Indholdsfortegnelse for Mar-2018 i World Soccer

It is easy to overestimate the importance of managers and coaches in football. They get too much praise when they are successful and they are the first to be blamed when things go wrong. Players, meanwhile, are the individuals that really matter. However, there is no denying the impact that a new coach can have on a struggling side, nor the effect of a strong personality on a group of players. This month we turn the spotlight on some of the coaches who have made a difference to their respective teams over the past 12 months. The 25 selected (page 30) share some characteristics but there are crucial differences. Not all are young; Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri is an overnight sensation at the age of 59. Others have struggled of late;…

“I should never have gone to Las Palmas. When I said yes I didn’t even know that the team was on an island” After returning to saint-etienne, tunisia international oussama tannane reflects on his loan spell in La Liga 1 HIRVING LOZANO PSV v Excelsior A well-worked team goal that includes a delightful assist from Luuk De Jong. 2 CHRISTIAN LUYINDAMA Standard Liege v Anderlecht A spectacular overhead kick from the edge of the penalty area. 3 GIOVANNI LO CELSO Paris Saint-Germain v Lille Makes room for himself then dinks the ball over the keeper from the edge of the penalty area. 4 JESUS DATOLO Banfield v Independiente Del Valle A thunderbolt of a free-kick from 40 yards out that flies into the far top corner. 5 STOICO Linense v…

1 VILLAS-BOAS INJURED IN PARIS-DAKAR RALLY Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas withdrew from his first Dakar Rally after damaging his back during the fourth stage in Peru. The 40-year-old, who left his role as coach of Chinese side Shanghai SIPG in November to compete in the race, was two hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds behind the leader when his Toyota Hilux hit a sand dune. 2 POLDI’S KEBAB SHOP Former Cologne striker Lukas Podolski, who plays for Vissel Kobe in Japan these days, has returned to the German city to open a kebab shop. And the excitement surrounding the grand opening of the Mangal Doner was such that more than a thousand fans queued around the block to be served by “Poldi”, with some reportedly waiting…

Old dog teaching Napoli new tricks When Maurizio Sarri received a phone call from Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentis in the summer of 2015, at first he thought he was the victim of a practical joke. By his own admission, it took Sarri a while before he realised that it really was the cinema tycoon on the other end of the line, asking him if he would accept the job of Napoli coach. Sarri’s moment of disbelief was understandable. Can it be, he must have asked himself, that after 20 years as a bank clerk, 25 years as a coach to 17 different clubs and just one season in Serie A, can it be that he was about to land the Napoli job? Was a career which began with amateur…

Real Madrid were featured on the front cover following their remarkable victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup. The holders made it to the quarterfinals despite losing 5-1 in the first leg of the previous round in Germany. A stunning 4-0 victory in the Bernabeu saw them progress on away goals and they would eventually go on to retain the trophy. Meanwhile, “the dream of a Barcelona-Juventus European Cup Final was shattered” when the pair were paired in the last eight. Nevertheless, “Spanish passion and Italian cunning ensure a fascinating contest,” wrote Iain Macleod. He continued: “Juventus start favourites. But their burning desire to win the trophy in favourable circumstances is matched by Catalonia’s passionate aspirations to finally witness their beloved Barcelona bring home the coveted Champions Cup.” Macleod…

Cork City boss John Caulfield spent the close season trying to find a replacement for Sean Maguire, who scored 20 times last term before joining Preston North End in July. Cork made a 22-game unbeaten start to the season and went 15 points clear of Dundalk at the top of the table, but without their top scorer Caulfield’s side struggled before eventually stumbling over the finishing line to claim a first league title for 12 years. Caulfield, however, doesn’t agree with the term “stumbled” and says: “We also lost Kevin O’Connor to Preston North End at the same time as Maguire, and our captain John Dunleavy was injured. Losing three of your first-team squad is a serious blow. “We did have a blip and the chasing clubs improved, but we…

Nine Saudi Arabian players have joined seven different Spanish clubs on loan deals in a bid to gain European club experience ahead of this summer’s World Cup finals. From Saudi Arabia’s successful qualifying campaign, Yahya Al Shehri (27) has joined Leganes, Fahad Al Muwallad (23) is at Levante and Salem Al Dawsari (26) signed for Villarreal. Jaber Issa joined Villarreal B, while Marwan Othman headed to Leganes’ youth team. Segunda Division clubs also took Saudi players, with Nooh Al Mousa moving to Real Valladolid, Abdulmajeed Al Sulayhi joining Rayo Vallecano, Ali Al Namer signing for Numancia and Abdullah Al Hamdan now at Sporting Gijon. The deals were the result of a partnership between La Liga, the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, with Saudi…

Ayoub EL KAABI (RS Berkane) The star of the recent African Nations Championship, Morocco’s 24-year-old striker was the finals’ top scorer, with his nine goals almost doubling the previous record for the tournament for African-based players. As well as scoring in the Final, he also twice hit the woodwork with overhead kicks as the hosts beat Nigeria 4-0. Voted player of the competition, his goal haul included a hat-trick against Guinea and a double against Libya in the semi-finals. Abel Majid Madrane, the president of El Kaabi’s club Berkane, claimed in Moroccan newspaper Assabah that Atletico Madrid had made enquiries about taking the player to Spain. El Kaabi’s form at the tournament also increased speculation that he will be called into the Morocco squad ahead of this summer’s World Cup.…

All good teams reflect the personality of their coach and this very much applies to Conceicao’s Porto, who are infused from top to bottom with the intensity, bravery, passion and singlemindedness of the man in charge. A right-winger in his playing days – winning 56 caps for Portugal and notably starring for Porto, as well as Italian clubs Lazio, Parma and Internazionale – the 43-year-old does not only produce results but he delivers them post-haste, absolutely in his element when asked to swiftly turn a gaggle of underachievers into a real collective force. Both this season and last, his Midas touch has been there for all to see: first at Nantes, who he steered from secondbottom in Ligue 1 to seventh in just a few months, then inspiring a remarkable…

A former secondary-school teacher – specialising in sport, business studies and law – the 38-year-old Bavarian has proved a quick learner as a coach. In a poll of German top-flight players, conducted by Kicker magazine at New Year, he was listed as the third-best boss in the country, outstripped only by Schalke’s impressive young leader Domenico Tedesco and Bayern Munich golden oldie Jupp Heynckes. Previously Augsburg’s head of youth development, Baum has been busy this season making his critics eat their words. Back in August, more or less every mainstream pundit was picking the Augsburger for the drop, citing the clutch of key players who had left in the summer and a morale-sapping German Cup loss to third-tier Magdeburg on the eve of the new campaign. However, Baum’s side turned…

Some accuse him of being overly abrasive; others believe his straight-talking does more harm than good. But does it really matter when the coach in question has such an obvious talent for delivering teams that are worth far more than the sum of their parts? A former midfielder with Marseille, Montpellier and Sochaux, he specialises in taking unfancied sides to new heights, leading Corsican side GFC Ajaccio from the third tier to Ligue 1 in just two years and winning the Ligue 2 title last season with newly-promoted Strasbourg – an amazing achievement for a club which went bankrupt in 2011 and very nearly disappeared altogether. Back in the top flight for the first time in nine years, Strasbourg won just three of their opening 15 league games this season.…

RESULTS, TABLES, FIXTURES FRIENDLIES Monday, January 15 Jan 15 -Abu Dhabi, UAE Jordan 3 (Abdelhadi 25, Al Dardour 57, Al Mardi 83) Denmark 2 (Gammelby 48, Duelund 85) HT: 1-0 Jordan: Abu Laila -Shilbayeh, Khattab, Bani Yaseen, Al Dmeiri, Ayed (Al Mardi 76), Al Samarneh, Haddad (Thalji 79), Abdelhadi (Abu Hudeib 90), Al Rawashdeh (Lahham 90), Al Dardour (Murjan 84). Denmark: J Hansen -Gammelby, Nelsson (K Hansen 87), Rasmussen, Nissen (Pedersen 69), Mathias Jensen (Duelund 46), Skytte (Uhre 79), J Poulsen, Kadrii (Skov 58), Pohl, Laursen. Saturday, January 27 Jan 27 -Antalya, Turkey Moldova 0 South Korea 1 (Kim Shin-wook 68) HT: 0-0. Att: 200. Ref: Ulusoy (Tur) Moldova: Cebanu (Calancea 46) -Jardan, Posmac, Rogac (Racu 46), Rozgoniuc, Cojocari (Taras 77), Dedov, Paireli (Spataru 61), Platica (Ivanov 61), Damascan (Ambros…

DARIO VIDOSIC His goal in Melbourne City’s 5-0 victory over Adelaide United made him the first player to score for five A-League clubs, having previously found the target for Queensland Roar, Adelaide United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix. MARCUS McGUANE The 19-year-old became the latest English prospect to leave the Premier League to seek his fortune abroad. His moved from Arsenal to Barcelona B, follows in the footsteps of such talents as Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who joined from Manchester City. HARRY KANE The Tottenham striker went top of the ESM Golden Shoe rankings with the winning goal in the North London derby against Arsenal. CARLOS CARVALHAL Since arriving in January, the Portuguese manager has worked wonders in steering Swansea City away from the Premier League relegation zone…for now.…

Anyone planning on heading to Russia for the World Cup should read Moscow Calling: Memoirs of a Foreign Correspondent in which Angus Roxburgh, former Moscow correspondent of The Sunday Times and the BBC provides a unique insight into the heart and soul of the finals host (Birlinn, £17.99). For a similarly unique view on the skulduggery of the 2018-2022 World Cup bidding campaign there is Bonita Mersiades’ long-awaited Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way (PowerhousePress, US$20). Mersiades was head of communications for the vain Australian bid for 2022 – until she was sacked 10 months before the vote after falling out with her bosses over their flawed strategy and its inevitable failure.…

IN EUROPE Italy under-21 boss LUIGI DI BIAGIO was handed interim control of the national senior side. GUS POYET replaced Jocelyn Gourvennec as coach of Ligue 1 side Bordeaux. Deportivo La Coruna sacked coach Cristobal Parralo and appointed CLARENCE SEEDORF until the end of the season. JAVI GRACIA replaced Marco Silva as Watford manager after one win in 11 Premier League games. TAYFUN KORKUT replaced Hannes Wolf at Bundesliga strugglers Stuttgart, while BERND HOLLERBACH took over from Markus Gisdol at Hamburg. In Belgium, PHILIPPE CLEMENT took charge of Genk and was replaced at Waasland-Beveren by SVEN VERMANT. Mechelen brought in DENNIS VAN WIJK from second-tier Roeselare. SILAS took over from Domingos Paciencia as coach of Portuguese side Belenenses, while JOAO HENRIQUES replaced Petit at Pacos de Ferreira. SOUTH AMERICA Argentinian…

• HICHAM EL AMRANI Urbane and bilingual, he was general secretary of the Confederation of African Football for eight years, until March 2017. The international face of the Morocco 2026 bid, he was appointed chief executive officer in November 2017. • FOUZI LEKJAA Elected unopposed in October 2017 for a second term as president of the Federation Royal Marocaine de Football. Previously worked in the government, where he was better known for finance than football. Generally seen as being progressive, he was elected third vice-president of CAF in July 2017. • MOULAY HAFID ELALAMY The chairman of the Moroccan bid is the founder of Moroccan insurance firm Saham and also minister for industry, trade & new technologies. In 2015, Forbes estimated he was among Africa’s 50 richest people with a…

Now in his fifth season at Leganes, a club from the southern outskirts of Madrid who are known as Los Pepineros (“the cucumber growers”), Garitano has worked a succession of miracles these past few years. Promotion from the third tier to the second in his inaugural campaign at the helm; the club’s first-ever promotion to the top flight two years later; elite survival last term – and then this season’s remarkable 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu to knock Real Madrid out of the Spanish Cup. Leganes’ annual budget of €45million is the lowest in La Liga and the squad is essentially a superstar-free zone, but that has not prevented the 48-year-old from assembling a line-up which punches well above its weight. “Winning promotion to the second division was more important”…

Having spoken of his desire to work in England, the 44-year-old Mozambique-born boss was strongly linked with Everton not so long ago, only for his employers at Shakhtar to emphatically refuse to come to the negotiating table. In control since the summer of 2016, he has done a fine job with Shakhtar, setting the wheels in motion for a Ukraine league and cup double last term and their qualification for the last 16 of this term’s Champions League – a campaign in which they were especially impressive in their two games with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, when they were unlucky to lose 2-0 at the Etihad and won the return fixture 2-1. Resolute in defence and tactically disciplined, they even managed to outpass City. “They are one of the best…

The new boss of the Zebrette was a member of Italy’s World Cup winning squad in 2006, enjoyed a playing career as a highly regarded right-back for Napoli, Lazio and Milan, and is now considered one of the brightest football thinkers in the country. Oddo has only been in the Udinese hot seat for a few months – appointed in November after the under-performing Luigi Delneri was told to clear his desk – but what a difference he has made, winning seven of his first eight Serie A fixtures to lift the mood in the camp. It was his formidable drive and spirit which effectively took him to the top as a player and, not surprisingly, his Udinese side also boasts similar qualities. He was never one to be intimidated…

THREE THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MALCOM • He was named after his dad’s hero, African-American human rights activist Malcolm X. • Back in December 2014, Marseille were keen to sign him and even invited him to have a look around the club. Sadly for OM, they opted to pass on the teenager. • The former Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto played a key role in his move to France, advising Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol to snap him up. MALCOM Age 20 (26.02.97), winger, Bordeaux & Brazil In a sentence Valued in the €50-60million bracket, the game-changing winger could have been at Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur if the Bordeaux president, Stephane Martin, had not refused to let him go during January’s transfer window. What they say French TV commentator Yann Riou:…

ATLANTA UNITED COACH: Gerardo Martino (Arg) IN: Ezequiel Barco (Independiente, Arg), Franco Escobar (Newell’s Old Boys, Arg), Mitch Hildebrandt (Cincinnati), Jose Hernandez (Caracas, Ven), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Sal Zizzo (New York Red Bulls) OUT: Bobby Boswell (retired), Carlos Carmona (Colo-Colo, Chl) CHICAGO FIRE COACH: Veljko Paunovic (Ser) IN: Aleksandar Katai (Alaves, Spa), Rafael Ramos (Orlando City) OUT: David Accam (Philadelphia Union), Arturo Alvarez (Houston Dynamos), David Arshakyan (Vejle, Den), Jorge Bava (Liverpool, Uru), Matt Lampson (Minnesota United), Joao Meira (Lorca, Spa) COLORADO RAPIDS COACH: Anthony Hudson (Eng) IN: Johan Blomberg (AIK, Swe), Edgar Castillo (Monterrey, Mex), Kip Colvey (San Jose Earthquakes), Andrew Dykstra (Sporting Kansas City), Jack McBean (LA Galaxy), Jack Price (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Eng), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town, Eng), Danny Wilson (Rangers, Sco), Deklan Wynne (Vancouver Whitecaps) OUT:…

With Saudi Arabia and the UAE severing diplomatic, financial and travel ties with Qatar in June, the 2018 Asian Champions League was making headlines before it had even begun. With Qatari teams in each of the four West Asian groups – the 32 teams are split into two geographic regions until the Final – fixtures against Saudi and Emirati opposition was assured, and a request for neutral venues for such fixtures – which would have been contrary to competition rules and the spirit of the game – was rejected by the AFC in late January. With the politics out of the way, attention can at last turn to the football – and in particular the Chinese challenge. KEY DATES Group games started February 12 Group games end April 18 Round…