Is this legendary Finn a great Reds manager in waiting?

Sami Hyypia: the man is a cast-iron legend.  He holds high status at both Liverpool and in Finland; 8 time Finish player of the year, captain of his country for the majority of his 105 caps and winner of every trophy – bar the Premier League – under Houllier and Rafa Benitez.  A sportsman universally respected and heralded.  So when Hodgson spoke of his intention to bring Sami back as a coach, this writer at least was highly impressed with the good sense such a decision would make.

As a player Hyypia is a rare sight: a long and lean athletic figure; always steadfast and assured, he is never flustered or rushed into making his decisions.  He made tackling appear like an art-form to Liverpool (and no doubt now Leverkusen) fans.  His only negative trait was a distinct lack of pace but this was only ever exposed on the rarest occasions, as his technical ability and expert reading of moves playing out in front of him made light of this lacking.  However, it was perhaps from his organisational skills that Liverpool benefitted most during his 10 years at the club, after a number of partners were drafted in alongside the Finn over the years without a notable drop in his standards (and with an often marked improvement in theirs).  His most recent partner at LFC – Jamie Carragher – was once quoted as saying –

“I don’t think you could use any other word for Sami than legend. If you look at the standard of his performances ever since he came to the club, his level of consistency, then you would have to say he is up there with the very best centre backs we have ever had. “

This coming from a man who himself will probably end his career being thought of as one of the best centre backs Liverpool has ever had is high praise indeed.

As a coach, Sami hasn’t even cut his teeth at any level and yet, he is already in high demand.  It was noted when he left Liverpool – by Rafa Benitez – that he believed Hyypia would one day make a fine coach; that he had the right attributes to continue his career in football, on the coaching side.  12 months later, and Roy Hodgson has already attempted to bring him back as a coach, and now Leverkusen have decided to issue a ‘hands-off’ to Liverpool, with designs on him joining their own coaching staff in the coming years.  It would appear that the Finn has become something of a commodity as a coach before he has even gained a single official badge.  However, there is a lot to be taken from his attributes as a player that could stand as an indication of his potential as a coach, or even a future manager and offer some explanation as to why managers at two of Europe’s top clubs are in such a rush for Sami to hang up his boots and get into the UEFA classroom.

Hyypia’s stature grew exponentially from the original English media headlines of ‘Sami Who-ppia’ on his arrival.  He quickly became one of the most respected professionals in the game; as much for his attitude as for his defensive expertise.  At English clubs respect for the manager and/or coaching staff is an absolute necessity, as English players are notoriously ill-educated and as such, are difficult to control.  Likewise: in-coming ‘prima donnas’ from other big clubs or from overseas often need a manager with an even hand and one that holds the respect of the rest of the playing staff before they will fall in line.  Sami would command this respect, particularly amongst a group of players he has ‘allies’ in, and particularly at a club where he spent 10 years continually gaining good-will and week-on-week depositing more into the bank of legendary status.

Likewise, his ability as a defender has since earned him the title of ‘Defender of the Decade’ by Goal.com, with Alessandro Nesta coming in second place.  With players like Ayala, Cannavaro and Lucio included in this category, this is eminently high praise again, and is an indication that Sami has a bottomless pit of defensive knowledge and knowhow to impart on the playing staff at any club he coaches at.  At a club like Liverpool, where (a thankfully short, mid-nineties period apart) there is a tradition of defensive stability and class, Sami would have a huge role to play.  Particularly, as the Liverpool way is to attack as a team and defend as a team, so the entire squad would only benefit from the big man’s presence on the training ground and would be siphoned down through the reserves, youth teams, and into the academies.  Hyypia’s relaxed, assured defensive approach could become the norm at Liverpool, whereas before it existed in one man who used this approach to organise his backline into one of the strongest in Europe under Benitez and Houllier.

Which leads me onto the final (and perhaps his finest) point: organisation.  As mentioned already, perhaps Hyypia’s finest point was his ability to exude authority and organisation, in a way that the likes of John Terry (with his shouting, screaming, barracking style) can only dream of.  He organised team-mates purely by example and with a great authority and intelligence that even some of the great club captains have never attained.  On the training ground and throughout the rest of the club, this will be something that will be sorely needed at Liverpool in the years to come, as transfer fees rocket further and the demands of players become ever-more unrealistic.  Having the talent and authority to organise a group of highly-paid, highly-strung, top-class internationals into an effective, world-class team is an ability few coaches (or managers) have.  Indeed, there are likely less than 10 managers with these attributes operating in football right now.  So if a player like Sami could bring these skills into coaching, then having him on the staff could enhance the authority of any manager.  Indeed, it is no doubt a large part of the reason why Roy tried to bring him back here himself.

News that Hodgson’s attempts to bring Sami back to the club on a 4 year coaching contract – with a view to later promote him to the position of assistant manager – had failed was sad news indeed.  As he could well have been Hodgson’s best summer signing.  Perhaps, though, he is one for the future and if he can transfer his playing abilities into key coaching attributes, he can cut his teeth at Leverkusen and assist Hodgson – and Liverpool – in a year or two.  And who knows, maybe even further down the line, he could prove to be one of the great Liverpool managers himself.

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