Pen pics of Chelsea's backroom staff.
Pen pics of Chelsea's backroom staff.
Chelsea Under-21s boss Mark Robinson has left the club after two years to become Head Coach of League One Burton Albion.
Enzo Maresca has taken six staff with him from Leicester City to Chelsea, while Set Piece Coach Bernardo Cueva has also joined the club from Brentford.
Mauricio Pochettino's quartet of long-time assistants have departed Chelsea along with the Argentine Head Coach.
Sam Jewell has officially started work at Chelsea as Director of Global Recruitment after completing a period of gardening leave at Brighton.
BRENTFORD are advertising for a Set Piece Coach following confirmation of Bernardo Cueva’s move to Chelsea. The Mexican will join the Blues at the end of the season.
Natasha Patel is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football. In Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, she outlined her journey in football, how analysis has evolved and her experiences on either side of the Atlantic.
RENE MARIC is one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe. At the age of 31, he is Head of Coach Development and Playing Philosophy at Bayern Munich and has worked for Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach. He told the TGG Podcast about his coaching journey and lessons.
RADHI JAIDI became the first Tunisian to play in the Premier League when he joined Sam Allardyce's Bolton in 2004 and he remains a trailblazer as one of the only black Muslim coaches in senior European football. On Episode #61 of the TGG Podcast, Jaidi told us about his journey as a player and coach.
CHELSEA have appointed Swansea City’s Josh Marsh as their Loans and Pathways Manager as they look to change the way they work with loans.
CHELSEA have hired Owen Eastwood to lead a project on their history and identity which will influence the environments at Stamford Bridge and the Cobham training centre. The New Zealander has previously worked with Gareth Southgate’s England for several years.
SAM JEWELL has accepted a senior recruitment role at Chelsea and been placed on gardening leave by Brighton. Jewell, who is the son of former Wigan manager Paul Jewell, is expected to start work with Chelsea in November.
CHELSEA Medical Director Dimitrios Kalogiannidis is leaving the club after more than 13 years, while Physio Ed Richmond is about to arrive from Leicester City.
AS manager of League One Reading, Ruben Selles has one of the toughest jobs in the Football League. On Episode #60 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, he explained what it's like to lead the crisis club.
BELGIUM'S Union Saint-Gilloise have marked themselves out as one of the smartest and most innovative clubs in Europe. In Episode #59 of the TGG Podcast, their Sporting Director, Chris O'Loughlin, gave insights into how they are managing to upset the established order.
CHELSEA’S Under-12s won the annual Christmas Truce Tournament for the third straight time as clubs from England, Germany, Belgium and France came together for a flagship commemorative event.
TIM HARKNESS is leaving his role as Chelsea’s Head of Sport Science and Psychology after 14-and-a-half years. The South African has been one of the great survivors at Stamford Bridge, working under a dozen different managers during a period of considerable change.
KEVIN THELWELL has been Director of Football during a tumultuous period at Everton. In Episode #58 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, Thelwell talked about what his role involves, formulating a long-term plan for the club and what the future might hold.
JES BUSTER MADSEN is Head of Research and Development at FC Copenhagen and a world leader in the application of cognitive neuroscience in football. In Episode #57 of the TGG Podcast he explained how and why brain training will be the next big growth area in football.
ANDY MYERS is leaving Chelsea after 13 years to become Joe Edwards’ Assistant at Millwall. Myers made more than 100 appearances for the Blues as a player and first joined their Academy coaching staff as Under-14s Assistant in 2010/11.
FOR the last decade, Mark Leyland has been one of the foremost analysts in this country - and has gone on to become even more than that. He spoke to TGG about the evolution of his role at Liverpool and Newcastle and his current job as Head of Coaching Methodology at City Football Group.
ENGLAND have drafted in former Chelsea and Everton Head of Performance Chris Jones to help boost their Euro 2024 bid.
CHELSEA have hired Jeremy Leyde from West Brom to head up their new position-specific scouting department.
FOR almost a decade, Sarah Rudd was Vice President of Analytics for StatDNA and Arsenal, making her one of the most senior women in the Premier League. In this episode of the TGG Podcast, she told us about her work with Arsenal, her wider career and her thoughts on the future of analytics.
LIVERPOOL'S influential assistant Pep Lijnders was our guest on Episodes #53 and #54 of the TGG Podcast, giving in-depth insights into his work at the Anfield club.
CHELSEA have hired Nick Chadd from Benfica to become their new Head of Performance Services. He will report into Bryce Cavanagh, the incoming Director of Performance.
MANAGER Ian Evatt and Sporting Director Chris Markham are working in tandem to try and restore Bolton Wanderers to their former glories. They outlined their approach in Episode #52 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl.
WHEN Irishman Conor Nestor got an unexpected opportunity to manage Svay Rieng in Cambodia, he grabbed it with both hands. He transformed the way they operated, including a complete revamp of their analysis and recruitment. Here he explains what he did and how it helped land the Cambodian league title.
ARSENAL have a fantastic record of producing athletic Academy graduates. In Episode #50 of the TGG Podcast Des Ryan, the club's former Head of Academy Sports Medicine and Athletic Development, explains why and how.
MANAGERS who arrive at a new club? and publicly claim their players “are not fit enough” risk being “inflammatory and dangerous”, says former Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United Head of Performance Callum Walsh.
BENFICA are the reigning UEFA Youth League champions and have the most profitable Academy in Europe. Their Technical Director Pedro Marques was our guest on Episode #49 of the TGG Podcast in association with Hudl.
ANTHONY BARRY has left Chelsea after almost three years to become Thomas Tuchel’s assistant at Bayern Munich.
FORMER Wolves Head of Sport Science Tom Farrow has joined Chelsea as a Physical Performance Coach.
THOMAS TUCHEL has revealed he is hopeful of adding Chelsea’s Anthony Barry to his staff at Bayern Munich. The German, who was appointed following the surprise sacking of Julian Nagelsmann earlier this week, worked with Barry during his 20 months in charge of Chelsea.
OUR guest on Episode #48 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast is Norwich City's Stuart Webber, who we've often described as the 'purest' example of a Sporting Director in this country.
FORMER Chelsea physio Jon Fearn has opened up on his “shock” departure from the club after 13 years. Following the takeover by Chairman Todd Boehly's consortium last May, there was a revamp of the medical department that resulted in Fearn getting sacked.
IN Episode #47 of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Tom Vernon tells us about the origins of Right to Dream, its objectives and what the rest of football can learn from the group.
PROFESSOR David Sumpter is a pioneer of the application of data science in football and has worked with leading teams including Ajax, Barcelona, Hammarby and England. In Episode #46 of the TGG Podcast he gives insights into his work and predictions for the future.
CHELSEA have moved to clarify the roles and responsibilities of their senior leadership team, with Laurence Stewart set to finally join the club from AS Monaco next week.
TONY PULIS says Chelsea’s huge transfer spend under new owner Todd Boehly is at risk of “destroying” their Academy, which he describes as “probably the strongest in England.”
CHELSEA’S Head of Research and Innovation, Ben Smith, has left the club after 16 years to join Los Angeles-based data analytics firm BreakAway Data.
JIM FRASER has been promoted to Head of Youth Development and Recruitment by Chelsea following Neil Bath’s elevation to Director of Football Development and Operations.
BRENTFORD first-team coach Justin Cochrane tells us about his coaching journey on Episode #45 of the TGG Podcast.
CHRISTOPHER VIVELL has been appointed as the new Technical Director at Chelsea. The German takes on the same title as Laurence Stewart, who joined the Blues in October from AS Monaco.
DERMOT DRUMMY was a brilliant development coach who helped bring through some of the biggest names in the game at Arsenal and Chelsea. Five years ago he took his own life. TGG looks back on Drummy's life and career.
CHELSEA Head Physio Thierry Laurent has left the club after 17 years. “Thank you to all the medical staff at CFC (who) made this department part of the top five in Europe for the last 10 years," he said.
TGG goes inside Chelsea's Academy as the Premier League marks a decade of the Elite Player Performance Plan.
NEIL BATH has been promoted to Director of Football Development and Operations by Chelsea as their restructure continues apace.
PAUL WINSTANLEY has left Brighton after eight years to become Director of Global Talent and Transfers at Chelsea. The Blues have revamped their recruitment department following the takeover by Chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali in May.
SALLY NEEDHAM is the Human Development and Performance Culture Lead at Sheffield United's Academy. On Episode #44 of the TGG Podcast she gives us the lowdown on her unique role.
NEIL BATH has been described as the "stand-out practitioner in youth development" and "the fabric of Chelsea" after his Academy topped TGG's productivity rankings.
LAURENCE STEWART has been appointed to the new position of Technical Director by Chelsea, with a focus on “football globally.”
CHELSEA have topped Training Ground Guru’s Academy Productivity Rankings for the first time. The Blues Academy was the most productive in the country, with Manchester United second and Arsenal third.
RUI FARIA is the most successful number two in football history. Here he gives in-depth insights into his time working alongside Jose Mourinho.
KYLE MACAULAY was 26 when he wrote to Graham Potter asking about playing opportunities at Ostersunds. Now he's a key member of his inner circle and will take on a senior recruitment role at Chelsea.
CHELSEA’S Head of International Scouts, Scott McLachlan, has left the club after 11 years.
CHELSEA manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted he “loved to work with” former Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech and that it has been a “big change” to operate without him.
SEAN DYCHE explains the lessons he has learned throughout his career, from being a trainee under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest to taking unfashionable Burnley into Europe for the first time in 51 years.
FORMER Chelsea sport scientist Malcolm Harkness has revealed that the club ‘psychologically coded’ players during Maurizio Sarri’s season in charge in 2018/19.
STEVEN REID left his role as first-team coach at Nottingham Forest earlier this summer to become a confidence, wellbeing and leadership coach. On Episode #41 of the TGG Podcast he explains the reasons why and gives insights into his two decades as a Premier League player and coach.
DAMIEN COMOLLI tells TGG about the strategies he has employed to restore Toulouse FC to the top table of French football - and how they were honed during three decades in the game.
PETR CECH has stepped down from his role as Technical and Performance Advisor at Chelsea after three years. The 40-year-old was appointed in June 2019 to “provide advice on all football and performance matters throughout the club.”
IN April, Southampton announced that they were launching a “unique” Learning Lab that would embed a “research culture focused on modern Ecological Approaches” in their club and Academy. TGG decided to find out more by welcoming two members of the Learning Lab Board onto our podcast.
GOALKEEPER COACH Christophe Lollichon has left Chelsea after 15 years, while strength and conditioning coach Adam Burrows has also departed.
AUSTRALIA assistant Rene Meulensteen was our guest on Episode #38 of the TGG Podcast. He told us about his coaching journey from Holland to Australia via Manchester United and the lessons learned along the way in front of a live audience..
ANDREAS GEORGSON gives us insights into individual development coaching, evolving set pieces at the highest level, Malmö's youth development secrets and what it was like to work under Arteta.
THE Training Ground Guru Podcast is celebrating its third birthday. We look back on the 37 episodes we've had so far - and ahead to season four.
FOR 24 years, Francis Cagigao was one of the most important and influential figures at Arsenal. He tells TGG about his time with the North London club and about his new role, as Director of Football for Chile.
BRENTFORD'S journey to the Premier League is a story of innovation, clever use of data and investment in people. We found out more about this from their Director of Football, Phil Giles.
MARIELA NISOTAKI is the Head of Emerging Talent at Norwich City - and the only female scout on the circuit in the UK. She told us what her job involves, how she balances data with live eyes and why Norwich are an ambitious club doing things their own way.
CHELSEA legend John Terry is returning to the club in a consultancy role that will involve “coaching and mentoring the next generation” at their Academy.
In Episode #33 of the TGG Podcast, Chris Ramsey MBE tells us about his role at QPR, his career journey, how he develops coaches and why the game has lost a generation of black leaders.
GREGG BROUGHTON is the Academy Director at Bodø/Glimt, the small club making a big noise in European football. He was our guest on Episode #32 of the TGG Podcast.
OWEN EASTWOOD, who has worked with the England men's football team since 2016, shares insights about building an optimum environment for teams and athletes to thrive.
LUKE BORNN, the former Head of Analytics at AS Roma, tells us about his own journey, and that of data science in football.
DAVE ALRED MBE shares the secrets for performing under pressure that he's used with Jonny Wilkinson, Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari and even Gareth Southgate
IN just 20 months, Russell Martin has marked himself out as one of the most interesting and original English managers in the game. He told TGG more about his approach, covering topics including Buddhism, politics, playing without fear, work-life balance and the importance of sticking to Plan A.
MICHAEL BEALE gives an insight into the training ground methods that helped Rangers land their first title in a decade.
CHELSEA WOMEN manager Emma Hayes on some of the key influences on her career and how they helped to shape her leadership philosophy.
CHELSEA WOMEN boss Emma Hayes says it's 'bonkers' that there isn't more diversity in football. Research, plus the experience of other industries, backs her up.
LAURENCE STEWART, the Head of Recruitment for AS Monaco, explains the core principles of the club's transfer strategy.
RENOWNED coach and coach educator Brian Ashton MBE tells TGG the lessons he has learned from five decades in the profession.
CHELSEA first-team coach Anthony Barry has been appointed assistant to Stephen Kenny with the Republic of Ireland.
AZ ALKMAAR Sport Development Director Marijn Beuker outlines how the club outperform their budget by thinking differently.
ANTHONY BARRY has committed to staying at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel after turning down the manager’s job at League One Fleetwood Town.
DOES the sacking of Frank Lampard after 18 months suggest that the emphasis on homegrown players was just a passing phase?
LIVERPOOL legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher tells TGG how he analyses matches and aims to take fans inside the world of the manager's post-match debrief.
UNDER-16s lead Dan Micciche outlines the key principles of Arsenal's Academy and how they go about developing 'Strong Young Gunners.'
BRIGHTON Technical Director Dan Ashworth explains what the role involves and why he believes it’s so important.
EVERTON assistant Davide Ancelotti was the guest on episode #19 of the TGG Podcast. The 31-year-old talked about growing up with a famous father, gave insights into his role, explained why Dominic Calvert-Lewin was "the best striker we could have" and opened up about his own managerial ambitions.
EDDIE NEWTON has introduced some of Chelsea’s groundbreaking sports science expertise to Trabzonspor by adding Malcolm Harkness to his backroom staff at the club.
Eddie Jones, Tom Vernon, Dave Reddin, Lorraine O'Malley and Karen Bardsley outline what they believe will be the big developments in football in the coming months and years.
LIVERPOOL Academy Manager Alex Inglethorpe takes TGG inside the club's Kirkby training centre and explains the principles that underpin one of the most successful youth programmes in English football.
ANTHONY BARRY has been appointed first-team coach at Chelsea after three years with Wigan Athletic.
CHELSEA have been crowned champions of Premier League 2 Division One after the Premier League voted to determine the final standings of its youth competitions using a points-per-game system.
DR PIPPA GRANGE, the former Head of People and Team Development for the Football Association, tells us about the differences between winning deep and shallow.
GARRY GELADE, described as the elder statesman of football analytics after his pioneering work for clients including Chelsea, has died at the age of 74.
MANCHESTER UNITED Academy Manager Nick Cox lays out the key tenets of the club's youth programme, including the belief that there is a higher purpose than just producing professional footballers.
DANNY COWLEY lays out his footballing philosophy, which he described as "old-school values with new methods".
FOR the fifth consecutive season, Chelsea have topped Youth Hawk's table for call-ups to England youth sides. However, for the first time, they share top billing with another team.
TONY STRUDWICK says building relationships is still the most important skill for any practitioner, despite the increasing influence of data and science in football.
GÉRARD HOULLIER is the "most underrated" Liverpool manager. according to Jamie Carragher, but he brought the club into the 21st Century and his legacy is still felt to this day,
BLACKBURN have been one of the surprise packages of the Championship season so far - and 35-year-old Stewart Downing has been their talisman. He tells TGG about the astute management of Tony Mowbray and how it's helped prolong his career.
EDDIE NEWTON has left Chelsea after seven years to become assistant manager at Turkish side Trabzonspor.
ENGLAND rugby coach Eddie Jones shares insights gleaned from three decades in coaching, ranging from the influence of Pep Guardiola to managing mavericks to tactical periodisation.
CHELSEA spent £26.647m paying off manager Antonio Conte and his coaching staff, their latest accounts have revealed.
MLADEN SORMAZ, Head of Football Analytics at Leicester City; Luke Benstead, Head of Performance Analysis and Innovation for Belgium, and Ed Sulley, Director of Customer Solutions for Hudl, discuss the current state of data science in football and where it could be headed.
NEIL BATH, Chelsea’s long-serving Head of Youth Development, says the club is finally realising its 15-year dream for the Academy.
PAUL BALSOM, Leicester City’s highly-experienced Head of Performance Innovation, says a rare alchemy has taken the side to heady heights in the Premier League this season.
WYSCOUT founder Matteo Campodonico explains how he came up with the idea for the scouting and analysis platform, how clubs use it and why he believes Big Data will transform the way it is used.
GAME TIME for English Under-21s in the Premier League clubs is at its highest level for 12 seasons, while minutes for foreign players are at the lowest level for five seasons.
LEEDS UNITED Sporting Director Victor Orta says the club’s recruitment policy is 70% human judgement and 30% data.
FRANK LAMPARD has taken another member of Derby County’s backroom staff with him to Chelsea.
LES FERDINAND charts his journey from star player to Director of Football at QPR and laments the fact that bigger clubs are now “stockpiling” young talent.
RHYS LONG, Head of Performance Analysis and Insight for the Football Association, outlines his philosophy in the Training Ground Guru Podcast.
DAVE REDDIN, the Football Association’s Head of Team Strategy and Performance, tells the TGG Podcast that sports science is creating a generation of players with “limited physical capabilities”.
FRANK LAMPARD has unveiled his Chelsea backroom team, with Chris Jones and Jody Morris joining him from Derby County.
THIS month we go behind the scenes at the TGG Youth Development Conference in Manchester, with speakers Kris Van Der Haegen, Leigh Bromby and John McGuigan.
PETR CECH has returned to Chelsea to take up a new senior role - although not the Technical Director job he had been touted for.
TGG gets a tour of Burnley's Academy, which is on the verge of going from Category 3 to 1 inside three years.
FORMER Birmingham, Derby and Stoke manager Gary Rowett is joined by his former Head of Performance, Dave Carolan, and Head of Analysis, Joe Carnall, for the first episode of the new Training Ground Guru podcast.
SIX years ago today, PSG Performance Manager Nick Broad died following a road traffic accident in Paris. He left a lasting impression at former clubs including Blackburn and Chelsea - and in the industry as a whole.
MAURIZIO SARRI has sparked a huge debate within the football performance industry by revealing his Chelsea players do not do weight training.
ROSS BARKLEY says he had not “been coached much” before working with Maurizio Sarri and that his development stalled once he began playing first-team football.
MIDFIELDER Josh McEachran has revealed what life is like in the Chelsea loan group, with players training separately from the first team as they await their fate.
JONATHAN PANZO says he chose to join Monaco because they offer more opportunities than the “back and forth” of Chelsea’s loan system.
CHELSEA manager Maurizio Sarri has confirmed his backroom staff following an exodus from the club this summer.
COACH Pedro Mendonca, who has written a book on Maurizio Sarri, discusses the philosophy and tactics of Chelsea's new manager.
CHELSEA first-team fitness coach Chris Jones is to become Frank Lampard’s Head of Performance at Derby County.
CHELSEA striker Alvaro Morata has travelled to Germany for a third time to be treated by a doctor who specialises in "regenerative medicine," according to the Marca newspaper.
CARLO ANCELOTTI has paid tribute to Nick Broad, his former performance supremo at both Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, who died five years ago at the age of 38.
TRIBUTES have been paid to Dermot Drummy, the highly-successful former youth coach of Arsenal and Chelsea, who has died at the age of 56.
How effective is your team's Academy? A new study has ranked the 86 Category 1-3 clubs in terms of productivity for England-qualified players.
MANCHESTER UNITED Academy boss Nicky Butt has derided Chelsea’s youth system, saying they produce outstanding players but fail to get them into the first team.
MICHAEL MANCIENNE thinks Germany are much more successful than England on the international stage because their clubs “would rather push through a youngster with potential than make a signing”.
ANTONIO CONTE now has nine Italians in his backroom staff following a duo of additions last month - making it the first time since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003 that not a single Brit is among the manager's assistants.
CHELSEA have sent their players on loan to 87 clubs in the last five seasons, with Vitesse Arnhem the leading destination.
CHELSEA manager Antonio Conte has defended his record with young homegrown players, saying they are often too impatient and that he is always under pressure to win.
WEST BROM won the Premier League fitness title in 2016/17, with the lowest number of significant injuries and days lost to injury.
MANCHESTER UNITED and Chelsea’s younger age groups have faced each other in an ‘elite playground’ format at St George’s Park.
JOHN TERRY put on a session for a group doing their Uefa B Licence last year. Hannah Burnett-Kirk was one of them - she gave her feedback to TGG.