NKARENG MATSHE | Players have every right to disagree with their coach

The advent of social media has meant that even the minutest of matters can be subject to intense scrutiny, and recent events involving Kaizer Chiefs’ Brandon Petersen and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne are perfect examples.

Both were seen remonstrating with their coaches, Petersen in the aftermath of the Soweto Derby defeat to Orlando Pirates last weekend, and City’s De Bruyne was seen throwing tantrums after Pep Guardiola substituted him in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

These incidents sparked debate as to whether the footballers were being openly defiant to their respective coaches, and allegations of insubordination were thrown around.

We must concede that the two incidents are not necessarily similar. Petersen’s apparent outburst and confrontation with Chiefs coach Cavin Johnson came after the final whistle and he was an unused sub in that defeat to Pirates.

De Bruyne, on the other hand, was visibly angry at being subbed in City’s key match against Liverpool, and Guardiola felt the need to approach him after taking his place in the dugout to further explain his decision.

Naturally, social media rushed to various conclusions, the players labelled rebellious and disrespectful, but the coaches commendably handled the matters with maturity. Johnson reasoned he preferred such sincerity and robustness from Petersen instead of players being reduced to “mice”, while Guardiola stated he would have further one-on-one with De Bruyne, one of City’s most seasoned campaigners.

Should footballers be expected to behave in a particular way towards their bosses, even if they do not agree with their decisions? The question seems unfair considering that it is practically about manager-subordinate relationships. If an employer doesn’t agree with an employee, is the latter not allowed to raise a concern?

De Bruyne clearly felt Guardiola was wrong to sub him against Liverpool, but various pundits have agreed with the coach’s decision, saying City rescued a point after solidifying their midfield with the introduction of Mateo Kovacic in place of the peripheral Belgian midfielder.

Defeat in such a crucial match would have solely been blamed on Guardiola, so he ultimately decided a point at Anfield was more valuable than De Bruyne’s bruised ego.

The Petersen-Johnson confrontation is difficult to dissect because we’ve only heard from one party and cannot make out exactly what the fuss was about. Could Petersen have been telling his coach he got his tactics wrong, or that he could have done better to secure a point after Chiefs led twice but ended up with a 2-3 defeat?

We won’t know because Johnson has already told us it is a non-issue, something he said he would encourage from his squad, except that such behaviour can easily be misconstrued as a coach surrendering the dressing room.

But like in any workplace, players should not merely be viewed as obedient servants with no feelings or views. They have every right to disagree with their manager’s decision, just as an employee can voice a concern if they feel they are being unfairly treated, and even escalate a grievance to HR.

Coaches rely on the loyalty of players to get results, and managing their feelings is critical to success or failure. Reducing your relationship with players to that of principal and pupil would be suicidal.

Guardiola and Johnson handled their openly defiant players with absolute maturity in the face of recording cameras and public analysis, showing us we live in an era where sensitive matters can no longer wait for the sanctified privacy of the dressing room.

Indeed, times have changed, and coaches should also be amenable to counsel and dissent, even from their most trusted squad members.