Adrián Guľa: Slovakian on a mission to achieve as a manager what he could not as a player

by Frank Marr

“We were always told to play a specific way, which often wasn’t playing to our strengths. I want to find the players’ strengths and get them to use them, rather than trying to box them in.”

For Adrián Guľa, football management is as much about unlocking human potential as it is about tactics, formations and results. Guľa is not a manager who appears consumed by football’s modern obsession with data and analysis. He certainly uses plenty of data, but his primary objective is getting the most out of every player at his disposal.

As Riga FC prepare to embark on their first-ever UEFA Conference League league-phase campaign, Guľa has already achieved something none of his predecessors managed. Having guided Riga to the Latvian championship, he has now taken them into the main stage of European competition.

Qualification was hardly straightforward. It was a bumpy journey, with late goals, defensive mistakes and enough drama to leave supporters on the edge of their seats. Yet Guľa has also achieved something rather unusual at Riga FC: stability.

Appointed in January 2025, he has become the club’s longest-serving manager, surviving considerably longer than many of his predecessors in a position that has historically offered little job security. We sat down with Guľa to discuss his playing career, football philosophy, life in Latvia and ambitions for the future.

Guľa is a man of considerable energy, belief and conviction. His coaching experience spans several of Europe’s competitive middle-tier leagues, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Cyprus.

From my own perspective, having lived near Skonto Stadium and attended more Riga FC matches than I care to count, I believe he has been the club’s best manager since I started following the Virslīga. He has unified a squad that, in previous seasons, too often appeared focused on individual performances rather than collective purpose. He has brought stability, developed a recognisable playing identity and created a team that looks increasingly comfortable operating as a single unit.

His uncompromising commitment to attacking football can occasionally be frustrating, particularly when circumstances appear to demand a more pragmatic approach. But it has been effective and, at times, a genuine joy to watch. When the full attacking machinery of Riga FC clicks into gear, few teams in Latvia can live with it.

The question now is whether that philosophy can survive against some of Europe’s stronger opponents.

The Player Who Wanted Something More

To understand Guľa the manager, you first need to understand Guľa the footballer. He enjoyed a respectable playing career across Slovakia and the Czech Republic, representing clubs including Jablonec and Opava.

A technically gifted central midfielder, he operated primarily as an attacking playmaker, often taking responsibility for set pieces and dictating the tempo of matches.

“I was more about technique than speed, I was the player who organised the game, like a number ten. Most of the time, we played 4-4-2.”

His career included appearances in both countries’ top divisions, a second-division championship and a domestic cup final. But something was missing.

“I appreciated my career, but I could have been a better player. I never played for the national team. I felt I could achieve something more. Something blocked me from showing my best potential.”

That sense of unfulfilled potential would ultimately shape his entire coaching philosophy. Growing up in Slovak football, Guľa recalls a culture that prioritised defensive organisation, tactical discipline and reacting to opponents rather than taking the initiative. For an attacking midfielder, it could be restrictive.

“When I was a player, in our country we preferred tactical football. We were always waiting for the opponent.

“But I felt, speaking with my teammates every day, that we could show something more. We could show our offensive skills and play attacking football. That was the main reason I decided that if I became a coach, I would try to do something different.”

It is a philosophy built partly on rebellion against the limitations of his own football education. Rather than focusing primarily on correcting weaknesses, Guľa wants to identify what makes a footballer exceptional and develop those qualities.

“When I was a player, most of the time everybody tried to work on my weak points. And then we developed average players. Everybody was the same, without a weapon, without those top skills. For this reason, I changed my philosophy. I try to use the strengths of my players and the strengths of my team.”

It is a deceptively simple idea, but one that runs against the instincts of many coaches. Football development often revolves around eliminating mistakes and creating tactically disciplined, well-rounded players. Guľa believes this approach can sometimes come at the expense of individuality.

For him, the objective is not to produce eleven identical footballers who can fulfil a system. It is to build a system that allows eleven different footballers to flourish.

The Dutch Influence

One of the defining periods in Guľa’s development came at AS Trenčín, where he encountered a very different footballing philosophy. The club’s Dutch ownership exposed him to ideas associated with Ajax and Johan Cruyff.

“They taught me almost the complete opposite of what I had heard from my coaches. When I was a child in Slovakia, we were told we couldn’t play offensive football. We couldn’t control games.

“But I tried to change everything.”

At Trenčín, Guľa became part of a development environment that helped nurture players including Stanislav Lobotka, who would eventually establish himself at Napoli. Later, at Žilina, he worked in another ambitious development structure, helping young players progress towards the highest levels of European football. Among the names he mentions are Milan Škriniar, Dávid Hancko and Denis Vavro.

Guľa takes considerable satisfaction from the careers of players who emerged through environments in which he worked. But he is equally interested in what their development demonstrates.

“Everything is in your mind. If you decide you will just be a player who stays back and blocks crosses, you will be that player. But if you decide to open your potential, you can achieve much more.”

His five years at Žilina also brought tangible success, including the Slovak championship in 2017. Further appointments followed with Slovakia’s Under-21 national team, Viktoria Plzeň, Wisła Kraków, DAC Dunajská Streda and Apollon Limassol. Each experience added another dimension to his understanding of management.

At Wisła Kraków, in particular, he encountered a club where attractive football and player development were secondary to the immediate demand for results.

“When I was a young coach, I always wanted to play offensively. Offensively, offensively. Then I realised sometimes we were a little naive. You need to find the balance. At Wisła Kraków, everybody wanted results. I needed to change my thinking a little.”

That experience has made him more pragmatic, although his fundamental beliefs remain unchanged.

“Everybody has their DNA. My DNA is offensive football. But football is not one colour. One manager prefers offensive football, another prefers defensive football. Who knows which is the right way?

“That is what makes football beautiful.”

Building a New Riga FC

When Guľa arrived in Riga in January 2025, he inherited a club with considerable resources and expectations, but also a history of managerial turnover. His challenge was not simply to win. It was to give Riga FC an identity.

The transformation has been noticeable. Riga press aggressively, move the ball with greater purpose and attempt to dictate matches rather than react to opponents. It requires significant physical conditioning.

“We measure everything. We have GPS, and we can compare where we were, where we are and where we want to be.”

But Guľa says modern football is less concerned with total distance than intensity: sprinting, acceleration, deceleration and high-intensity running.

We are what we train. If you train at low intensity, you cannot expect players to sprint at high intensity during matches.

That philosophy influences recruitment too, with Riga examining speed and physical potential alongside technical ability. Yet for all the data, Guľa continually returns to psychology.

“Every day is psychology,” he laughs. “Working with people is the highest level of management.”

That mentality became particularly important during European qualification, when Riga occasionally made costly mistakes but repeatedly found ways back into matches.

“For me, what is important is not what happened on the pitch, but the reaction during the game. Our reaction was fantastic. We showed our character and mentality.”

He is less forgiving about one weakness: set pieces.

“Not good. Not good. I am not happy. The players are not happy. We need to be better. That is my responsibility.”

There is conviction in Guľa’s methods, but also an acceptance that his team remains a work in progress.

What Latvian Football Needs

Having coached across Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Cyprus, Guľa believes Latvian football has potential, but its infrastructure is holding it back.

“If you want to play good football, you need a good pitch.”

He points towards Cyprus, Denmark and Norway as examples of smaller football nations investing in facilities. He is even open to high-quality artificial surfaces, having previously worked with one at Žilina.

“If you don’t have the weather of Spain, you need to react.”

His greater concern is youth football.

“Kids are the future. If you build a good environment for kids, they can train all year. Look at Iceland. Why did they reach the World Cup and European Championship? They built indoor halls.”

A Latvian youngster losing several months of training each winter, he argues, inevitably falls behind a contemporary who can play throughout the year. Guľa also wants to see greater ambition from Virslīga clubs.

Most teams try to wait for counterattacks. But what can you lose against Riga or RFS? Nothing.

“I think the league can be more open, with more box-to-box football. It would help develop Latvian players.”

He challenges the perception that the league lacks athleticism, claiming data shown to him placed the Virslīga seventh among 50 European leagues for sprint distance. The bigger problem, in his view, is tempo, physical duels and teams having the confidence to attack.

Latvia’s size and climate, he argues, should not become excuses. Other small nations have found solutions.

Europe, Expectations and the Future

Reaching the UEFA Conference League represents a landmark for Riga FC, and an opportunity to test Guľa’s philosophy against stronger opposition. The road there was imperfect. Riga’s Champions League campaign ended early, while subsequent ties demonstrated how quickly European opponents punish mistakes.

“We paid a tax for playing in such a big competition,” Guľa says. “But it confirmed something for me. We are a good team. We are physically strong, and we can play offensive football with pressing and counter-pressing against every opponent.”

Experience has helped. Players who encountered European football last season now look more comfortable at the level.

“This year, they were more experienced. They didn’t just enjoy the games. They tried to control them.”

That belief will be tested against Kairat Almaty, Pafos, Jablonec, Kauno Žalgiris, Atalanta and Borac. Guľa has no intention of parking the bus.

“I am not a coach who will change everything against Atalanta. Of course, you correct details, how we press, which spaces we use. We can expect to have less possession. But we cannot expect to fight less.”

Changing the team’s entire approach for one opponent, he argues, would contradict months of work.

“If we train 90 per cent of the time playing offensive football, pressing and counter-pressing, I cannot change everything in three days and suddenly say, ‘Against Atalanta, we stay in a deep block and wait.’

“We need to use our strengths.”

There is risk in that approach. Better opponents can exploit the spaces created by an aggressive press, but Guľa would rather adjust his system than abandon it.

“No team in the world likes being pressed. Maybe Barcelona and Manchester City,” he laughs.

A Season That Refuses to End

Europe has created another problem: Riga’s season now stretches deep into winter. After around 40 competitive matches, plus international duty for several players, Guľa sensed his squad becoming mentally drained.

A training camp in Cyprus offered an opportunity to reset.

“It was not just about fresh legs. It was about fresh minds. After achieving our big goal of reaching the Conference League, I felt we were emotionally down. We were empty.”

But Guľa believes the biggest psychological test will come after the glamorous European nights.

“You play Atalanta or Pafos, and then two or three days later you play Grobiņa or Ogre. This is a problem everywhere.”

The challenge is maintaining the same intensity when the surroundings and opposition change dramatically.

You cannot suddenly wake up for the European play-offs. You need to work systematically all year. That is how you develop a winning mentality.

Riga entered the season targeting trophies on several fronts. Having already won the Latvian Super Cup and Livonia Cup, the Latvian Cup is particularly personal for Guľa after defeat to Auda in last year’s final.

“I want to win the cup personally. It hasn’t happened for me yet. Everybody in the dressing room wants this trophy.”

In Europe, however, he prefers ambition to pressure.

“We want to win. That is different from saying we have to win. Now, we want to win every game. We want to show our potential.”

The Baltic meeting with Kauno Žalgiris adds another dimension. Guľa does not view Latvia-Lithuania through the same rivalry he experienced between Slovak and Czech clubs, but understands its significance.

“If beating Žalgiris means something extra for Riga supporters and Latvian people, perhaps that gives us a little more motivation. I hope we show we are better.”

A Legacy Beyond Trophies

Ask Guľa about his legacy and he talks less about silverware than supporters.

“I hope people appreciate what the players have done. They fight every match for the Riga FC brand.”

He recalls European crowds at Skonto growing from roughly 2,500 for an early fixture to around 7,000 later in qualification. More important to him are the children arriving in Riga shirts.

“This can change the football culture. I don’t know if you can call it a legacy, but it is a fantastic impact. If you inspire one, two, three, four or five people in your life, you have done a fantastic job.”

Having watched football in Britain for much of my life, I have often felt Latvian clubs underestimate the importance of the matchday experience. Football is more than 90 minutes: it becomes ritual, community and identity. That culture takes time to develop, but there are encouraging signs at Skonto.

The Man Behind the Manager

Guľa demands considerable energy from his players, but puts similar effort into managing himself. He has worked with mental coaches for around 15 years and currently uses two.

“They help me clear my mind, improve myself and stay focused on what I can control.”

For Guľa, leadership requires constant self-improvement.

“If you are a leader, you have a big responsibility. But it is also a big privilege. I try to use that privilege to inspire people to become better players and better people.”

Life in Riga also means spending considerable time away from his family.

“Honestly, it is not easy. I am here most of the time alone.”

Calls with his wife, children and parents help, while his players provide another source of energy.

“My biggest energy comes from my players. They are fighters. They give everything in training.”

Away from football, he runs alone in Mežaparks, usually three to six kilometres, and has developed an interest in wellness and longevity. He enjoys Riga’s restaurants and would like to spend more time fishing. These are brief escapes from a profession that consumes most of his life.

A Manager Who Believes in Possibility

There is something revealing about how often Guľa talks about potential. He is less interested in explaining why Riga cannot compete than discovering what they might achieve. It connects everything: the frustration of his own playing career, his development of young footballers in Slovakia, his attacking philosophy and now his work in Riga.

He wants footballers to develop their weapons rather than become prisoners of a system. He wants smaller clubs to confront stronger opponents rather than fear them, and he believes Latvian football should demand more from itself.

There will inevitably be European nights when that philosophy leaves Riga exposed, but Guľa appears willing to accept the risk. His challenge now is to discover whether the football that has taken Riga FC this far can survive against Europe’s stronger sides.

For a manager whose philosophy was born from the feeling that he never fulfilled his own potential as a player, it feels appropriate. This time, he intends to find out just how far they can go.