Most of the attention at Russia 2018 will be bestowed upon the superstars on the pitch—Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo being a few. However, managers play a crucial role in a team’s success, or potential failure. Here's a look at the men in the dugouts for some of the strong contenders at this World Cup.
Tite (Brazil)
When Brazil first recruited the shrewd ex-Corinthians boss Tite, they were in a dire state. After crashing out in the group stages of the Copa America and with many veteran stars like Thiago Silva and Marcelo pushed to the sideline by Dunga, Brazil were in a state of turmoil. Tite engineered a miraculous turnaround that has resulted in Brazil going to Russia 2018 as tournament favourites.
One of Tite’s greatest strengths is his man management which is exemplified by the fact that he has brought about a sense of unity within the Brazil squad that was sorely lacking in the past. Tite has also completely rejuvenated the Selecao’s defence. After the 7-1 debacle against Germany in the last World Cup, many thought that Brazil’s defence would never be able to recover from the blistering assault. However, under Tite’s rock solid 4-3-3 Brazil have conceded just 11 goals in their final 12 matches (to go along with 41 goals). Spearheaded by Neymar, this Brazilian squad still retains the swagger and flair of the Brazil we know and love, but now it is undermined by a sizeable chunk of pragmatism. This will be vital, should Brazil win their first World Cup in over a decade.
Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina)
After bringing a premature end to his time at Sevilla in order to coach an Argentina squad that was in complete disarray and in danger of not making the World Cup, Sampoli dragged them through the rest of the qualifiers, eventually qualifying by the skin of their teeth.
Despite their recent struggles, La Albiceleste still boast of an undoubtedly star studded attack, spearheaded by arguably the best player in world football, Lionel Messi. Sampaoli will hope that a revved up Messi, chasing the ghost of a certain Diego Maradona, will be firing on all cylinders to propel Argentina to greatness.
Despite their attacking prowess, Argentina have found goals hard to come by scoring only 19 in their qualifiers (the second lowest in the group). On top of this they have also capitulated defensively on numerous occasions, losing 6-1 to Spain and 4-2 to Nigeria. This could be the result of Sampaoli’s constant tinkering with their formation. He has been known to interchange between a 4-3-3, a 4-2-2 and most recently a 3-3-3-1. Should Argentina make a deep run, Sampaoli would have to find out his best 11 and stick to it. If Sampaoli can instil the thrilling, brave attacking philosophy of his old Chile sides into Argentina, they might just be able to make up for the heartbreak of Brazil 2014.
Joachim Low (Germany)
Defending champions Germany, led by their debonair manager Joachim Low, will go to Russia hoping to repeat their success in Brazil, something that has not been done since 1962. Low has moulded Germany into a well-oiled machine, capable of dismantling any opponent using a plethora of different approaches. Through a combination of skill, pace, athleticism and cunning, Germany are one of the most multi-dimensional teams in world football.
Die Mannschaft play a familiar 4-2-3-1 with a solid defensive spine that starts with their eccentric goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. They tend to dominate possession against most teams with a host of quality players pulling strings in their midfield. Thomas Müller, who has had great success in previous World Cups, will be a goal scoring threat along with Timo Werner. The only decision that might come back to haunt Low is the omission of explosive winger Leroy Sane from the squad. However, despite Sane’s club success, he has failed to replicate that with the national team.
Low is an idealist. His German teams tend to emphasise attacking free flowing football which can take even established teams by storm, as was proved against Brazil in 2014 and England in 2010.
Fernando Santos (Portugal)
After delivering the national team its first ever international trophy at the Euro 2016, Santos will be looking to translate that success on to football's biggest stage. Under Santos, Portugal have been a notoriously hard nut to crack with a granite-like back line consisting of veteran centre-backs Pepe and José Fonte. His teams usually play a lopsided 4-4-2 while pressing aggressively and attacking high. The focal point of Portugal’s attack will be their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Santos will try to get the most out of an ageing Ronaldo in what could possibly be his last World Cup. It should be noted that Ronaldo has a good working relationship with Santos, even going as far as picking him for the FIFA coach of the year over his Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.
However, the former Benfica coach should make sure that his team are not too over reliant on Ronaldo by making sure he gets the best out of his other stars like Andre Silva and Ricardo Quaresma, who have been known to be inconsistent in the past.
Julen Lopetegui (Spain)
Going to Russia with one of the most well rounded squads, consisting of experienced veterans and exciting young prospects alike, Julen Lopetegui’s Spain will be hoping to put the demons of Brazil 2014 to rest by going all the way at Russia 2018.
One of Lopetegui’s most pressing tasks will be to bridge the Real Madrid-Barcalona gap that will inevitably form in the dressing room. Without the presence of mutually respected legends like Xavi and Iker Casillas, disagreements could come up. Having played in the past for both clubs, Lopetegui’s experience in understanding both of the sides will be vital.
La Roja under Lopetegui play a possession-based 4-3-3, with their full backs bursting forward to create width while their creative attacking wide players will tuck inside and will be free to roam. However, if Spain want to make an extended run, Lopetegui will have to figure out a way to get striker Diego Costa to score, after omitting Morata from the squad. Also, the absence of any natural wingers will worry Lopetegui, especially when playing against teams that are content to sit deep and allow Spain possession.
Didier Deschamps (France)
Nicknamed “water carrier” by former French teammate Eric Cantona, Deschamps, who captained France in their historic 1998 World Cup victory, will look to repeat the task, this time with a French team oozing with young talent. Topping a difficult qualifying group, France, with their plethora of attacking options, will go into Russia 2018 as one of the favourites to win it. Deschamps, who uses a conventional 4-3-3 will have to navigate through many selection headaches as he tries to get the best out of their midfield stars. Deschamps will also need to find a way to get the most out of Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba, who has been, of late, underwhelming for Les Bleus. Another possible selection headache will be whether to start with Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, who is more of a traditional number 9, and offers a valuable aerial presence and hold up play that is seriously lacking in this squad. He could also nicely compliment Griezmann’s pace and trickery. On the flip side, Giroud slows down France’s quick pressing attack.
Leaving players such as Antony Martial and Adrien Rabiot may come back to haunt France. Deschamps must also provide some much needed leadership from the dugout to compensate for the lack of leadership on the pitch, considering the age of most of the starters.
Roberto Martinez (Belgium)
Dark horses Belgium might be the most interesting team to watch in Russia. With the key players of the so-called “Golden Generation” all in their primes, this might be the best chance Belgium have had in years, to win it all. This is why the appointment of failed Everton manager Roberto Martinez came as a huge surprise to the football world. However, after a rocky start, Belgium have found their stride, finishing unbeaten in their qualifying group, scoring 57 times along the way.
Martinez fields a slightly unusual 3-4-2-1 system in which wingbacks Carrasco and Meunier provide much of the width. A defensive-minded midfield allow their three star players, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku free rein to do as they please. Dynamic Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan is the one glaring omission from the squad. Despite being Belgium’s best box-to-box midfielder, he was surprisingly snubbed by Martinez in what could be a decision that comes back to haunt him.
Criticised for being merely a good group of individuals who don’t gel well as a team, Martinez’s most pressing concern will be to forge an identity for his team. Should he succeed, Belgium might just be one of the scariest teams not just in Russia, but for the foreseeable future.
Gareth Southgate (England)
Unlike his predecessors, Gareth Southgate will be going to the World Cup with almost zero expectations and minimal pressure. The British media, after being let down World Cup after World Cup have all but given up hope of England making any significant forays into the latter stages of the cup. Southgate, for his part, has slowly but surely steadied the ship, taking into consideration the mess he inherited from Alledyce.
With the last remnants of England’s “Golden Generation” gone, Southgate will be able to rebuild with a fresh slate. He also has the added benefit that many of his players have embraced a high pressing brand of football as a result of being coached by world class managers at the club level. Southgate will try his best to maximise output from his only truly world class player, Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker will have to be on his A game should England remain competitive against big teams.
However, the three-man defence that has been fielded by Southgate has been largely untested and could get exposed against a quality attack. The lack of creative passers in midfield should also be another cause for concern—omitting Jack Wilshire from the squad certainly did not help in that department.
Despite all this, there is a guarded optimism about this England team that nobody is willing to admit and should they top group G, a quarterfinal spot is not out of the question. Whether Southgate can lead them further, remains to be seen.