yomiuri-Seiyu Beleza and her country during her playing career.

The hopes of a nation now rest on the shoulders of the 48-year-old, who is confident that Japan’s characteristic style of play will help them return to the pinnacle of the sport. "The players must be open to anything and must learn to play in many different ways so that they can react appropriately to any situation on the pitch,” Takakura explained. “It is they who have to make those decisions during matches, not me as coach. We are trying to find a healthy balance between attack and defence. I want my team to play a brand of football suited to Japanese players. That means solid technique, team spirit and perfect link-up play. These three factors are our most important strengths, and we focused on these virtues even while I was still playing. I’m sure that if we play like this, our team can outperform their rivals."

Takakura’s team have been in top form for much of their journey to the semi-finals in Papua New Guinea, with their 6-0 win over 2014 finalists Nigeria sending a particularly resounding message to the rest of the field. While their euphoria was briefly dampened by a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Spain, another two comfortable victories over Canada (5-0) and Brazil (3-1) mean the Young Nadeshiko are now ready to try and reach their first U-20 Women’s World Cup final.

"Although I’m satisfied with my team’s performances, I think all of the players could still improve further,” their coach said. “We’ve been getting better and better from one game to the next at this tournament so far, so I think we’ll be even stronger in the semi-final. France are a world-class side who are physically, technically and mentally very tough. It’ll be a difficult match, but I’m looking forward to it," Takakura concluded.