The struggles of Gavin Hunt and Muhsin Ertugral a wake-up call for outdated coaching tactics

Veteran coaches Gavin Hunt and Muhsin Ertuğral have long been pillars of South African football, each enjoying a history of success and accolades.

However, in recent seasons, both have faced significant struggles, and their current difficulties may highlight a deeper issue in football – the limitations of outdated coaching tactics and philosophies.

Ertuğral, a coach with vast experience in South Africa and abroad, has endured a particularly turbulent spell. His brief tenure at Cape Town City ended after 14 matches, with a poor record of three victories, three draws, and eight defeats.

Despite his track record of success at clubs like Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town, his stint at City concluded with the team languishing in 13th place and facing relegation danger. This is a far cry from the days when Ertuğral’s emphasis on attacking football and nurturing young talent made him one of the most respected coaches in the league.

Similarly, Hunt’s recent struggles with SuperSport United reveal the difficulties even the most seasoned coaches face in today’s evolving football landscape. Hunt, who once led teams like Bidvest Wits and SuperSport to domestic success, found himself in an untenable position at the helm of Chiefs and later at SuperSport.

Under his guidance, Matsatsantsa were hovering perilously close to the relegation zone, sitting in 15th place with only 21 points after 21 games in the 2023/24 Betway Premiership, leading to his recent dismissal.

Hunt’s pragmatic, defensive style, which once brought him success, now seems ill-suited to the modern demands of football in South Africa, where a more dynamic, attacking approach is often rewarded.

The common thread between Hunt and Ertuğral’s struggles is their failure to adapt their tried-and-tested methods to the fast-changing landscape of modern football. Tactical innovation is at the forefront of contemporary coaching, with a greater emphasis on high pressing, fluid attacking play, and technical sophistication.

Coaches who fail to evolve with these trends risk becoming irrelevant, and both Hunt and Ertuğral’s recent performances reflect this reality. While they have the experience and expertise to succeed, the game has changed, and clinging to outdated strategies can hold even the best coaches back, as we have seen with the likes of José Mourinho in Europe.

Their struggles are not a dismissal of their considerable past achievements but rather a reminder that football is an ever-evolving game. While both coaches built successful careers on a solid understanding of football, modern coaching demands more: a blend of innovation, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace new methods.

The growing influence of data analytics, pressing systems, and positional play cannot be ignored, and coaches who do not stay ahead of these trends risk falling behind.

In a rapidly changing football world, stagnation is no longer an option. For both Hunt and Ertuğral, the time has come to evolve or risk being left behind. The game waits for no one – not even its most accomplished veterans.