This Day in History: 2022-11-07

Nr. 338

HERRERA ‘PSYCHES UP’ THE BARCELONA DRESSING ROOM (1958)

The modem game features many examples of managers using so-called ‘mind games’ to influence a football match, and Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho may think they have the monopoly on such tactics, but the godfather of football mind games was Helanio Herrera who, throughout the 1950s and 1960s made a habit of psyching his players up for action. French-Argentinian coach Herrera came to Barcelona in 1958, having worked at several clubs in France and Spain, and immediately set about helping his players maximize their efforts.
«He who doesn’t give it all, gives nothing,» was one of his favourite sayings. He was also a strict disciplinarian who banned players from drinking and smoking.

Herrera’s approach to his players may have raised a few eyebrows in 1958 but his innovations are very much a part of today’s game.