With all the hype surrounding the players and fans in Euro 2016, it is hard to ignore the men pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The competition has witnessed some coaching masterclasses in the past month and Outside90’s Rahul Dantes takes a look at three of the top figureheads who played a key role in the success of their respective teams.
Chris Coleman
The former Welsh international has come a long way since battling relegation during his time managing Fulham. A few failed spells later saw Coleman being called up to the big stage to replace the late Gary Speed as manager of the Welsh national team.
Despite a shaky start, he has done wonders for the Dragons and has been a pivotal factor to Wales not only qualifying for the Euros, but also in guiding them to the semi-finals. Considering that it was their first ever European competition and their first major tournament since 1958, it is safe to say that the Coleman has done an outstanding job. His attitude, passion and tactical know-how make him one of the top managers on the international stage.
The future looks bright for Wales under Coleman, who recently signed a contract extension of two more years.
Antonio Conte
The fiery Italian is a proven tactical genius with extreme passion and a superb understanding of the game that allows him to get the best out of his players, wherever he goes. A proven leader, Conte has tasted more managerial success as his career progressed. A successful spell with Serie A giants Juventus saw the former Italian international win five trophies, including three back-to-back Scudetto titles. With the national side crumbling, Conte was appointed to steady the ship and he has done a fantastic job with an ageing set of players. Italy comfortably qualified at the top of their group to win a place in Euro 2016.
With the exclusions of many key players, not many expected Italy to even come of a group that contained Belgium, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. But Conte’s brilliant tactical ability led Italy to cruise into the knockout stages with a game to spare. Following that, Italy outplayed and knocked out defending champions Spain with rather ease, beating them 2-0 thanks to another coaching masterclass.
A disappointing defeat to Germany in the quarters on penalties should in no way undermine Italy’s highly successful campaign.
Fernando Santos
Santos guided Portugal to their first ever major tournament win against all odds after winning Euro 2016. He has welded together a team who have been excellent at digging out results in this competition. Not many believed that A Selecao would go on to claim European glory, but they certainly did and much credit must go to their manager – who knew exactly what it takes to win a game.
His side might have only led for 73 minutes in the entire tournament, not playing the most attractive football and winning just one of their games inside 90 minutes, but there is no doubt that they did not deserve it. Santos garnered an excellent team ethic, hard-work, dedication and passion from his squad in the entire run through.
The 61-year-old only joined the national team setup in late 2014 and has since done extremely well to build a squad that has the potential to be a formidable force in the coming years. He has established young names like Raphaël Guerreiro, João Mário, William Carvalho and Renato Sanches as important first team player, while also relying heavily on his experienced veterans.
It has been a struggle for Portugal right from their first kick-off to the final game against the hosts France. Santos knew his side had to dig out a win one final time and had to do so without their star player and captain – Cristiano Ronaldo for most of the game. But his men fought tooth and nail and while many may say that they only just scraped through, Santos can take pride in what he has achieved.
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