Bilingual Young Boys boss with A list Champions League references aiming to leave Celtic tongue tied
Giorgio Contini hasn’t just gathered the wisdom of Carlo Ancelotti - the new boss of Young Boys also has glowing commendations from Swiss legend and former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka.
And the multi-tongued coach is out to talk his footballing language at Celtic Park on Wednesday night. Contini heads to Glasgow having been handed the job of restoring his club’s fortunes. In taking the Young Boys job just prior to Christmas, the 51-year-old left a key role within the Swiss national team set-up.
Champions for six of the past seven seasons, it’s been a hugely-flat and disappointing term at the Wankdorf Stadium. Placed eighth in the Swiss League prior to the mid-winter shutdown, they have zero points from six Champions League outings. But Contini hasn’t been slow to tap into the knowledge of the very best when it comes to gleaning advice. No manager is better in the Champions League than Real Madrid boss Ancelotti and the Young Boys gaffer noted the Italian’s personal approach to managing players holds a big key.
Contini said: “I grew up bilingual, speaking Italian and German. I simply love languages. I learned French at school and then of course, when I became a coach in Lausanne. I learned Spanish from Argentinians and other Latinos in the team.”
Clearly, that personal touch works. He said: “It’s the greatest proof that my way of working works at the highest level when I receive public praise from national-team players such as (Bayer Leverkusen star) Xhaka recently. Working with these players at international level and analysing opponents gave me a lot of additional know-how.”
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