Imagine having the defensive organisation of Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus, the man-management ability of Jose Mourinho, and the unwavering desire to succeed like Luis Enrique… Well, Benni McCarthy is hoping to be just like that, and he has built his ideal coach! Check it out!
The former Orlando Pirates striker was unveiled as the new Cape Town City manager on Tuesday morning, and with this set to be his first role as a head coach, Benni is drawing inspiration from the coaches he admires the most.
Speaking exclusively to Fan Park, the all-time top Bafana Bafana goalscorer reveals how he wishes to take their best qualities and become an amalgamation of them.
"For me, I would like to be more like the Italian disciplinarians… I am a very big fan of Massimiliano Allegri and I love what he has done to that Juventus team," the 39-year-old revealed.
"A lot of people criticised him when he let (Carlos) Tevez go, when he let (Paul) Pogba go – he crippled a world-beating team. But then he brought in (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Paulo) Dybala and (Alex) Sandro, and made it a bit more fresh.
"(Mario) Mandzukic went from being a No. 9 to being out on the left. So he, for me, is a perfect example of how he tweaked things and made it work. He got the players on board in what is expected of them; to defend things, and then use that as an attacking force.
"Juventus became a typical team that went from a Plan A to a Plan B. They are the best at defending difficult situations, but they can also hurt teams when they attack. They are not your average way of Italian playing.
"That is more or less where I am going. Then, with Mourinho, it is more on man-management and challenging players to do more, to ask questions of themselves if they are able to do the challenges that are put to them.
"His man-management has to be the best... And then there is Pep Guardiola – his offensive genius of playing attractive football, entertaining and always wanting to win!
"But the footsteps I want to follow in is from a guy like Luis Enrique. He is a former footballer turned manager who succeeded after his first failure.
"I want to be a manager who can bring trophies to any club, and use that Guardiola philosophy of dominating football matches and going for the jugular.
"Those are a little bit of my inspirations."
It certainly is great to see Benni aiming so high already. What type of coach are you expecting him to be?
