Humans are complex creatures. We all think different things and act different ways. Soccer players and coaches are humans, which might come as a surprise to some. After a little over a week with head coach James O’Connor, City players have noted a major positive with their new leader — you don’t have to guess what he’s thinking.
“It’s black and white with him,” said RJ Allen before an early morning training session. “That’s what I respect a lot”
From the vet to the rookie, O’Connor’s directness has been welcome.
“It’s much appreciated,” said Chris Mueller. “You don’t want anybody to be not necessarily telling you the things you don’t want to hear. You want to improve in all ways and coaches need to be honest with you if you’re going to reach your full potential.”
At training, O’Connor can be seen interjecting himself into drills. He corrects and implements on the fly and is vocal presence throughout the session.
“I’m just continuing to learn from his mentality and his focus in and out of every session,” said Chris Mueller. “He brings it every day and he requires it from every player.”
“He brings a lot of energy,” added Allen. “For me, in my opinion, his philosophy and building up out of the back is something that I enjoy and I appreciate. [It’s] something that I really believe in, and that’s how you create a lot of chances, because if you build well out of the back your chances in the final third will come.”
So for these complex creatures, O’Connor seems to have made things pretty simple.
“If you can’t get the job done for him,” said Allen. “Someone else will.”
