Johannes Hoff Thorup to Norwich: Ex-Nordsjaelland coach can develop young talent and play exciting football
Johannes Hoff Thorup is the new head coach of Norwich City but what persuaded them to appoint him? Adam Bate speaks to FC Nordsjaelland technical director Alexander Riget to find out more about the man tasked with bringing success back to Carrow Road
Thorup to Norwich: Ex-Nordsjaelland coach can develop young talent and play exciting football />
Image: Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup came through the ranks at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark
After a frustrating season under David Wagner, there is optimism that the Canaries are ready to fly again under new head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup. If the club is ready to commit to attacking football with young players, they may have the right man.
Norwich City’s sporting director Ben Knapper made all the right noises following the appointment. “It was clear that Johannes aligns perfectly with our vision and values. He is a proven developer, with a clear and demonstrable playing style.”
But who is this 35-year-old Dane who persuaded the club to choose him over more experienced names and what exactly is that playing style? Perhaps the best person to explain is Alexander Riget, the man who hired him for FC Nordsjaelland, his previous employer.
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Johannes Hoff Thorup hopes he can create something at Norwich City
“I was the one who identified him nine years ago,” Riget tells Sky Sports. Thorup was working within the youth setup at nearby club AB. “You could see that he was a talented coach. He was very clear in his communication on the sideline. He was also very good at adapting during the various games that we played against them.”
Riget even coached against him. He won both games. “But I also had the better team, to be honest,” he says, laughing. Nordsjaelland quickly knew that this was a young coach they wanted working within their system. Not that Thorup was easily convinced himself.
“Taking the step from AB to Nordsjaelland, it was in doubt because he would have made a very fast progression there. So he was unsure what to do. But coming into an environment here and having some mentors he could learn from was a crucial step.”
Thorup started off by coaching the U14 side but did not stay there long. “It was a no-brainer him joining the U17s.” After success there came the next step. “There was never any doubt that he would go to the senior team. He had the potential and the skills.”
Riget adds: “He has always been a communicator. There is never any doubt when he is doing a session, even with the staff there is a very clear direction in terms of what he wants. He is well prepared and has a clear idea of his leadership and his style of play.”
According to Riget, Thorup, even at 26, “thought he knew a lot” but “he came in and learned even more” from being exposed to what is now regarded as one of the best academies in Europe. Nordsjaelland, of course, is no normal football club.
“Like myself when I started, he was privileged to have some of the best football brains in Denmark around him. Flemming Pedersen, Kasper Hjulmand, the current national team coach, and others. Which, of course, has helped him to become a much better coach.”
Not every club would speak so openly, and so glowingly, about a departing coach but when it comes to talent development this is not just a buzzword at Nordsjaelland, it is absolutely fundamental. “It is the reason why we exist. That is our purpose.”
Image: Johannes Hoff Thorup began coaching the U14 side at FC Nordsjaelland
The club is now owned by Right to Dream, the academy founded in Ghana. Many European clubs have ties to African academies, this is the other way around. The Danish side is there to provide a platform in the continent for the best young talent from Ghana and beyond.
They are happy to discuss Thorup, just as they are happy to talk about the role that they have played in developing Mohammed Kudus or Simon Adingra. “We are about developing players but also staff. I think Johannes is also a good story for us to tell.”
‘Ghana developed him as a person’
That is because Thorup, in his own way, is a product of this extraordinary club. It has broadened his life experience. “Having some travels to Ghana, seeing a different culture as well as a different football, that developed him as a person. It was important.”
It will be particularly relevant at Norwich where he will be expected to work with players from many different countries. “I think we have also done something that will prepare him well for that, working with other cultures. That will also be important for him there.”
Riget credits Thorup for playing a key role in improving some of the best talent to come through Nordsjaelland in recent times. Ibrahim Osman has just been sold to Premier League club Brighton. “Johannes was his coach the whole time, so he was crucial.”
He adds: “Another thing which tells something about Johannes that is important is that some players who were sold have come to Nordsjaelland on loan deals.” Among them, the brilliant Norwegian prospect Andreas Schjelderup, who returned from Benfica.
‘Good at building relationships’
“This is a small club in Denmark but you are working with world-class talent. And one of the reasons why they returned is because Johannes was the coach. He is good at building relationships with players. Not only about football but about preparing them for life.”
When young players are supported as they are at Nordsjaelland, they can surprise. “When we played against Fenerbahce, we had nine academy graduates in the starting 11,” says Riget with pride. Thorup’s side thumped the Turkish team 6-1 at home.
Image: Johannes Hoff Thorup delivered some spectacular wins in Europe for FC Nordsjaelland
The challenge comes in committing to that strategy when the results are not so good. That is when patience is required too. “Many organisations have an idea to bring in young players. It is another thing to do it when it is getting tough,” Riget points out.
“In his first season as a coach, we were having some difficulties with results. Not because of him but because we were playing very young players. But we kept to our strategy. For many years now, we have played with the youngest players.
“When you are working with younger players, they can be inconsistent. But I also think it makes a lot of sense as a strategy. That is the reason why we can attract quality players and people to this organisation. We are unique in the way we are doing things.
‘He has shown that he can do it’
“It is about giving young players the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Johannes has been a good representative for that strategy. If Norwich want a coach for the younger players then they have found the right one because he has shown that he can do it.”
As for the style of play, expect a coach who wants to build from the back. “We are the team in Denmark with the most possession but Johannes as head coach has been good at implementing that so that we are not only keeping the ball but also scoring goals.”
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European competition was the stage for some of Nordsjaelland’s standout matches under Thorup last season. As well as those six goals against Fenerbahce, they put five past Partizan Belgrade and scored an improbable seven against Ludogorets.
“An offensive style of play, that is what he stands for. It is about attractive football and entertaining the spectators.” That is the culture of the club but is there anything in particular that Thorup has improved? “He developed our defensive game,” he adds.
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“Tempo, too. Playing a fast football game. When you look at how fast we can go from building up through pressure to creating a chance, playing courageous, exciting football. In Europe, we kept playing that way, we trusted in our game. That is Johannes.”
Riget pauses. “It sounds like he is the perfect everything!” There is even praise for his willingness to pay it forward. “Johannes was a mentor himself to our U17 coach. In the spring, he spent a day with our U17 coach on a game day to help him and educate him.”
Unsurprisingly, Riget backs Thorup to thrive at Norwich. Knapper has spoken of him embodying everything that the club wants. Commit to that strategy and Thorup can deliver it. “He has left but I still trust him,” adds Riget. “He will be a success at Norwich, for sure.”
Sourse: skysports.com