Video: Effectiveness placed high on Christiansen's Leeds United agenda

AS a young and up-and-coming player, Thomas Christiansen was schooled at a place with a self-imposed obligation to play beautiful, passing football.
New Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen flanked by Victor Orta  (Director of Football) and Angus Kinnear (Managing Director) (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)New Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen flanked by Victor Orta  (Director of Football) and Angus Kinnear (Managing Director) (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)
New Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen flanked by Victor Orta (Director of Football) and Angus Kinnear (Managing Director) (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

This club was Barcelona under the iconic figure of Johan Cruyff, who prized elegance and creativity over negativity, and originality and attack over stolid defence.

Working under Cruyff is a football education that few would forget. But for any Leeds United head coach, results and a certain amount of pragmatism will always take precedence. It is a wise philosophy at a club like Leeds.

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If you can win with style, all power to your elbow. But above all else, win or ‘if you can’t win, don’t lose’. A phrase that was actually coined by one of football’s great philosopher kings in Cruyff. Even the greatest can be pragmatic on occasions.

Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)
Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)

Judging by his press conference unveiling, this is something to which Christiansen will adhere, with his record at Cyprus displaying consistency in that regard at first AEK Larnaca and then APOEL Nicosia.

Two historic second-place finishes with Larnaca preceded his achievements at Nicosia last term in taking the club to the last 16 of the Europa Cup and winning the league with 24 victories in 36 matches. They had a win ratio of 66.6 per cent and an impressive 27 clean sheets into the bargain.

On his footballing philosophy and life under the late, great Cruyff in his formative years, Christiansen said: “Everyone has their way to coach and perform with the team, but of course he (Cruyff) was very important.

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“There were many things that I did not understand that he showed us. They are normal things for me to understand now, but in that moment I could not see it because he was a genius on the pitch and coaching.

Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)
Thomas Christiansen's career in numbers (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)

“He changed football a little bit and that is one of the things I want to bring to Leeds, but all of the coaches have different ways of seeing football.

“The most important is to be effective and take results.

“Everyone wants to play nice football; attractive, having the ball and scoring a lot of goals. But, at the end, if you don’t take the points you are not doing anything.

“I have to adapt to Leeds, with the team and the system. But having my ideas, I will die with my ideas and my philosophy but not being stupid – knowing what is the best to do in each moment.”

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Christiansen may be viewed as a left-field selection and does not have the profile for which many United supporters were hankering, but the 44-year-old does bring relative youth, modern thinking and a winning mentality of sorts, albeit within the confines of one of Europe’s less decorated leagues, in Cyprus.

His sharp, analytical footballing mind became evident to his new employers when he made a meticulous presentation on the strengths and weaknesses of United’s first-team squad, something which deeply impressed club owner Andrea Radrizzani and the rest of the Leeds hierarchy.

Casting aside any talk that his status as a relative managerial unknown will prove a hindrance, Christiansen added: “It is a good opportunity. If you see nowadays, clubs will take younger coaches.

“Not because the older ones are not good, but you want to innovate and bring something new – another way to think or being more dynamic in training. It’s also good to see new faces, who are not always the same.

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“I don’t have the same name as a (Claudio) Ranieri or other coaches who have been named. But I really want to be here and believe in my possibilities to bring Leeds to where they belong and will do good work and intense work, giving my best and trying to bring the message to the players, telling them where they are. I want them to enjoy this wonderful sport and want to get 100 per cent out of the players.

“At my previous teams, I got the highest from most of my players and that is why we achieved what we did and made history with both teams.”

On doing some early homework on his new charges, he added: “I have seen several games. From that, I have much information about how the team plays, the formation and individually. This is what I told him (Radrizzani) – what I like, what I don’t like, what could be the differences with me.

“I will be new in this league, but I am very flexible. I have my ideas of how I want to play, but I have to adapt to different circumstances and the league and the players we have in this squad and of course, the opponent.”

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“This is my work and what I understand and want. I believe I have done it in my previous teams where I have done it and succeeded, not only with the results, but also to handling the squad and having a good atmosphere in the team.

“This is difficult, but I was able to do that.”

Quietly spoken, but clearly determined and driven, Christiansen has arrived without fanfare, but first impressions were favourable enough. He is a player’s man by the looks of it and someone admirably free of ego and hubris on first viewing.

There were no ‘sexy’ soundbites or talk of ‘heavy metal football’ as espoused by Uwe Rosler at his unveiling two years ago.

No talk of ‘aggressive, front-foot football’ as mentioned by his predecessor Garry Monk either.

Delivering winning football, or not, is what Christiansen will live or die by and he clearly gets the drift in that regard.