Didier Deschamps earned the seventh great honor of his coaching career after leading France to success in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Spain. Thus, the former AS Monaco, Juventus and Marseille coach denied Spanish Luis Enrique his ninth trophy as DT.
If we add to that the 11 great titles won by Italian Roberto Mancini – including the Euro 2020 title – and the fact that Roberto Martínez has kept Belgium at the top of the FIFA Ranking for the last three years (in addition to having won the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic in 2013), it is suggested that the 2021 Nations League finals featured some of the best coaches in the world, as well as the best players.
However, if we take a look at the bookmaker odds for Newcastle United’s next manager following the acquisition of the Saudi Arabian investment fund last week – Steve Bruce remains in office at St. James’ Park, for now- Martinez is the only one of the quartet to rank in the top 10, despite having the weakest résumé of the four.
The story is similar to Manchester United, where manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer maintains the support of the club’s owners, the Glazer family, but still struggles to convince others of his ability to turn the team into a winning team again.
Despite leading Barcelona to the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble in 2015, Luis Enrique is the least attractive bet to replace Solskjaer, while former United players Michael Carrick and Laurent Blanc- They outperform it at the bets. Just like Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe, and Ralph Hassenhuttl. Luis Enrique’s odds are 33-1. At 50-1, Deschamps is considered as likely as Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger to be Old Trafford’s next manager. Martinez is at 66/1, and there’s no price for former City manager Mancini.
Now, the bookmakers’ candidate lists should only be taken as a guide and not as a definitive assessment of the most likely appointments, but is nonetheless indicative of the tendency to hire club football coaches or those who they have lost their jobs recently, like Lampard at Chelsea and Howe, former Bournemouth manager.
It is not just a Premier League problem. In Spain, Italy, Germany and France, the major clubs tend to completely ignore international football when hiring a new manager. Since 2010, only three times has an elite club hired a coach directly from their role in international football.
United reached an agreement to sign Louis van Gaal in the weeks leading up to the 2014 World Cup semi-finals with the Netherlands team, while Julen Lopetegui lost his position as Spain coach just days before the start of the World Cup. 2018 after learning that he had agreed to sign with Real Madrid. Ronald Koeman remains at the helm of Barcelona after leaving his post in the Netherlands in August last year, but it would be an understatement to say that his reign at the Camp Nou is not going particularly well.
Lopetegui, meanwhile, was fired after just 14 games at the helm of Madrid, while Van Gaal lost his position at United after two seasons, despite winning the FA Cup in what was his last game.
If we go back another 10 years, there are still very few examples of international coaches hired by the best clubs. Luiz felipe Scolari left Portugal for Chelsea in July 2008 and was fired in February 2009, while Barcelona fired Van Gaal just six months after taking him from the Netherlands team in 2002.
The examples of Koeman, Van Gaal (twice), Lopetegui and Scolari may be the reason why the big clubs are reluctant to sign international managers.
A source told ESPN that there are two key reasons why sports directors or CEOs are reluctant to hire someone from international soccer; the first is the coach’s disconnection with the passing market and the knowledge of the representatives and world talent, and the second is the lack of intensity and the daily demands that an international coach has.
Both are valid factors to consider, but given that the most recognized coaches in club soccer – Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann – are all hired at the moment, there seems to be a shortage of emerging talent with the credentials and character necessary to lead the biggest clubs.
Certainly there are no candidates available in club soccer who can match the brands of Deschamps, Mancini, Luis Enrique and Martínez.
Deschamps won trophies for each of the clubs he managed before taking over for France in 2012, and even led a modest side from Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004.
The 52-year-old coach, the 2018 world champion, is divided and regarded as stubborn in terms of selection and tactics, but his ability to get the best out of Paul pogba wearing the France shirt highlights his ability to work with great talents.
Mancini has won league titles with Internazionale and Manchester City, as well as national cups with Fiorentina, Lazio and Galatasaray, and while his abrasive focus on City has made him fall out of favor with high-profile players, the club’s success over the past decade It was fueled by the 56-year-old’s impact on the Etihad.
Luis Enrique’s success in Barcelona now looks even more impressive considering the repeated failures of his successors at the Camp Nou, while Martínez has made Belgium one of the best teams in the world after proving his mettle in club football. .
Luis Enrique and Martínez will be high on the list for Barcelona if they part ways with Koeman by virtue of their connection to the club and the city – Martínez is Catalan, born 160 kilometers from Barcelona.
However, emotional connections should be negligible considerations. Luis Enrique and Martínez, like Deschamps and Mancini, should be judged on their trajectory.
And clubs considering where to look for their next coach should start paying more attention to the leading figures in international football.
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