The Coaches: episode four

Football may be an international language, but mastery of more conventional tongues is now a prerequisite for many involved in the game at the highest level.

In the fourth episode of our seven-part documentary series, The Coaches, UEFA.com speaks to the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Gérard Houllier, Arsène Wenger and Roy Hodgson about how they handle communication with and among multinational squads.

"It's up to the coach to create a bond within the team," Houllier says. "It sometimes happens by imposing the country's language and only that language can be spoken in the dressing room. If you have a dressing room where half the players are speaking French, half English, and three who are speaking Czech or German, that doesn't mean you can't speak French elsewhere. But inside the dressing room it would create a divide.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti admits: "The first period of my life at Chelsea wasn't easy because my knowledge of the language wasn't good enough. I studied and every day I progressed, so now my English is better. Obviously I still have to improve, because communicating with the players is the most important part of my job."

For further insight from a host of top-class coaches and managers, view the video above.