Ralf Rangnick conducts workshop at UAF with participation of 103 Ukrainian coaches

02.08.2024 20:39

On Friday, August 2, renowned German coach Ralf Rangnick conducted a theoretical and practical workshop for Ukrainian coaches at the House of Football. The 66-year-old Rangnick, currently the head coach of the Austrian national team, came to Kyiv at the invitation of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF).

The workshop was attended by 103 coaches from the staffs of Ukrainian national teams, domestic professional clubs, and youth academies.

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

"I am pleased to welcome renowned coach Ralf Rangnick to the House of Football! Thank you for accepting our invitation and coming to Kyiv. Ralf Rangnick is a specialist who has contributed significantly to global football development. He respects Ukrainian football, and it is admirable that he has come to Kyiv during such a challenging time for our country," said UAF President Andriy Shevchenko at the beginning of the seminar.

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

"For me, it is truly a great pleasure and honor to be here today. When Andriy Shevchenko called me and proposed this seminar, I immediately agreed. It was important for me to share this information with you in person, not online. My coaching career spans over 40 years. I obtained my first professional coaching license at 19. Early in my career, I met Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who brought Dynamo Kyiv to Germany for training. In Reutlingen, I observed every training session of Lobanovskiy's team. At that time, German football had certain stereotypes in gameplay, and no one dared to go beyond certain limits, while Lobanovskiy had new ideas. That was my first experience of a different football vision," said Ralf Rangnick.

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

Following this, the German specialist, along with his assistants, made a presentation consisting of three parts. First, Rangnick shared his vision of the style of play and how he formulated his football philosophy. In the second part of the theoretical seminar, Rangnick, who currently heads the Austrian national team, discussed his principles of implementing ideas "from paper to the pitch". Afterward, Rangnick and his assistants answered questions from Ukrainian coaches for about an hour.

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

Another part of the seminar was a practical session held at Bannikov Stadium. During the practical exercises, Rangnick, with players from FC Shakhtar's U-17 team, modeled and explained game situations discussed in the theoretical part.

After the workshop, participants shared their impressions.

Serhiy Kovalets (former coach of Ukraine U-21): "I thank the Ukrainian Association of Football and Andriy Shevchenko personally for organizing this seminar. According to Rangnick, Valeriy Lobanovskyi had a significant impact on his career. Discipline, order, and the fulfillment of duties by coaches and players are very simple things. Rangnick showed matches of the Austrian national team at EURO 2024, transition phases, and set pieces — everything is simple but very informative.

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

A large number of coaches were present. From adult teams, youth, U-21, and children’s academies. It was useful for them, and it shows that our football is alive. Great thanks to Ralf Rangnick for not being afraid to come to Ukraine in a difficult time and share his experience."

Vitaliy Ponomaryov (head coach of FC Rukh Lviv): "Ralf Rangnick is one of the best European coaches, and he follows the same football philosophy that the Ukrainian national team currently adopts. This is important for our coaches because he shared a lot of interesting information during the theoretical session.

The fact that Rangnick relies on the ideas of Valeriy Lobanovskyi is a source of pride for our country. It means we have a good foundation on which to develop Ukrainian football. I am confident that the coaches present at the seminar gained a lot of useful insights.
For example, our team, FC Rukh, tries to play similar football. Of course, there were some details we had not used before, and we will consider them in our further development."

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

Oleksandr Ishchenko (director of the academy at FC Dynamo Kyiv): "Ralf Rangnick is an active coach, a practical coach. I was most interested in the fact that the main focus of his communication with us was the components of football. This is the foundation built by Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Oleh Bazylevych. It’s fascinating how it looks now, in modern methodology, and how to reformat it for current players so they understand and execute it. The video notes from EURO 2024 are a clear confirmation that we need to work in that direction because it is the basis of football.

Such seminars promote the development of football and communication among coaches because there is no development without communication. Communication should be in audio and video format, and the format of 'question-answer.' This seminar is a clear example of how it should be. We communicated, received comprehensive information, and then it’s up to each coach’s skill to apply it in their work."

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

Yuriy Koval (head coach of FC Zorya Luhansk): "Today's seminar is communication with colleagues, and it is always very good. The fact that the coach of the Austrian national team came and we had the opportunity to hear him live is great. Live communication is live communication. It has great energy.

During the war, such seminars give coaches, especially young ones, the opportunity to hear the freshest thoughts from a coach who has just returned from the European Championship. Both practice and theory were very instructive."

Oleh Shelaiev (sports director of the academy at FC Dnipro): "Of course, such seminars are very important. First, we, coaches, meet, share thoughts, and experiences, and support each other. Secondly, Ralf Rangnick is a specialist who has gone his way and understands how to build a team and solve problems. His words inspire thoughts about the further development of football.

I would like the Ukrainian Association of Football to organize such seminars more often, at least once a month. They are needed even for discussion. Coaches can meet, discuss problems, propose solutions, and simply communicate."

Photo by Olesya Zadorozhna

Dmytro Mykhailenko (head coach of Ukraine U-19): "In my opinion, the seminar is a very useful event. It shows respect for our football from European specialists.

I have heard a lot about Ralf Rangnick and understand the coaches who came out of his school. These include Jurgen Klopp, Julian Nagelsmann, and Hansi Flick. Many famous specialists have been influenced by him. And he, in turn, was greatly influenced by Valeriy Lobanovskyi. Using his ideas, Rangnick developed his approach to football. He is now an advocate of a super energetic game built on pressing and constant attack on the ball. This is important for our country because many coaches here are pressing enthusiasts. It’s interesting to communicate with a coach who shares similar views.

There are not many people who have had such a significant impact on European football. They can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Many coaches achieve success, but they do not have such an influence. Ralf is a person who has greatly influenced football in Europe, and this is important."