Interview with Pako on the official site

[The_weatherman]

It´s a must read IMO, I think this guy contributes an awful lot to Rafa's and Liverpool's cause. He comes off as incredibly determined and professional and hopefully his mindset rubs off on the players. He gives a realistic and honest assessment on Liverpool progress but he´s not sure if the team can challenge next season. Also a good point a bout the teams performance on the road, he thinks it's down to the incredible support the team feels at home, they feel so much more difference when playing away compared to a team like Chelsea which doesn´t have that overwhelming support at home.

Pako

[Diego]

jesus that was an interesting read, from a very honest pako...

massive respect

[Red_Polo]

****ing love Pako, top man.

[Diego]

love how realistic he is in judging where we are, were not there yet we don't have the quality yet to challenge. it's nice to get in side the head of some one as pako, to fully realize where him and raf think we stand as a team...

[Ritchi3]

Can somebody copy and paste it here.
Cheers

[slimbimjim]

yes please!!

[Diego]

PAKO AYESTARAN: THE BIG INTERVIEW
Jimmy Rice in Athens 22 May 2007

He's one of the masterminds of the Rafalution, yet he rarely gives interviews. But as the Reds head into their second Champions League final in three seasons, Pako Ayestaran invited liverpoolfc.tv for an end of season evaluation.
As well as looking ahead to Wednesday night, Rafa's right-hand man offered an honest assessment of Liverpool's Premiership season.

The Spaniard explained what he feels the club has to do to end its long wait for a title – and he revealed the one thing that really winds him up about the modern game.

Ayesteran, The Big Interview

Firstly Pako, how excited are you personally about the days ahead?

I am more proud than excited. I am proud of the players, of all the employees at Melwood and I am proud of Liverpool. Everyone has been important in making sure we're still in when 30 other teams have been knocked out.

Have you done anything differently to prepare for the final than for a normal game?

No, not really. The only difference is that Athens is a warm city. For this reason we went to Murcia last week. It's in south east Spain, so the conditions there were very similar to Athens. Then we came to Athens for three days. That has given us eight days to get used to the conditions.

What's the mood like in the camp? How confident is everyone going into the final?

Confidence is a word I don't like, because it has positive and negative effects. Confidence is not something you can buy in the supermarket. The better you prepare, the more confidence you will have. That is what we are working on now. The important thing is to see yourself as being ready for the challenge, not to be confident.

How would victory in Athens compare to the achievement in Istanbul?

I don't like to talk about victory when there is still so much hard work to be done. You are not ready until you have analysed the situation, the strengths and weaknesses of the other team. Victory is a long way off. It's out of our control at this very moment, so my main worry is what is happening today. I started this morning and I was not thinking about victory, all I was thinking about was hoping it wouldn't be a windy day, because it must be a clear day for us to do the tests with players. This is all I can do today. Sometimes people are too focused on the result, and you can lose sight of what is important, which is preparing yourself to win.

Rafa has taken a lot of plaudits for masterminding some great European victories, like the incredible result in Barcelona. What's his secret?

It's always the same thing. He analyses the strengths and the weaknesses of each team. Rafa is a very open-minded person and coach. He always asks his backroom staff what they think, and listens, but of course the final decision is always with him.

One of the main challenges tomorrow night will be stopping Kaka. Judging by his performance in the semi-final against Manchester United, is he the best player in the world right now?

It's very difficult to select just one player, but if you analyse the impact players have on their teams, then I think you have to look at Didier Drogba. I think Chelsea feel his absence more than any other team misses any other player.

Looking back on the season as a whole, Liverpool have once again been great in Europe, but things haven't gone to plan in the Premiership. What do you think is behind this?

They are very different. One is a knockout where you need to be at you top level for just 12 games to reach the final; the other is a competition in which you have to be at your top level for 10 months and 38 games. If you have a bad run during one or two months, you don't have the possibility of fighting for the Premiership. The second reason is the games we had at the beginning. You have to be a little bit luckier with the fixtures, I think. We played Chelsea, Bolton, Man Utd, Everton and Arsenal away from home during a stage when the team and new players were trying to mould together.

Both Liverpool and AC Milan have fallen short in their respective leagues. Do you think it's possible to do well in both competitions?

Yes, really it is possible. You need a really deep squad. We did it as well with Valencia, when we won the league and had a really good run in the Champions League – we were very unlucky to go out to Inter Milan. Yes, AC Milan and Liverpool are in the final, but it could easily have been a Chelsea versus Manchester United final, and they are doing well in the league. It is true that teams like Liverpool, without as deep a squad, can't fight for all the titles. You have to select your target. That's something we have done this year when our chance in the league was too far away.

So is it fair to say the club has concentrated mainly on the Champions League during the second half of the season?

Not concentrate, but we knew it was a more real possibility than the league.

Pako on winning the title

I think we have made the same mistakes as a team and as a club. I think still we are not ready to fight for the Premiership. You have to be realistic: if you want to be a winner, if you want to be first, you have to take all your decisions with this target in mind.

A lot was made of Rafa's rotation policy earlier in the season. Do you think rotation has played a part in the fact we are in Athens?

I think we selected targets and used our resources properly, and that's the reason we are where we are. I'm not just talking about the Champions League final – Liverpool have finished the season with a high level of performance. The rotation policy has helped us to arrive at this level.

Looking again at Rafa's rotation policy, how hard is it for you to motivate players when they're not playing week in, week out?

It's difficult with players who are not professional enough. If they are professional, they realise there are reasons they are not in the team. I try to get them focused on the reasons. They shouldn't use excuses. If someone is not in the squad, it's because there are things he has to improve. The way to motivate the players is to get them to look long-term and change the reasons they are not in the squad. They have to look at themselves.

What positives will you take from your third Premiership season, and what have you learned?

The positives are that in our direct confrontations with the other top four sides, we have been closer than last year. The only game we have been far away from winning was the match at The Emirates. We have won at home against Chelsea and Arsenal. The negatives, or the things we've learned? I think we have made the same mistakes as a team and as a club. I think still we are not ready to fight for the Premiership. You have to be realistic: if you want to be a winner, if you want to be first, you have to take all your decisions with this target in mind. Sometimes maybe we still are not close, as a squad and as a club as well. It's not a coincidence that Liverpool haven't won the league in 17 years.

What then do you think the club needs to be doing that it isn't already?

These are important questions. One thing is that our most expensive signing has been Djibril Cisse for £14 million. This year we haven't been able to compete with Manchester or Chelsea who can spend £20 or £30 million on a player. This doesn't mean we can't fight for the Premiership, but it's always more difficult. The only way we have to reduce the gap is to do everything better, to prepare the structure and hierarchy of the club to be more competitive. I am talking about the full structure of the club, the environment, the staff behind the players, everything. One of the things I don't like in football is when people say, 'We've done it this way for years'. My father had a Fiat but at this moment I have a BMW. You have to move on and you have to adapt to new ways.

So how far behind Chelsea and Manchester United do you think Liverpool are on the pitch?

In one game, we are really close; through the season, I think we are too far. We have lost around 60 points in three seasons. If you cheat yourself, you're not going in the right direction. We have to be fair to ourselves.

Do you think we might be on their level next season, or is it a longer process than that?

We can't say anything at all until we know what our starting point will be next season, and as well the starting points of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Were you surprised to see United overhaul Chelsea this season?

Not really. After three or four games, I said it could happen. There are two really important reasons for me. Firstly, they built a team over two or three years and then realised they were close. If you want to win the Premiership, you have to realise you are close and you are capable of winning. Then, when you are close, your self-confidence starts to build. Years ago a cyclist said to me, I want to win just one race. How was he going to win one race when he hadn't even been in the first 10 in any race?

Are you saying Liverpool aren't at that stage yet?

No, maybe we are not. Still we have finished too far from them to think we have a real possibility to win the Premiership. Manchester United didn't need to sign too many players this year. They bought Carrick, and if you look at the starting 11 they played against us this year and last, the only difference is Carrick and no van Nistelrooy. Eighty or 90 per cent of the key players were already in the team. All these things are the first reason for me why Manchester won the league. The second reason is they have used the rotation policy better than Chelsea. I remember three or four games when Manchester played with five, six or seven changes. Playing with Fletcher on the right instead of Ronaldo or with Brown at centre-back. Chelsea haven't done that.

United have won the league by outscoring teams. While Liverpool have once again been excellent at the back, is it the case that we need to score more goals?

One of our main problems is that, when you compare with the other top four teams, we haven't really scored too many goals. This is not the mistake just of the strikers. It's also for the midfielders, and also our defenders could sometimes have supported the attack better. We haven't been as aggressive going forward as we have in defending. United have also been really effective in wide areas. There are not many world-class wide players, and United have Giggs and Ronaldo. For me, Chelsea were more effective when they had Duff and Robben. With Liverpool, we have been without Harry Kewell all season. He has this kind of quality.

Pako on away form

Liverpool is the team that more than any other feels the difference when they play away. The support they feel when they play at home is so huge and important that when they play away, the difference is massive. When Chelsea play in Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea players don't really feel the support of the crowd, so the difference is not massive for them.

Alex Ferguson has stated that one of the reasons they won the league is because they got off to such a fantastic start. Liverpool didn't get out of the blocks as quickly, why do you think that was?

The fixtures we had at the beginning of the season were really tough, and we had them while our team was still coming together. Players needed to settle here, to learn how each other played, to get in the dressing room and join with the players already here. We didn't get our level until late November.

Another thing that's clear from this campaign is that Liverpool's home form has been excellent, yet points have been harder to come by on the road. What do you think is behind this?

I remember a coach in Spain once said that Spanish girls in the 1970s and 1980s were brought up not to be on their own, but to always have someone with them. They were educated to be part of a family, not on their own. They were educated to be married and be with the children of her husband. I think something similar has happened with our team. Liverpool is the team that more than any other feels the difference when they play away. The support they feel when they play at home is so huge and important that when they play away, the difference is massive. When Chelsea play in Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea players don't really feel the support of the crowd, so the difference is not massive for them. One thing the players have to learn is to compete and have the self-confidence independent of the supporters. You need the right mental attitude when the conditions are not comfortable. It's a psychological attitude that's so important.

You've been in England three years now. Is the task of overhauling Manchester United and Chelsea harder than you first thought?

Not really. You have to realise that Liverpool haven't won the league for 17 years. That said everything about how hard it is to win the Premiership. In the last 12 years, just three teams have won it. I knew it was going to be very difficult.

If you win the Premiership with Liverpool, how would that compare to overtaking Real Madrid and Barcelona with Valencia?

I think it will be more of an achievement. When we won the league with Valencia, we did it against two teams that were losing their level. Valencia had built the team the previous year and had already reached two Champions League finals. Maybe we didn't have a better starting 11 than Barcelona and Real Madrid, but we had a lot better squad and that was key. In England the situation is opposite. When we arrived here, Chelsea and Manchester United were improving their level year by year. For these reasons, it would be a massive achievement to win the Premiership.

Moving on to life off the pitch, how are you finding life in England?

I have settled in really well. One of the things which was difficult at first was the language. Day by day I'm improving, but I'm still further away than I'd like because, as crazy as it sounds, I sometimes don't feel like I'm living in England. I am at Melwood for so many hours, I don't have time to socialise. I'm always at my computer. I have two hours training with the players but it's always the same vocabulary. Another thing I had to adapt to is the different timing of the day, like the times of meals or going to bed. Now these are things I enjoy. In Spain, I'd never go to bed early or have dinner early, but it is enjoyable.

What do you make of Liverpool the city?

I enjoy the culture here; the music, theatres and cinemas. I live on the Wirral and that allows me to be in contact with nature, something I love, along with my family.

Do you get recognised when you go out?

Yes, but it's something I don't worry about. More important for me is the players and staff recognising my work.

Talk me through a typical day in the life of Pako?

That's easy. Normally I come to Melwood about eight o'clock, and so many times I don't set off home until seven o'clock. I am trying to leave earlier some days, so I can share my life with my family, take my wife for a meal, go for a walk or go to the theatre. I like to go to The Empire. Particularly in my first year, they missed me too much because I was too long here. When I'm at Melwood, it's no more than two or three hours on the pitch. The rest of the time I am planning training, analysing data from training sessions.

If you had to sum up your philosophy on coaching in one sentence, what would you say?

I can do it in just one word: professionalism. I think this word covers the most important things you do day by day.

Finally Pako, if there was one thing you could change about football, what would it be?

The lack of professionalism.

At Liverpool or in general?

In general. There are too many examples. One thing is, I can't understand when people say, 'There's nothing new to be found in football, everything has been discovered, so there is no point in analysing things.' To take the right decisions, you need to analyse a lot; you need to control of lot of data. This takes a lot of hours. As well, something I hate is when the players don't realise they lead a privileged life. They have a big responsibility to the supporters. They have to work hard not just for themselves, but for the club and the supporters who follow them everywhere. Sometimes when people say they are doing everything they can, it is not true. You can always push yourself a little bit more.

Okay, thanks for your time Pako, and good luck in the final...

Thank-you.

[The_weatherman]

love how realistic he is in judging where we are, were not there yet we don't have the quality yet to challenge. it's nice to get in side the head of some one as pako, to fully realize where him and raf think we stand as a team...

He is very realistic and he doesn't cheat on himself, which is a hard thing to do as people generally have a tendency to alter other people's perceptions of themsleves to make them look good in the eyes of other's. He just sees things as they are, I can see why he and Rafa work well together, very pragmatic both of them.

[tomasjj]

Fair and honest comments.
I like it a lot.

[Reece]

Next manager in the making for when Rafa pisses off to Madrid.

[Ritchi3]

Nice interview.
Cheers Diego.

[Shaggy]

What an absolute legend he is.

[TheStig]

Next manager in the making for when Rafa pisses off to Madrid.

He's been Rafa's Assistant since very early in Rafa's career, so I'd be surprised if he stayed if Rafa was going.

[The_weatherman]

He's been Rafa's Assistant since very early in Rafa's career, so I'd be surprised if he stayed if Rafa was going.

I heard somewhere, sometime, that Pako was actually a Liverpool fan don´t know if it's true though.

[Rich]

He is now! It's a very good read; although he's hinting not to expect us to challenge for the title next year; well, that's how I read it anyhow.