waroffutbol

  Very few managers have a long break from the management before returning to the dugout at the top level.  Football manager is one of the most challenging jobs in the world, especially at the top level. One has to deal with perennial pressure from almost all directions: the team’s top management, sporting or technical director, the fans, and the star players in the squad too. All expect positive results and silverware, unless one is at the helm of the mid- or low-level teams. Once one fails and keeps on doing so, his future as a manager is likely coming to an end. Otherwise, he would have to take up the job abroad in less well-known leagues in Asia, Africa, or even Australia. Another option would be being unattached and waiting until the right opportunity arises. Unfortunately, such is not that easy. In fact, it could end up being a long break from the management with the risk of being overlooked, or worse, forgotten in the football transfer market. Nevertheless, there ...

  A few great countrymen trio who became the key figures in their team’s glorious campaign might be forgotten in today’s football. Modern football is probably no longer familiar with the ‘trio’ terms. Today football expects more equal contribution from all players within the team instead of relying on certain key players, as it would be more predictable for their opposition sides to simply contain or block their move to deny their chances and gain the advantage from their dependence on those star trios. The last well-known successful trios were probably Barcelona’s MSN and Real Madrid’s BBC. The former consisted of Lionel Messi , Luis Suarez, and Neymar. They became the deadly attacking trio from 2014 to 2017 under Luis Enrique. The Catalan side won treble in 2015, plus UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in the same year and a league title in 2016. Los Blancos’ Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo even won more silverware. They helped Madrid dominate Europe wit...

  Several English managers have been fairly successful while being at the helm of foreign teams in international football. English managers are not a popular choice to lead the teams at the international or club levels. Such is understandable since they are not even the dominant figures in the Premier League. In the 2024/25 season, only three gaffers are enlisted in the English top flight.  However, the appointment of Steve McLaren as Jamaican national team coach was quite a surprise at the beginning of this season. The former Middlesbrough and Newcastle United boss had been in the dugout as a head coach any longer since 2019. In 2022, he returned to Manchester United as Erik Ten Hag’s assistant. McLaren was also infamous for his failure to lead England to qualify for EURO 2008 rather than his success in winning the first league title for Twente. Yet, it did not stop Reggae Boyz from signing him. His target would be none but guiding them to their second World Cup appearan...

  Only a few Nordic clubs have had the best campaign in European competitions, and one of them was under the tutelage of the late Sven-Goran Eriksson. The departure of Sven-Goran Eriksson, one of the best Scandinavian managers in history, this week certainly marks the great loss in Nordic football. He was able to lift up the level of the Scandinavian club's reputation during his early managerial career in the 1980s, inspired by Bob Houghton, who introduced and instilled English football in the country in the 1970s. Unfortunately, there have not been any other Nordic clubs replicating such success ever since. In fact, no more teams from Northern Europe have been able to go through the further stages in any continental competitions but one side, FC Copenhagen, in the Europa League 2020. It is very likely that such a trend would continue unless they could stun the top sides in the newly formatted Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. It is a long shot, but there ...

  Sven Goran Eriksson, who has just departed recently, had Benfica as the only club he led twice in his managerial career. The world mourns as another former top manager has passed away in less than a week. After the departure of German gaffer Christoph Daum , now it is the turn of Sven Goran Eriksson, the former England manager during their so-called ‘golden generation’. He is always remembered as one of the best Nordic football managers in history. During his long managerial career, the Swede boss might have been more well-known in Italy and England, beside his own homeland, as he spent the longest tenure in the Italian top flight by taking charge of four teams: AS Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria , and Lazio. In his 16-year stay there, he managed to snatch one league title only, four Coppa Italia trophies, plus the Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup. Meanwhile, his time in England marked him as a centre of attention on and off the pitch, from his failure to guide England’s best squad...

  Christoph Daum, the German manager who recently passed away, had exceptional glory days at VfB Stuttgart in his notorious near-miss in his managerial career. The name Christoph Daum might not have been as famous as Otto Rehhagel or Ottmar Hizfield in German football back in the 1990s. The two Rehhagel were identical to Werder Bremen ’s success, while Hizfield was an integral part of Dortmund’s silverware in the decade. However, Daum had been equal to Rehhagel-Hizfield in terms of the Bundesliga title. He managed to lift the trophy in the 1991–92 season, toppling his two rivals and finishing ninth and second, respectively. It remained his only major silverware on the home soil. Yet, it did not stop DFB from targeting him to take the reins of the German national team after their devastating campaign in EURO 2000. Eventually, he did not get the job due to the cocaine controversy, which was proven following the rumour of his dark lifestyle rolled by the press. The former Bayern...

 A number of the first goalkeepers in their club had to wait for years to gain their spotlight after the main shot stopper’s retirement. Being the second fiddle on the national team for a goalkeeper is rather frustrating. One might have limited opportunities to hit the pitch in the major competition, especially when the first choice seems unstoppable. Such is even worse if the managers never consider rotating the men between the sticks. The second goalies have often been touted as the second best for far too long and would never have a chance to take the spot on the first team unless the first shot stopper hung his gloves. Such is what happens to Marc-Andre ter Stegen today. The Barcelona shot stopper has been regarded as good as Manuel Neuer for the Germany national team. Yet, Neuer always got the first nod in the line-up until the Bayern skipper himself finally decided to retire. Ter Stegen is expected to be the first choice in the upcoming major tournament, the 2026 FIFA Wo...