A World Cup title can make a coach a legend. A loss can put him out of a job.
That's life at soccer's top level.
Sven-Goran Eriksson,
coach of England.[filephoto] |
At this year's World Cup, there are several men looking for their place in
history, including Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Henri
Michel, Juergen Klinsmann, Marco van Basten and Oleh Blokhin.
Just about all the others will be hoping to achieve something special by
springing upsets at soccer's biggest event.
Scolari, the coach of Portugal, is looking to become the third coach to win
the World Cup twice, but the first to do it with two nations.
"I have a shot at that. Let's see how things go and whether I deserve it,"
said Scolari, who led his native Brazil to its fifth title in South Korea and
Japan four years ago.
Vittorio Pozzo and Vicente Italo Feola have also won two titles. Pozzo
coached Italy to titles in 1934 and '38, while Feola led Brazil to back-to-back
titles in 1958 and '62.
Portugal, which reached the final at the 2004 European Championship at home,
does have a chance to win its first world title. The team is led by Luis Figo,
Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco and Pauleta, and plays in a relatively easy group with
Mexico, Iran and Angola.
Hiddink has never won a World Cup, but he led the Netherlands to the
semifinals in 1998, and then took South Korea to the last four in 2002. The
Dutchman is now coaching Australia, a team few give a chance to make it out of a
group that includes Brazil, Croatia and Japan.
"We are happy to have qualified, but we are not here to make up the numbers,
and want to spring a surprise," Hiddink said hopefully.
Michel will try to equal Hiddink's past success by taking Ivory Coast to the
semifinals. The Frenchman reached the last four at the 1986 World Cup with
France.
But drawn into the toughest group along with Argentina, the Netherlands and
Serbia-Montenegro, Michel's job won't be easy despite the attacking talents of
Didier Drogba.
Klinsmann, Van Basten and Blokhin are trying to join the
ranks of former star players who have won the title as a coach. Mario Zagallo
and Franz Beckenbauer are the only men to have won the World Cup as players and
coaches.
