For his new book, How to win the World Cup, the writer Chris Evans spoke to bosses such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Carlos Alberto Parreira about their experiences
he pinnacle of the game. A job reserved only for the very best. That was how an international manager’s role was viewed for decades. Thewas where the globe’s top coaches would meet in the dugout, just as the best players were doing so on the pitch. While the growing importance of domestic leagues and the Champions League has curbed international football’s reputation in the 21st century, there remains a special enchantment to leading a national team to glory.
“International football is the opposite. It’s about a very intense period, after which you don’t share any emotions with the players, which does change the strength of relationships and the group – whether you win or lose, the players just leave. At that point it becomes about preparing for the next game by looking back, reassessing, and I enjoy that.”
“At a club, managers have the chance to control every aspect of match preparation, and, for those who like to run a tight ship, entering an environment where they’re on the outside looking in at players can be difficult. International bosses need to check themselves so not to become an impertinence to their players or club managers.”
Butcher was Robson’s captain when the two worked together at Ipswich, so the big centre-half was more familiar with the inner workings of the much-lovedboss than most. After long briefing sessions, players would ask him if this was what Robson was like at Ipswich and, while Butcher would joke the meetings were longer, he says there were some subtle differences to his manager’s approach at international level.
The impact of having such a strong figurehead at the top of the national team is powerful, as West Germany found when Franz Beckenbauer replaced Jupp Derwall in 1984 – a matter of months afterhad hung up his boots. Beckenbauer was one of the world’s biggest stars and appeared in two World Cup finals as a player, winning in 1974 after defeat to England in 1966.
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