Peter Cklamovski is a young and talented coach, currently working in Japan for Montedio Yamagata.
The Australian has taken his football philosophy to the J2 club, where there is the belief that an aggressive way of playing is one of the keys to success. Leading the club with this approach, he has ignited passion and support from everyone connected to Yamagata football, a fact borne out by Montedio enjoying the highest merchandise sales and sponsorship in their history.
One of his major accomplishments as a coach, even if at the time he was assistant to Ange Postecoglou (now in charge of Celtic), was the “creation" of a legacy at Yokohama F. Marinos, the current champions of Japan. The two of them had been working together since 2004 and Cklamovski spoke exclusively to Tribalfootball.com about his move from being Postecoglou's long time assistant to a head coaching role in Japan.
You have worked with Ange, you two "created" the actual Yokohama, in terms of mentality and structure: can you tell us something about your work together? How much have you taken from his style and mentality?
“I've been blessed to have worked with Ange spanning over a 15 year period. There has been some special moments shared and history created a few times in different projects. These achievements will stay with me forever but most importantly how the success was created. The style of football produced and the mentality to chase it and make it happen is a special ingredient that created some magical moments."
You are doing a great work at Montedio, lots of media are talking about your playing style, but can you tell us something about your season? The best and the worst moment? What are the goals of the club for the next season?
“The football I believe in is aggressive and exciting. This will never change. I believe this is one of the keys to success. I started with Montedio in 2021 when the club was in the relegation zone so the progress to this point in time has been massive. 2022 was the most competitive season in J2 history and was a difficult season for us but we achieved top 6 promotion play off stage, which is only the 3rd time in club's history to do this. "Middle stage of the season was the toughest due to congested schedule, travel and injuries at the time. During this tough period we kept strong with our belief in our football and I know we would finish the season better than any team in competition.
"We did that being unbeaten in the last 7 matches and winning big games at the end of season.
"Round 42 on the last day of the regular season was a moment of emotion only football can provide. It's disappointing for us how our season ended with a 2-2 draw in the second play off match, which was a strange feeling but we can't control the format and we just ran out of time to get the winning goal."
What are your personal goals? Would you like to coach in Premier League or you prefer other leagues?
“My goals are to improve myself and everyone around me everyday and to be the best I can be. My ambition is to coach at the highest level possible. I don't set limits or boundaries. I'll work hard and enjoy it all and see where that takes me."
Can you see Postecoglou leaving Celtic for the Premier League anytime soon? Do you think he would've been tempted by the Leicester City job?
“Obviously there has been strong interest for Ange recently. I've been saying this for over a decade but Ange is one of the best managers in the world. He is showing his quality in the Celtic role. He loves Celtic and is doing an amazing job there. He will prove that he is one of the best managers in the world in the English Premier League also. I'm sure this will happen at the right time for all parties."
Do you have role-models other than Ange? You are still young, even if you have already achieved a lot of great results playing an offensive football. What are your principles?
“I have built my model of football from 20 years of coaching. Luckily for me this is strongly influenced by my time with Ange who is a serial winner. Of course I evolve and learn from others but fundamentally I believe what I have helped build and experienced in my career and how this has been achieved is everything you need to create continued success. Success via the way we play and to excite our fans is what football is all about. This is what creates the magical moments and is what my principles are built from."
