MARCO VAn BASTEn
The Dutch media were baffled
when the inexperienced Van
Basten became national team
coach in 2004. His side shone
brightly during the Euro 2008
group stage, before a surprise
quarter-final defeat to Russia.
Spells at Ajax and Heerenveen
followed, before his tenure at
AZ Alkmaar was cut short by
a stress-related heart problem.RUUD GULLIT
For a while it seemed like the
master of ‘sexy football’ could
be joining the managerial elite:
he helped put Chelsea on the
map pre-Abramovich, winning
the 1997 FA Cup. Yet it quickly
went south up at Newcastle –
he didn’t get on with marksman
Alan Shearer and dropped the
striker for a loss to Sunderland.
He walked out three days later.KEVIn KEEGAn
King Kev took Newcastle from
the second tier to the brink of
Premier League glory, before
falling agonisingly short and
eventually packing it in. Later
bowed to public pressure and
left Fulham for England, before
quitting. Led Manchester City
from the second tier and into
Europe, before a brief, unhappy
second stint with the Magpies.FRAn Z BECKEn BAUER
Lost the 1986 World Cup Final
with West Germany but got his
revenge against Argentina four
years later at Italia 90. He then
guided Marseille to the Ligue 1
title and European Cup final in
1991, prior to two spells with
Bayern Munich which saw him
seal the Bundesliga and UEFA
Cup. Has since ‘moved upstairs’
rather than dwell in the dugout.Not every elite player makes an elite manager. Here’s how some of Zizou’s fellow Ballon d’Or winners have fared in the dugout
“HE’S STILL THE BEST On THE TRAIn I nG PITCH”
By April, Casemiro’s high pressing set the tone for Real’s Champions
League quarter-final comeback against Wolfsburg, overturning a 2-0
first-leg defeat with a 3-0 win at the Bernabeu. Despite winning their
last 12 league matches, the Spanish title was always unlikely, but the
undecima, the ‘11th European Cup’, was still tantalisingly close with
Manchester City disposed of in the last four.
Simeone’s Atletico handed Zidane the chance of tactical redemption.
In truth, the game was very even, but Madrid’s boss had to lead almost
in spite of himself. Apart from his ethereal talents, the thing
that most stays with you about Zidane’s playing career is his temper.
Thirteen of his 14 career red cards were for retaliation.
“I’ve had to learn not to show any tension, because that transfers to
the players,” he has said about the fire that still burns deep within. Masvale la maña que fuerza, say the Spanish – ‘brain is better than brawn’.
“The feeling that I have at the side of the pitch is totally different to
playing. On the pitch, I could change things and sort things from time
to time, but now it is just the players.”
Before that 2016 Champions League Final, with his players all talking
about “pressure” and “tension” in the build-up, Zidane’s last words as
his charges went down the tunnel eased all the nerves. Privately,
many of those who took penalties in the ensuing shootout success
admit to remembering the manager’s short speech as they began
their run-up.
“I wish I could play.” No one missed.“ THE KEY THIn G IS THAT THE PLAYERS GET On REALLY F**KING WELL!”
That summer, Zizou sought to twist the knife on his rivals
domestically and abroad. Yes, Real Madrid had won the Champions
League, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to win La Liga, a
competition Los Blancos had won only once in eight seasons.
To do so, Zidane knew he had to rotate and ensure his players
were in the best shape for every game. “Physically,” he had said at
several intervals during the previous campaign, “we need to improve
a lot.”
The call went out to fetch fitness coach Antonio Pintus from Lyon.
Zidane had hated the battle-hardened Italian’s exhausting sessions
when they first met more than two decades earlier at Juventus, but
he never forgot the long-term benefits.
Pintus inflicted the same pain on the Real Madrid squad as he had
on its head coach. On the opening day of pre-season there was blood,
sweat, tears and vomit. Lots of vomit. Exercises ranged from balance
to jumps and sprints, which were washed down with a 30-minute
run. Every. Single. Session. For three weeks.
“Pintus has been so important,” Modric said at the end of the season.
“So much of this year is down to him.”
With the players in better condition than ever, Zidane was
confident enough to rotate. Though he missed out on his primary
transfer target, Paul Pogba, academy graduates Diego Llorente,
Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio came back to the Bernabeu after
spells away. All were hungry to prove their worth and slotted into
the team when needed.Above Dani Ceballos
(left) and Marco
Asensio (right) show
off the Spanish
Super Cup –
Zidane’s seventh
trophy since taking
the Madrid jobHRISTO STOICHKOV
The Barça icon has managed
Bulgaria, Celta Vigo and Litex
Lovech, amongst others, but
hasn’t enjoyed much success
in the dugout. The two most
likely factors are Stoichkov’s
hot-headedness (he’s fallen
out with several of his players),
and his insistence that “I don’t
believe in tactics”. His Bulgaria
side once lined up in a 2-4-4...126 The Managers FourFourTwo.comZIDAn E
Images
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