Exclusive | Mumbai City FC gaffer Petr Kratky breaks down his coaching ideals and ISL 2023-24 Shield race, 'Want to be an asset, not just a passenger'
"I’m more of an evolution coach than a revolution coach, if it makes sense," Petr Kratky said, as a stroke of a smile flashed on his face.
Oddly enough, it did make perfect sense. For a non-native English speaker, the Mumbai City FC head coach still lands upon a harmonious marriage of idiosyncratic yet appropriate words to deliver absolute quotable. Maybe it isn't just happenstance; barely any part of the Czech's mold is happenstance.
Kratky didn't just happen to stumble upon the Mumbai top job after the departure of Des Buckingham mid-season. Rather, the 42-year-old meticulously knitted together his coaching ethos and tactical acumen for close to a decade.
Additionally, the know-how of the operations and approach of the City Football Group - first as the development coach in Melbourne City before becoming the assistant coach - meant he was always in line to take over a more ambitious project.
The Mumbai question popped the earliest and Petr after a bit of mulling found the answer.
"There was a bit of communication from CFG before getting the job offer. As soon as we started communicating with Mumbai City FC, I was excited to start a new chapter as a coach. The A-League season was already underway, so I was busy with Melbourne City. But once we had the conversation, I decided to come here," he explained during an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda.
But once onboard, Kratky was cautious as the Islanders were no sinking ship. Although the AFC Champions League expeditions were fruitless, Mumbai were still unbeaten in the Indian Super League (ISL). So rather than opting for a dramatic revolution with an iron fist, the Czech tactician allowed his ideology to seep into the fabric of the team and gradually evolve the individuals.
Well, what are these ideals you ask? Not essentially a cohesive chain of sentences, but Kratky explains in detail what could essentially hammer across the basis of his vision for the holistic development of any club he ventures into.
"I want to feel the club, the team, and the players are improving. As soon as I start to stagnate, I don't like it. We should regularly analyze if we are improving. Not necessarily it will be reflected in the result but when we’re going in the right direction the results will come. I want to be an asset, not just a passenger," Petr averred.
Whether he will be an asset for Mumbai City in the long run, is probably a difficult assessment at this hour. But there are signs. The general murmur regarding his acumen for developing young talents, Mumbai City's ambitious football, and above and beyond everything, Kratky's innate hatred for stagnation.
However, before all of that, there's a simple challenge that awaits Kratky - an unprecedented four-way battle for a bite of the ISL 2023-24 Shield. What's the hurdle? The head coach believes there are a few. But the first one? A broken but not battered Hyderabad FC at the Gachibowli Stadium on Monday.
Excerpts from Sportskeeda's interview with Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky
Question: Before I delve deeper, Petr, you’ve spent a couple of months already at the club and a considerable amount of time with the City Football Group, so I wanted to understand what you have picked up on Mumbai City’s ethos and approach so far.
Petr Kartky: I’ve been working with the City Group for almost nine years now, the way we want to run the clubs and play football is very similar to Melbourne City. So the transition was very smooth. Yes, there are things you want to improve like everywhere else but it’s well-rounded here too.
There’s a reason why Mumbai are at the top of the ladder here, there’s great work being done behind the scenes. That reflects on where the team stands.
Q: On a more psychological level, what do you plan on adding to this group of players who are already quite motivated and well aware of the expectations on their shoulders?
Kartky: As a coach, who focuses on youth development, I want to improve every single player, and make them better even if they are good. Players who are on the national team, I want them to become regular starters. Those who are not in the national team, I want them to help them get there. And when it comes to players who aren’t playing regularly or are still young, I want them to push for the starting XI. So there’s always work.
Psychologically, we want to work as a team and support each other. I am a big believer in that. That’s the most powerful thing in football because this is like your second family. You go through good and bad times together. You know how strong you are when the bad times come. I want to motivate them so they know what football is all about.
There are setbacks and challenges but when you share it with someone who is on the same journey, it’s easier and more enjoyable. I try to guide them throughout so that they don’t stagnate as individuals and keep growing.
Q: As we enter the business end of the league stage, Mumbai still leads the points table despite all the tectonic shifts mid-season. Could you reflect on the performances that the team has produced so far?
Kratky: When I took over, we had a couple of draws at the start as I was still getting to know the players, the staff, and their capabilities, before guiding them to how I want to play football. Then we started to win a couple of games and lost a few too.
But we reflected on those results and made sure it didn’t happen again. I think now we are on the same page with what we want to achieve and the kind of football we want to play. As soon as you get united in the thoughts and processes, it becomes a lot smoother, but it takes some time.
Q: When you came into the club in December last year, were there some particular areas you had identified immediately that needed some fixing? Or was it a more gradual approach?
Kratky: I’m more of an evolution coach than a revolution coach if it makes sense. (laughs) I know, in football, you have to change immediately if it's very bad, but when I came to this club, they hadn’t lost a game. So for me, my thoughts were - ‘Why do I need to change anything when everything's working’. Then I observed how I can make things better, make people, including the players and the staff, better. That was my thought process.
If you come in an environment where the team isn’t winning, then it’s easier to make dramatic changes. When everything is working, sometimes you don't need to anything changed dramatically. You need just to guide them through the transition.
But in football, it's a tricky place when good players leave and we need to handle the situation with a positive attitude. These things happen around the world. We just have to deal with that. If I start stagnating and get too affected by certain players leaving, then it’s trouble. We need to just keep moving forward.
Q: As much as it is difficult for a coach, it's also difficult for players to get used to a new style of playing or a new idea mid-season. So how did the players respond to your ideas?
Kratky: What benefited the players was my ideas were very similar to the previous ones. That was the reason why I was given the job in the first place because the transition will be smoother than someone who will dramatically change it. But the players and staff need time to understand me, because if you don't know a person, you worry ‘Who is he?’, ‘What is he all about?’, ‘Does he mean well’, or ‘Is he selfish?’.
All these small thoughts always come within us as humans but I try to be always honest and do the best for the people around me and the club. As soon as they realize we get on the same page and that's what the most important thing.
Q: The first opportunity you had to reshuffle the squad was in the winter transfer window. Iker Guarrotxena and Thaer Krouma joined during the window and after the Spaniard’s injury, Jakub Vojtus was signed. Could you talk a little bit about those signings?
Kratky: There was the departure of a couple of important players and we had to deal with it. We found Iker who is a good person and a good player, but, unfortunately, he got injured. So, again, we were lucky enough and worked very hard to find his replacement. Iker will be back strong, we’re keeping in touch with him, and are looking forward to seeing him back as soon as possible.
Krouma is a national team player and is a good addition to our defense. Now Jakub just joined the club. He played in Romania and learned plenty during his spell in Italy. He has been training well but we will see how he performs in India.
What I ensure is that these players are good characters. They fit the group, work hard, and want to improve and win. And all three of them fit the character.
Q: If we talk about the potential title challengers, there’s almost a four-way battle at the top. What’s your view on the race for the ISL Shield and who or what do you see as the biggest hurdle on that path?
Kratky: It's always good to be in that contention and that's where we want to be as a club and me as a coach as well. I'm not just playing in the competition for the sake of it. I want to win it. For me, it's game by game. We face Hyderabad FC next and they are a very interesting team. They can be very dangerous. You know, they've worked hard, so the first hurdle is Hyderabad.
Then we have to deal with Odisha at our home and Mohun Bagan SG away. They're strong teams and want to win as well. You know, we play Alicia home and Moon Berg and Hawaii, very, very tough well.
But if the first game doesn't go well, it doesn’t matter. Then in the knockouts, it will be a different story, depending on where we ended up in league competition.
Q: Petr, shifting the focus slightly to the national team, there’s been a lot of outroar from the fans after the underwhelming performances in the World Cup Qualifiers against Afghanistan. Could you share your views on that?
Kratky: It's a difficult job to coach the national team. They are still in contention, they can still win, but they just need to believe. It's very hard to comment from outside without knowing the details. It's easy to criticize.
We want them to win, I want them to win. It's not an easy job to put the players together, prepare good tactics for the opposition, and then put all those things together. But what I love about all Indian players is that they work hard. Now, they just need to fine-tune the performances and figure out how to win the game.
Q: Now, while this season is still underway, clubs have already started moving in the transfer market for the upcoming one. There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Mumbai City as well, coach. But are there any particular areas you’re looking to strengthen?
Kratky: I am a coach who prefers consistency. So I want to keep the squad together as long as we can because then you can work with them for a prolonged period and build on the knowledge that you have already gathered. With the new players, we’ll have to start the process all over again.
After the ongoing season, we’ll have to assess our steps for the upcoming one. Then we can make moves in areas we need to strengthen or develop more. That's our process. In the offseason, the first couple of weeks, we can start processing what's going on for the next season.
Q: Finally, coach could you break down your coaching ideology?
I want to play good football, improve players, and improve the environment wherever I go. Wins are important because I'm coaching in an environment where we need to win. It’s my goal too. But for me, it’s also important how we win. I want to feel the club, the team, and the players are improving.
As soon as I start to stagnate, I don't like it. We should regularly analyze if we are improving. Not necessarily it will be reflected in the result but when we’re going in the right direction the results will come. I want to be an asset, not just a passenger.