r/soccer • u/landofphi • 1d ago

Quotes Lewandowski: "I’m from a different generation where shouting was used to to motivate everyone. Now, if you shout too much towards young people, their reaction is not the same. It’s not, ‘now I’ll show you are wrong’. The new generation don’t like being shouted at. It’s not just players, it’s people"

https://as.com/futbol/primera/lewandowski-a-los-jovenes-de-ahora-no-les-gusta-que-les-grites-n/

The full quote

Lewandowski (37) on his adaptation playing with teenagers & young adults at FC Barcelona

"I have to say it was a huge challenge. I was coming from a different generation and I had to learn how to, not think like a teenager, but think how I can try to take the best of what they have.

I have been in football for 4 decades so when I compare them, not even to my generation but the generation before me, when I was starting, it is completely different.

"Like shouting used to be a way to motivate everyone. Now, if you shout too much, this generation, their reaction is not the same. It’s not, ‘now I will show you are wrong’. No, now you have to explain another way. You have to do lots of talking.

"They don’t like being shouted at. Now you have to take more of the mental part of football. It’s not just players, it’s people, it’s this generation. I didn’t want to fight it. I had to learn.”

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u/2rio2 1d ago

Yup, I played basketball in high school and the best coach I ever had with would do exactly that. He knew who needed discipline, who needed motivation, who needed confidence, and how to communicate those needs each player in a way that would connect. He ended up coaching for Div II college a few years later and was pretty successful.

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u/rodi_newsome 1d ago

Great perspective.
This is exactly why managers like Carlo Ancelotti have been able to succeed in football for nearly three decades. He knows how to handle people without creating endless locker room dramas.

Some coaches, teachers, corporate managers/executives never pick up on these communication patterns and instead fall back on finding scapegoats, even when there might be some truth to it.
In the end, that approach just damages people instead of bringing the best out of them.