Tom Cleverley thinks he will be more suited to life as a coach than he was as a player.
Despite making nearly 400 professional appearances as a player, 13 England caps and a Premier League winner’s medal, the 34-year-old said in a fascinating interview on the PFA’s official YouTube channel that he feels he can achieve even more on the touchline than on the pitch.
The Watford head coach is facing up to his first full season in charge after nine games at the helm at the end of last season.
He had a spell in charge of the Hornets Under-18s after retiring from playing at the end of the 2022/23 season, and told the PFA he believes he is better equipped to be a coach.
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“I think my qualities and characteristics suit this role much better than the qualities and characteristics I had as a player,” he said in the PFA YouTube interview.
“I was a good teammate, I was a good team player but at the end of the day I was 5ft 8ins, and I had no pace.
“I was quite an intelligent player, but for a Premier League midfielder the attributes I had were not ideal.
“I think now I’ve got good emotional intelligence, I’ve got good experience, I like to think I’ve got a good eye for the game and a good eye for a player.
“By no means do I think I’m an expert or know it all, but I feel the cards I’ve been dealt with this role are a good set, and now I have to work really hard with them.”
Cleverley’s transition from player to coach has been rapid, and he said in the interview he has enjoyed the education.
“I love learning, I’m always open to learn. Every learning opportunity I’ve had I’ve taken,” he explained.
“There are a lot of similarities in being that scholar aged 16 to 18, having a little bit of self-doubt about where in the footballing pyramid you’re going to end up, and those feelings pop up again when you’re a young coach.
“I have a lot of self-belief but there’s always that doubt about what you’re trying to coach, is it going to deliver and transfer onto the pitch?
“A few of those self-doubts have calmed though and I feel settled in a first-team set-up.”
The Watford boss said he can draw on both the good and bad moments from his career on the pitch.
“I think your playing experience can be leant on quite a lot, and not always good experiences but bad ones too.
“I had a complete variety of experiences as a player, be it going for titles, relegation fights, relegation, Premier League, Champions League. So much I can lean on.
“The years where I’ve had disappointments I’ve learned a lot.”
However, Cleverley also said he felt that despite anything a player achieves on a pitch, they have to earn their stripes all over again as a player.
“I’d say its 10% of what I’ve done in my playing career and the other 90% is a new start.
“You have to prove yourself again, work harder than everybody else. There has to be substance to what you’re delivering.
“When you step into the room you maybe get respect because you played for your country, or you played for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“But that only lasts so long, and you have to back it up with good delivery, and be able to hold a room.
“I like to be very thorough with analysis, preparation and go into the finer details.
“But you have to be conscious that when you’re going into the finer details you don’t bombard the players with so much information it’s too much for them to process.
“You have to prioritise what’s really important.”
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