Felice Mazzu
(Genk)F
ollowing Philippe Clement’s decision
to walk away from Belgian champions
Genk this summer and join Club
Brugge, Mazzu was by no means
one of the leading contenders to fill the void.
The boss of top-flight Charleroi for the
previous six seasons, the 53-year-old of Italian
extraction had seemed set for the long haul
with the Zebras. He had never won a trophy
there and in all probability was not likely to. Yet
he was living the dream nonetheless, happy to
stay loyal both to his
hometown club and
the Black Country
city where he began
to play football, then
studied and polished
his reputation as a
professional coach.
So what a surprise it was to see him sign on
the dotted line for Genk. Ultimately, ambition
spoke louder than the ties that bind. “I could
have chosen continuity and simplicity,” he
explains. “With the backing of the Charleroi
directors I might have continued in what you
guys call the easy life. Anyway, I’d never describe
it as such.
“Without challenges, you never will know
your limits. I’ve chosen to grasp the challenge
that Genk have proposed. I know there’s a
risk involved, that I could burn my wings. If
that’s the case I’ll have come up short. In life,
disappointments can help you grow.”
Such an honest appraisal of his chances
makes him a rarity in today’s games. But thatdoes not mean he will not give it his all in
Genk. He is known as an outstanding motivator,
someone capable of turning a group of
disparate players into a band of brothers, and
in his job interview with Genk’s directors he was
particularly gung-ho about the project. “He said
that if he came to our club, he’d blow everyone
away,” reveals director of sport Dimitri de Conde.
Having spent several years working as a PE
teacher in schools in the Charleroi region, he
only obtained his UEFA pro licence five years
ago. He came to prominence as boss of Brussels
club Royal White Star Bruxelles, with whom he
enjoyed a brilliant campaign in 2010-11, winning
promotion to the second division and reaching
the quarter-finals of
the Belgian Cup.
At the Charleroi
helm he managed to
consistently produce
competitive, well-
organised sides on
a shoestring budget
and his record speaks for itself: three top-six
finishes in regular-season action (including a
sensational third place in 2018) and qualification
for the Europa League in 2015 – the club’s first
continental ticket in 21 years. He was voted
Belgium’s coach of the year in 2017.
He is often dubbed a defensive-minded
coach, though that is something of a false trail.
When his sides attack, they invariably have
four or five players moving with intent in the
opposition box.
Mazzu is likely to stick with the 4-3-3 system
used by his predecessor Clement. The most
significant innovation has been to use 21-year-
old Norwegian midfield regulator Sander Berge
slightly deeper.Luis Castro
(Shakhtar Donetsk)T
hey do like to adhere to a tried-and-
tested leadership formula at Shakhtar.
Hence the decision this summer to
substitute one Portuguese tactician for
another, filling the gap left by Roma-bound Paulo
Fonseca with the ex-Vitoria Guimaraes boss.
In his three seasons with Shakhtar, Fonseca
won a hat-trick of domestic doubles and a
place in the Champions League round of 16 in
2017-18. And the 58-year-old Castro will clearly
be expected to continue that go-ahead vibe.
Interestingly, the pair once worked together,
during the 2013-14 season, at Porto, where
Fonseca was first-team coach and Castro was in
charge of the reserves. And when Fonseca stood
down in the spring of 2014, it was Castro who
stepped in as caretaker for two months.
After good work with Porto’s B team, then
Rio Ave and Chaves, Castro was appointed
Guimaeres coach a year ago and led them to
a creditable fifth in the Portuguese top flight to
claim a place in this season’s Europa League
qualifiers. Combining defensive watchfulness,collective nous and a large dollop of attacking
invention and fluidity, his side were a match
for almost anyone in the Primeira Liga, notably
coming from two goals down to win 3-2 at Porto,
beating Sporting at home and very unfortunate
to twice lose narrowly to champions Benfica.
Shakhtar essentially recruited Castro for three
reasons: the creative football he tends to serve
up, his well-earned reputation as a sponsor of
young talent, and his Portuguese mother tongue.
For quite some time Shakhtar have recruited
Brazilian players en masse, and with the club’s
Samba connection currently in double figures
communication breakdowns are not an option.
A vital aspect of Castro’s new brief will be
to give every encouragement to homegrown
prospects. The Ukraine squad which claimed
gold at this year’s World Under-20s contained
five Shakhtar youngsters and they hope two or
three will push hard at the first-team door.
In marked contrast to so many coaches in
Portugal, Castro does not rant and rave on the
touchline. A defender in his playing days, he
attributes his competitive spirit to the debilitating
blood disorder he had as a child.
“My inner strength to overcome difficulties
comes from this period,” he says.COACHES
“Without challenges, you
never will know your limits”
Felice Mazzu