"Valerien Ismael's confessions about Beşiktaş that will be talked about a lot."

Former Beşiktaş coach Valerien Ismael made striking statements to Eurosport regarding the burden on coaches. The 49-year-old French coach shared remarkable insights about his time at the black-and-white club.

"NOT A BURDEN TO BE LIFTED"

Valerien Ismael's statements are as follows;

"The pressure is increasing because when things are not going well, especially in terms of results, the coach faces the wrath of everyone. There is an enormous expectation directed at a single person from players, staff, managers, journalists, and fans. You have to manage all this stress by trying to stay calm and maintaining clarity in your thoughts. This is not easy because when things are not going well, everyone thinks the solution lies within themselves.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO GUARDIOLA IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG"

We understand that what happened to Pep Guardiola is just the visible part of the iceberg and how much a coach is left alone with their emotions, especially when things are not going well. We talk a lot about the overload on players, but this overload also applies to coaches who have tremendous mental stress. When there is a match every three days, you can never recover. So yes, we need to talk about this. There are solutions, that is clear. But we must also realize that we are not machines.

"YOU NEED TO SEEK SUPPORT"

The more you get used to this, the better you can cope. When you start as a coach, you discover the great stress and sleepless nights filled with questions you ask yourself. We now understand that we need to look at things from a slightly more relaxed perspective, stay calm, and above all, take care of our health. That means taking mental breaks. The important thing is to find a balance. After that, we can seek support through a mental coach without forgetting your staff who can help. Yes, sometimes, especially when you try things like changing the system, changing players, holding meetings, working with psychologists, and talking to the president and the owner of the club, but the results do not come. At some point, when things are not going well, that’s when you feel like you are thinking about it 24/7.

"THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERYONE IS ON YOU"

While living in London (Ismaël managed Watford in the Championship between 2023 and 2024), being in such a city helped me a lot because you can really disconnect from daily life, especially when your family comes to visit you. After that, there are many solutions to disconnect: meditation, going for a walk, listening to music, playing an instrument, reading a book, spending time with your family, and working with someone who listens to you to manage your emotions. A one or two-hour time frame helps recharge your batteries. It gets better. As a coach, you realize there are things you can change, like making tactical changes or changing players. But sometimes, even if it causes a lot of frustration, there are game realities happening on the field that you cannot influence.

"YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE"

• How many hours a day does it take to be a coach?

It is not counted in hours per day. I don’t count them. When you are a head coach, you are responsible to everyone. You are alone, and you have to account to the entire club.

"YOU ARE EVERYONE'S BATTERY"

Yes, a coach overheating is a classic. You are everyone’s battery. You have to imagine: as if everyone is dependent on you because you have to lift everyone’s spirits. You must always have a positive side so that people believe what you say. That’s why you need to recharge your own batteries and find a space to do something for yourself. Ideally, you should have someone you trust to talk to. I have always had people in my team I could talk to.

"I HAD TO DO IT WHILE AT BEŞİKTAŞ"

• Is social media an additional burden for coaches?

With social media, the pressure has become much greater. It was supposed to be a gift for us humans, but in the end, it has become the worst weapon against ourselves, in addition to increasing the stress of coaches. We are all caught up in this ever-accelerating current. For example, when I came to Beşiktaş (in 2022), I didn’t have an Instagram account. At that time, I only had a X account. Three weeks later, there were many fake Instagram accounts opened in my name. So I had to create my official account. I told the club: 'Ah, I have to do this too.' They told me, 'Yes, otherwise there could be discussions that could reach significant dimensions.'