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During the Renaissance, England imported an assortment of Italian humanists in various disciplines and now are poised to do the same in soccer.
One by one
international foreign coaches are turning down the chance to manage England. It
really is bizarre to watch the bumbling and clueless FA (yeah, yeah we know the
birthplace of codified soccer) search for foreign managers. Oh how the sun has
set on this splendid island!
What does
this say about the quality of available English coaches?
Does anyone
have Eriksson’s number back in Sveeden? Questions: did Eriksson in fact have
England playing to their full potential? Are the expectations on the English
side simply unrealistic relative to the talent?
The latest
‘tactician extraordinaire’ to say, thanks but no thanks, not in a million
years’ is Jose Mourinho. Mourinho pulled himself out of the running after “deep
and serious thinking.” How deep and how serious was not revealed.
Regardless,
Mourinho is rumoured to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan.
That leaves
Jurgen Klinsmann, Martin O’Neill and a couple of Italian’s Fabio Capello and
Marcello Lippi. Each brings their own pros and cons to the table. The latter
two, though yet to be contacted by the FA, have emerged as the leading
contenders for the job.
Let’s speak
about Capello and Lippi.
The
self-promoting Capello has expressed keen interest in the job. He certainly has
mentioned enough times on Italian television how much he admires the English
game. At any moment, listening to him one gets the feeling that Capello can
inadvertently shout, “By George, I think he’s got it!” he’s so interested in
England.
Then again,
Capello’s international experience is non-existent but he was a champion with AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid.
For his
part, Lippi has more international experience as revealed in 2006. The way he
handled and managed the Azzurri was nothing short of brilliant. The team faced
a lot of adversity including the scandal, attempted suicide of Gianluca
Pessotto and an unsavoury depiction of Italians published in the popular German
magazine Der Spiegel. Through it all,
Lippi was a pillar of leadership as he kept his squad focused.
So, what
could England expect with Capello or Lippi?
For
starters, careful calibrated tactical soccer hinged on team work. Where Capello
is far more cemented in his strategies, Lippi is more adaptable and a skillful
motivator. The question is which fits
the English personality better? Which of the two would match English soccer
sensibilities best?
In Lippi,
players have to be prepared to play in many formations and styles. To anyone
who paid attention to Lippi at Juventus and the Italian national side would see
this clearly.
Capello is
a coach, like anyone in Italy, who makes decisions predicated on getting
results. Function comes before form. In other words, winning with style is not
necessary. In this way, he would demand, as would Lippi, that English players
pay careful attention to detail all over the pitch. For hockey fans among you,
Capello is a guy who could shut down a game using a trap if need be.
What about
their characters? Well, to begin, they are Italian. Let’s just say there’s a
never dull moment with them. Both are passionate and sophisticated on how they
approach the game. “Don” Capello is highly articulate, intelligent and with an outspokenness
that teeters on arrogance. “The Iceman” Lippi measures his words more, is calm,
cool and collected.
They share
intolerance for egos on any squad they control. Both are known to be combative
with the press. Given the tabloid obsessed British papers this may be a
problem. Then again, neither Capello or Lippi have a strong command of the
English language. This may serve as a buffer for a year or two as they
familiarize themselves in a new environment.
However, I
would give the edge to Lippi for one reason: he’s a motivator and this may fit
well with the English mentality. He tends to be less confrontational and has
more international experience. On the other hand, Capello’s enthusiasm for the
English game must not be discounted and his managerial style may find
supporters in England.
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