Many of the world’s most talented players will meet in South Africa this summer to compete for the game’s ultimate glory, but coaches can have just as big a part to play in securing World Cup success.
Domenech and Maradona missed the cut
There are glaring exceptions - Raymond Domenech and Diego Maradona spring to mind – but simply securing qualification to the tournament is often the mark of a good coach, so selecting the top XI means excluding some fine contenders.
Former Atletico coach Javier Aguirre rescued Mexico after they had floundered under Sven-Goran Eriksson and Bert van Marwijk helped the Netherlands sail through to South Africa while Gerardo Martino (Paraguay), Reinaldo Rueda (Honduras), Vladimir Weiss (Slovakia), Matjaz Kek (Slovenia), Paul Le Guen (Cameroon) and Kim Jong-Hun (North Korea) all did exceptional jobs in qualifying. The coaches below, though, get the nod on the back of their experience and previous success.
Fabio Capello (England): There are those who believe England have proved nothing yet and, certainly given results against top sides, Capello has it all to do if his team are to lift the trophy this summer, but those who have followed England over the past decade have seen a marked difference. England perhaps did as well as should be expected under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2002 and 2006, but both players and manager looked to wilt under the pressure in the knockout stages and the growing WAG sideshow was a symptom of the disarray that surrounded the Steve McClaren era. Capello’s experience in Serie A has been hugely relevant to the improvements: England are more pragmatic, disciplined and focused and, in stark contrast to his predecessors, he is perfectly equipped to deal with the media.
Otto Rehhagel (Greece): A hugely experienced German coach, Rehhagel stunned the football world as Greece were victorious at Euro 2004. Now 71, he knows all too well that a coach has to adapt his tactics to the players at his disposal and, as such, has relied almost exclusively on defensive tactics and set pieces for his success. His team have made little impact beyond Euro 2004 and some feel his tactics should be more open, but this is a country that had earned just one point in its combined World Cup and European Championship history to that point.
Raddy Antic (Serbia): This former Real Madrid and Barcelona boss is now back in his homeland and will need to use all his experience to see Serbia through a group containing Germany, Australia and Ghana. Luckily for Serbia, they have a wily tactician at the helm and he has established a sense of unity in a capable – if unspectacular – team that now plays to its strengths, with the aerial domination of Nemanja Vidic and Branislav Ivanovic likely to be a big part of their success at both ends of the field.
Bielsa is known as ‘The Madman’
Marcelo Bielsa (Chile): Bielsa’s only World Cup experience to date came when he led his home country, Argentina, out at the group stage in 2002. That should by no means suggest Bielsa is a poor coach: he led Argentina to Olympic glory in 2004, recently saw former club Newell’s Old Boys name their stadium in his honour and is now a national hero in Chile. El Loco may adopt crazy 3-3-1-3 tactics, but don’t expect to see him swatting imaginary flies on the touchline: his obsession with the beautiful game gives his teams real hope of success. More a maverick genius than a worrying madman, then, although he has been known to measure pitches by pacing them out before games.
Vicente Del Bosque (Spain): While last year’s Confederations Cup campaign ended in failure, there are signs that Del Bosque has created a world-beating side capable of ending the country’s long wait for the game’s most prized trophy. Much of his success has involved simply building on the foundations laid by his Euro 2008-winning predecessor, Luis Aragones. Del Bosque, though, is more of a background figure, showing respect to all and happy to avoid the media spotlight, even if he is unafraid of making big decisions. After a bit of a slow start, the team is now in phenomenal form, more stylish than ever, and he has brought in new players as well as getting the best out of the likes of Cesc Fabregas.
Marcello Lippi (Italy): He has endured a little criticism of late and his current team looks less than devastating, but Lippi is a true great and the man who steered Italy to success at the 2006 World Cup. He became a hugely respected coach around Europe during his two spells with Juventus in the last two decades, and he boasts deep knowledge of the game and its tactics. His reluctance to call up the likes of Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli may not please some fans, but the old master has built much of his success on team spirit, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he doesn’t fancy having those two around.
Ottmar Hitzfeld (Switzerland): Hitzfeld, best known for his success with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, refers to Switzerland as his homeland. It isn’t – he was born just inside the German border – but the result, happily for the Swiss, is that the little-fancied country will now boast one of the most talented, experienced and successful coaches at this summer’s tournament – a two-time World Coach of the Year who remains the only boss to win the Champions League with two different clubs. Switzerland have a handful of talented players, Tranquillo Barnetta and Gokhan Inler among them, but Hitzfeld is the type of boss who gives players clearly defined roles and ensures they function as a team rather than a group of individuals.
Joachim Löw (Germany): As Steve McClaren and Carlos Queiroz have demonstrated in recent years, making the step up from assistant to boss doesn’t always turn out for the best. Löw, though, took Germany to the final of Euro 2008 after having provided the tactical nous to help rookie boss Jurgen Klinsmann take them to third place at the World Cup two years earlier. Some feel Löw lacks motivational skills and there is a danger the team could be undermined by the current row over his contract – a confusing affair that may be related to his refusal to commit, financial demands or his own assistant, Oliver Bierhoff. Nonetheless, Löw is a man who delivers results and, given that they went unbeaten in qualification for South Africa in a group containing Russia, Germany ought to be there or thereabouts come the latter stages of the tournament.
Dunga (Brazil): He’s made a habit of dropping star players and doesn’t seem to be too worried about upsetting people. Given that Luiz Felipe Scolari said during his time at Chelsea that “pressure was when I was coach of the national team because everyone in Brazil is the coach”, it’s probably a very good thing not to be overly concerned with others’ opinions. In this, his first job, he has jettisoned the beautiful, flowing attacking football that has symbolised Brazil since the days of Pele and replaced it with hard work, physical strength and the counter-attack. He was a defensive midfielder in his playing days and likes to play two of them in his starting line-ups but, with the likes of Robinho and Kaka further upfield, there’s no danger of boredom. The criticism in his homeland faded after they beat Argentina 3-0 to win the 2007 Copa America and continued to wane as they topped their qualification group for South Africa. They may not win the World Cup in the fashion they did in 1970, but Dunga’s pragmatic approach may will at least maximise their hopes of success this time around.
Rajevac has focused on making Ghana hard to beat
Milovan Rajevac (Ghana): There was widespread derision when Rajevac was appointed in 2008, but he asked to be judged on results and there’s no arguing on that front. Ghana grew better and better in World Cup qualification and, despite being without Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah and John Paintsil during this year’s African Nations Cup, they still reached the final and were only outclassed in their group match against Ivory Coast. Rajevac has created a resolute side, strong in the midfield and difficult to break down. He’s a strict manager and that has led to fallings-out (which accounts for Muntari’s no-show in January) but all the top players should be fit and committed in the summer.
Morten Olsen (Denmark): The Dansk Boldspil-Union kept faith with Olsen even as Denmark failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, and their decision now looks to have paid dividends. He is an experienced manager capable of coaxing impressive team performances from a squad lacking world-class stars, playing attacking football where possible. Olsen steered Denmark to the top of a World Cup qualification group containing Portugal and Sweden and, having led his side through the group stages at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, they could enjoy a decent run in South Africa.