Navarro lifts lid on giving players responsibility, synergy with Amorim and importance of off-field work

Sergio Navarro is already turning heads with his work for Milan Futuro, and he shed some light on his working methods.

One of the stand-out bits of content to come out from the Futuro this season was one which showed the new coach – appointed this summer to replace Massimo Oddo – having his players lead the team meeting before a game. He wanted them to decide on the tactical approach, to think for themselves.

In the past, he’s sent his players to volunteer with an abandoned dog association or to assist people with cerebral palsy, convinced that this is much more important than a simple training session. He has brought cards, chess and Connect 4 to Milanello, because he believes that to be together on the pitch, you need to play together off it.

Beyond the tactical identity that Navarro wants to impose, the Futuro project is about the development of individuals within a framework. Results help build belief, and the team have won three of their first four league games.

After his experiences at Castellon, then Rubin Kazan, Karpaty Lviv, Levante, Bilbao and Debrecen, Navarro has had quite a footballing education. He spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport to explain his background and his working methods.

Let’s start from the beginning. You were a first-team coach at Karpaty Lviv and Debrecen, a methodologist at Villarreal, and a youth team manager at Bilbao. How and when did AC Milan enter your life?

“In the spring, Kirovski called me and I was really impressed. We didn’t know each other, but he said what I say. Instead of talking about victories and money, like everyone else does, he explained: ‘I need a sensitive coach.’ It wasn’t AC Milan’s prestige that won me over, but his sensitivity.”

What were the key stages of your education?

“Football has always been an obsession. As a child, I would break doors and windows with the ball and they would tell me, ‘Please, Sergio, that’s enough’.

“As a footballer, however, I lasted until I was 26, always playing in lower leagues. I was a midfielder, I had good technique, but I thought my coaches weren’t helping me. I was on my own. Hence the decision to study to teach young people.

“I graduated in pedagogy and athletic training, then I did a master’s degree at Barcelona. I became friends with Juanma Lillo, a coach of another caliber.”

Everyone says you coach differently than others. What’s your goal?

“Give the player responsibility, because on the pitch they have to make their own decisions. Science says so, not me: if you feel like a protagonist, your level rises.

“At the first training session, a year ago against Debrecen in the Hungarian Serie A, a player asked me, ‘How do we play?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ They looked at me horribly.

“In Spain and Hungary, some people said that with me, they can’t do anything, because I let the players do everything, but that’s my strategy. And here at Milan, everyone understood me.”

An example of decisions made by the team?

“When we played Everton, I asked some players to choose how we would attack, others how we would defend, and still others what we would do from set pieces. They decided.”

What if they’re wrong?

“They don’t make mistakes; they’re better than me. And then, if I intervene to correct something, it’s my ego speaking. Instead, I trust my players, just as I trust my wife if she’s home alone. For me, all the players I coach can become starters for AC Milan.

“They all have the potential and the conviction to succeed. Plazzotta and Pandolfi, for example, have football in their heads; they look at what’s happening on the pitch before we do.

“The players may not be cultured, but they all have great emotional intelligence for the game, to understand what’s happening in the game, otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”

How do you relate to boys?

I observe and take notes in my notebook, just like during a match. Then I go to the player and talk to him. In the last two months, I’ve had 100 individual interviews.

“I’m interested in knowing about their lives off the pitch: who’s dating them, what their hobbies and passions are. They tell me where they want to improve. I’ve recommended books to some of them.”

An example?

“‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ by Gallway. Or ‘The Texture of Life’ by Kagan. I’m currently reading a book about Sacchi’s AC Milan.”

The rebirth of Silvano Vos, a talent who arrived from Ajax in 2024 and then lost his way, is thanks to you…

“I’ve talked to him a lot, but never about football. Only about life: what makes him happy and what makes him unhappy. He’s opened up and changed his approach. He’s always punctual, he talks to everyone, and he smiles. When a player is doing well, his talent shows.”

What kind of exercises do you do during the week?

“Today four-on-four, tomorrow one-on-one: things are always changing, like life. And in training I don’t call fouls: the players know how to referee themselves.”

Three new things that you brought?

“In practice matches, a goal isn’t considered valid unless everyone celebrates together. The kids chose the rules of conduct, the fines, and the four captains: Ossola, Sala, Piermarini, and Mancioppi voted.

“I brought chess, cards, and Connect 4 to the Milanello lobby: the kids in those areas can use their smartphones, but the idea is that they leave them aside and play together.”

If we talk about the field exclusively, what do you ask of your team?

“Take the initiative, with and without the ball. The result isn’t winning or losing 4-0, it’s observing the growth process in individual matches.”

And off the pitch?

“They need to find other passions, reading, or playing other sports. At Villarreal and Bilbao, we created an emotional development program, collaborating with an association that cared for abandoned dogs.

“Once a month, a player would skip training and go to the dogs, which is much more helpful. In Villarreal’s second team, every Friday some of the kids would go to people with cerebral palsy.

“They would wash them, clean their mouths. To my surprise, they would tell me, ‘It’s the best experience we’ve ever had’.”

What if something doesn’t work out? What if someone’s always late for practice?

“I think it shouldn’t be seen as a problem but as an opportunity to understand the real cause of the delay. Players are people who suffer a lot. They have pressure, family expectations, personal issues. I cried a lot when I played.”

A dream of yours? Another would say ‘coaching Real Madrid’, but we don’t have a feeling we’ll hear that answer…

“I dream that this Milan Futuro team will be AC ​​Milan in two years.”

Do you ever get angry? How many times have you yelled in the last two months?

“With the referees only once, for a foul, and I made a mistake: I have to improve. With the boys, almost never.”

And what is your relationship with Amorim?

“We talk a lot. The first time I told him, ‘If I’m a disaster, you can tell me’. He has personality, he looks up to young players a lot, and he’s an extraordinary person. I sense the great connection Ruben has with his players.”

You only brought one deputy to Milan, Roberto Robles. How’s it going with the Italian staff you’ve found here?

“For the first time in my life, I found an entire team with a high level of love for the club and a desire to learn. Usually, there are arguments, jealousies, and envy.”

Your typical day?

“I come here to Milanello at eight in the morning and leave at six in the evening. I drive for an hour, help my daughter with her homework, sleep, and start again. I’ve always done it that way.”

But in the end, what matters to Sergio Navarro?

“For me, 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 aren’t important, and I think data, which is all the rage now, is complementary but not central, because a GPS will never measure humanity, it will never tell you if a player is strong.

“For that, you need eyes, gut feeling, and other people’s opinions. In the end, what matters is love: trusting each other, because only when you’re safe can you perform at your best.”