Q: What made you get into coaching?
SANJO: I’ve always been a huge football fan, right from the jump and growing up in Nigeria meant I was always involved in football one way or the other. I initially wanted to be a player (like most people who end up in the football industry) because there’s nothing more enjoyable than playing. But I always felt that if I couldn’t play professionally, the next best alternative was to coach. As somebody who played a lot of ‘Football Manager’ growing up I was obsessed with coaching and tactics thus coaching always felt like the most natural transition. Another factor, or source of motivation was that I didn’t have adequate coaching when I was young. I wasn’t informed of what exactly I needed to make it as a professional. After I finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Sunderland, where I studied Business Management with Sports Science, I took a year out, still unsure of what my next move was. I thought I was going to go into banking, but I wanted to do something that was ultimately my passion and would give me a sense of purpose. I then went on to study Sports Management for my Masterscourse at Loughborough University, where I got my first taste of coaching. I started out as an assistant coach for the women’s 3rd team, where I worked alongside some brilliant minds like Tolly Coburn- who is currently the lead analyst at Arsenal Football Club, from there I coached the women’s 2ndteam and from there that’s how my journey kicks off.
Q: Do you have any role models in the coaching industry?
SANJO: For me, it has to be Marcelo Bielsa simply because he’s an idealist. Most top coaches understand the practicalities of the game, you cannot just be stylistic all through. Even a Pep Guardiola side has to defend a low block sometimes because that’s what the game may call for. Bielsa is someone that tried to push the game in a way that’s difficult for players and opponents. He revolutionized the game in terms of the approach to football. A concept that he talked about was practically and just trying to find forward passes throughout, not aerially, but more in the sense of breaking lines. Nowadays we constantly hear about line-breaking passes. He was truly ahead of his time in his ideologies and principles. Guardiola is another role model of mine as he shares the same idealisms as Bielsa but applies incredible functionality to the system. It’s still the same beautiful football but it’s functional, it works, it wins and at the top level nothing matters more than winning. Of course, you want to entertain and score goals but ultimately you need to accompany those attributes with results.
Q: What is your coaching philosophy?
SANJO: Having the ball is everything for me. I feel uncomfortable when other teams have possession. Part of it in truth is a bit of arrogance as I feel opposing teams don’t know how to effectively utilize possession, but also because I wanted my teams to play a combinative game whereby all teams are involved, there is a lot of rotation and we are attacking and defending with all 11 players on the pitch. To sum it up in a word it’s about entertaining. I want people to be excited when they are watching my team, to leave the stadium feeling like that’s a team worth paying to watch and see over and over again. One of the teams I enjoy watching the most is Napoli, both now and while there coached by Mauricio Sarri, as well as Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich sides. I encourage not only possession football, but the idea of verticality with an element of risk as opposed to just side to side passing play.
Q: How do you instil these tactics on your players? Do you prefer the old-fashioned man-management approach or are you more inclined to pass your messages largely through data and analytics?
SANJO: Ultimately, it’s a case by case basis and the players I’m working with will dictate (to some degree) the approach I use. My players are very tough and, in most cases, I’m having to adopt an assertive approach to get the best out of them. As a coach ultimately, you have to strike a balance in terms getting your tactics across in the most effective way possible and also being accommodating towards the players. It’s a result business at the end of the day so collectively you need to find what works and implement it.
Q: What would you say is the biggest difference between coaching in Finland and Nigeria?
SANJO: The pace, power, raw physicality and the skill are the main differences. In Nigeria, you’re dealing with players with a lot more skill. In Finland, the players tend to follow instructions, very well I might add, but fewer players who express themselves or show the flair naturally on the pitch whereas in Nigeria it’s the complete opposite. Tactically, in Finland the players are more astute. Even if a team operates with a ‘route 1’ tactic, the players are placing the ball in a specific area because they have a higher chance of winning the ball in the left side of the pitch for example, thus the players are just generally more informed on why they do what they do. Nigerian players are more instinctive in my opinion, whilst they are capable of following the coach’s tactics, they are also more likely to demonstrate some individuality on the pitch than Finnish players, and as with all things that can serve as a plus or minus depending on the situation. On the emotionally aspect of the game, Nigerian players are more likely to wear their hearts on their sleeve whilst I’d Finnish players are more reticent on the pitch. But all in all, I’m grateful to have had the experience of coaching in different continents with different cultures. I worked with some very talented kids in my time at Finland, some of who are currently representing the Finnish national team at U19 and U16 and I have no doubts they can make it to very top.
Q: Do you have any aspirations to manage the Nigerian National team in the future?
SANJO: It’s definitely a dream of mine! There’s a pride that comes with leading your country and representing them on a world stage that you can’t downplay. However, there are many issues within the NFF (Nigerian Football Federation) that have the potential to make it difficult to constructively manage the team. If opportunity arose, and I was given substantial freedom/license to make coaching and selection decisions I would definitely consider it. As a coach ultimately, you want to have the final say on the squad and the starting XI so can be held fully accountable to the results that follow. At the moment I am fully committed to Sporting, but if the opportunity came about at the senior and junior national teamlevel, it would be worth exploring. My passion for football came from watching the Super Eagles and it would be a dream to help the team can to the level where I feel like we should be. There’s so much talent, ability and passion for the sport but also a lot of the neglect from the grassroot level upwards.
Q: Sporting Lagos are currently 1st in the TCC league and you’ve also been nominated for October’s Manager of the Month award! How confident are you that your side can win the league this season?
SANJO: It’s a very competitive league with lots of quality teams and it’s giving us good preparation to know which players to rely on. I believe we have a very good chance of winning the league, that’s the aim and objective for us. More importantly I’m keen on establishing and maintaining a winning culture within the club. It’s a relatively new club so it’s very important that we build a winning reputation. We, being the whole coach staff as we are all a united group that believe we can achieve our goals for the owners and fans.They have invested a lot of money into the club and have big ambitions for Sporting and for football in Nigeria in general. They have a dream and a vision, I have a dream and a visionso we are united on the next steps for the club and I’m grateful for them naturally want to repay the faith on them taking a chance on me as a young coach- I’m the youngest coach in the league by some margin!
