FIFA WC010: Top 10 Managers
In football the most important and valuable person most of the time will be the managers, mostly known as Head coaches by us. But it is sad that the least conversed persons are managers even though their jobs are so critical. There are few nations who represent 1 manager in more than a year consecutively. So it is very unlikely to be a manager in 2 World cups respectively in one team. Clubs are also just the same. Managers will only stay mostly 2-3 seasons and changes the club. Some managers who have a good history with a same club are Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby and Arsène Wenger. In this article I will try to indicate on the top 10 managers in my mind whom we should keep an eye on this WC010.
1- Marcello Lippi – Italy
1- Marcello Lippi – Italy
The World Cup winning manager of 2006 came out of retirement after a poor Euro showing in 2008. So he is known to be 1 of the few whom I have mentioned. A believer in a tight knit team, he doesn't necessarily select the best individuals. He picks the best team. As a proof he dropped Totti and Grosso from the squad. Italy qualified top of their group with ease and with Lippi steering them, the world's No. 5 team can achieve a lot.
2- Fabio Capello – England
The 63-year-old Italian England manager has won titles with every team he's ever coached - Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus. This has to bode well for an England team searching for their first World Cup triumph in 44 years. But this England team is first national team he is managing. A tactical genius with bucket loads of experience, Capello tends to base his sides with a strong defense. A stickler for discipline, his desire to win makes him one of the sport's best.
3- Sven-Göran Eriksson – Ivory Coast
Sven is managing his third international football team and is at the World Cup for a third time. His teams were England and Mexico earlier and he managed 8 different clubs. He was appointed manager of the Ivory Coast in March 2010 after an unsuccessful spell as Mexico's manager and a short run as Notts County Director of Football. Cautious, experienced and commanding of loyalty, Sven has proved himself at soccer's top level. In the Ivory Coast he has a strong team and Sven will look to improve on three consecutive quarterfinal exits in major tournaments.
4- Carlos Alberto Parreira
They don't come much more experienced than Carlos Alberto Parreira. With five World Cup tournaments under his belt, including two with Brazil mean that Parreira knows what he's doing. He managed 11 different clubs and 6 different nations. In his previous spell with South Africa he built up confidence and he will look to do the same. A defensive coach, he was mocked for playing two defence midfielders in 1994, despite winning the World Cup. South Africa will certainly need a solid defense if they're to progress from a tough group. With Parreira, they have as good a chance as they could ever have.
5- Dunga
A Brazilian legend, Dunga took over as manager in 2006 despite having no experience as a professional coach. He has justified his appointment with a string of impressive results topping their World Cup qualifying group. Dunga hasn't just selected players from Europe's largest clubs. However, he has been more open minded, selecting players from all over. Having guided Brazil back to the top of the FIFA rankings, Dunga will be hoping to use his World Cup experience to guide Brazil to yet more World Cup success.
6- Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque inherited a very good team from Luis Aragonés. He has taken full advantage of this and maintained a very strong team. He was the 3rd most successful manager of Real Madrid in terms of trophies. He led Spain to an undefeated qualifying campaign, winning a record first 13 matches while in charge. Del Bosque hasn't been content to stick with what has worked so far. He has handed five players their first caps and selected three uncapped players in his World Cup squad. Del Bosque's sides are ranked No. 2 in the world. That isn't nearly enough for Bosque. He'll be chasing a first World Cup triumph for Spain at all time.
7- Diego Maradona
After the resignation of Argentina national football team coach Alfio Basile in 2008, Diego Maradona immediately proposed his candidacy for the vacant role. He managed 2 clubs earlier in 1994 and 1995. He gave the chance of playing national team for more than 50 players around the world after getting the opportunity as the manager. After winning his first three matches in charge of the national team, he oversaw a 6-1 defeat to Bolivia, equalling the team's worst ever margin of defeat. Argentina was in fifth place and faced the possibility of failing to qualify, but victory in the last two matches’ secured qualification for the finals. Maradona looks happy with largest strike force in world at present which includes Lionel Messi, Tevez, D.Milito, Higuain and also his son-in-law Aguero. We should not forget that he told he will run naked through the center of Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the trophy in this term.
8- Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz served under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and has a wealth of experience. A gifted coach, he has been accused of lacking leadership qualities. Most of his honors came when he managed the youth teams of Portugal. Portugal had a hard time qualifying for the World Cup this term. Now they are in the tournament, they have been drawn in the "group of death". Queiroz must use his experience to prove that he has what it takes to lead his team to success.
9- Bob Bradley
Since taking over in 2006, Bradley has taken the USA to unprecedented heights. In 2009 he took USA to the FIFA Confederation Cup final beating the then world No. 1 team Spain, in the semifinal. Spain had been unbeaten in 35 consecutive matches. In the final, USA led Brazil 2-0 at halftime before eventually losing 3-2. Bradley then led USA to the top of their World Cup qualifying group and on to South Africa. A manager keen on defense and motivation, he is often criticized for playing "boring" football. The thing is, he gets results. Expect USA to cause some problems in this year's World Cup.
10- Joachim Löw
Joachim Löw took over from Jürgen Klinsmann as manager of Germany in 2006. He then took Germany to the Euro 2008 final before losing out to Spain. A renowned tactician, he prepares well and ensures that results are achieved even if the performances aren't the best. Undefeated in qualifying, Germany is well placed under Löw despite being without Ballack. The No. 6 team in the FIFA rankings will be looking to improve on successful 2006 and 2008 tournaments. With Löw at the helm, they have a good chance of doing so.
02/06/10
02/06/10