Almost 30 years ago, Arsenal’s appointment of Arsene Wenger, then coach of Nagoya Grampus, drew attention in the football world. Few people outside France had heard of the manager, and even fewer had heard of the club he left to sign. up for the gunners.
It was controversial; A coach was plucked from Asia and now entrusted with one of the biggest clubs in the world. The Evening Standard even went so far as to ask “Arsene who?” on a sign to greet his arrival. Well, the “Who?” He ended up being a character who would produce one of the greatest successes in the history of English football with 3 Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, a season with the Invincibles and an indelible mark on the game. But while that move reshaped Wenger’s reputation, that of Asian football remained largely unchanged. That was in the 1990s. Today, despite everything, things are beginning to change.
The Asian Football Confederation, once considered just a block offering looks and marketing opportunities, is becoming a hotbed of skill on and off the field. Over the past few decades, many European clubs have established strategic partnerships with Asian clubs to expand their number of players and coaches. In particular, City Football Group (the conglomerate that owns Manchester City) has made significant strides in the Asian market with investments in Mumbai City, Melbourne City, Yokohama F. Marinos and Shenzhen Peng City.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Angel Postecoglou can be considered one of the City Football Group’s stories of good fortune. The Australian spent almost 4 years in Yokohama and in 2019 won his first J1 League title in 15 years at the club. While his next appointment at Celtic was greeted with scepticism similar to that of a generation past, his good fortune in Scotland, followed by a spell at Spurs, has only bolstered his reputation while boosting credibility in Asia.
And then there is the Saudi Pro League. La state-backed investment, on a scale rarely seen before, has boosted Saudi Arabia’s four groups and led to an influx of talent into the western part of Asia, both in the area and on the touchline.
In a global football where it is difficult for the elite to gain an advantage, any past fortune achieved in Asia is seen through prying (and greedy) eyes in Europe. Here, ESPN takes a look at seven coaches who have made a decision for themselves. within the Asian Football Confederation, what makes them so wonderful and where they could happen next.
Style of play: Given his playing career as a goal-scoring striker, it’s no surprise that Crespo likes to give his groups an attacking approach. Almost uncommon in fashionable football, the Argentine shone in Al Ain opting for the classic game on the wings, to advance at high speed with two attackers in attack.
The greatest feat to date: taking Defensa y Justicia, which is not one of the most prominent names in Argentine football, to a first continental name in the Copa Sudamericana, Crespo’s first genuine pen. A name from the Brazilian league would stick with São Paulo, but arguably his most notable success so far came earlier this year, when he led Al Ain to Asian Champions League glory.
Clubs/related clubs that would be suitable: For coaches looking to take their first step into Europe, former clubs are a viable starting point, however, despite Crespo’s illustrious career in the game, he is unlikely to rise directly to the top positions. at Chelsea, Internazionale or AC Milan. La Lazio would have been a suitable destination, especially as they were looking for a new manager after a disappointing campaign in Serie A, but have since appointed Marco Baroni. If Parma, which returns to Italy’s top flight this season, were to need a change of coach, this could be the ideal destination, as it is the club where Crespo first called as a player in Europe, and also where he graduated. First task as a youth coach.
Although he has been a coach for a decade, Crespo has patiently waited for his breakthrough in Europe and has not been afraid to improve his craft anywhere in the world. He has developed his own offensive football logo and his record of title wins is honourable, with successes at his last four clubs, plus a domestic treble in Qatar with Al Duhail.
But it was in Al Ain where his vision really came to the fore. The UAE Pro League team had a very good run to win the Asian Champions League in May, they are not among the favorites in a festival that is increasingly anticipated. governed through the deep-pocketed Saudi giants of the Pro League.
On their way to the final, Al Ain beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr by the fall in the quarter-finals and then memorably shocked Al Hilal (Neymar, but still with Rúben Neves, Malcolm and Kalidou Koulibaly) in the semi-finals. brilliant first leg that allowed them to go 3-0 in the first 38 minutes.
Under Crespo, Al Ain’s players have an obviously spelled out design with players like Park Yong-Woo and Yahia Nader content to accomplish the task with minimal effort. It gives others like Kaku, Matías Palacios and Soufiane Rahimi – winner of the Asian Champions League MVP award – the freedom to express themselves.
From the celebrations that followed their Champions League success, it’s clear that Crespo has a knack for building relationships with his players, and he’s also treated the media well after appreciating the prestige they’ve been bestowed on in the campaign. –Gabriel Tan
Style of play: Muscat, former assistant to Postecoglou and his successor at Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F Marinos, also deploys an attacking style. His Shanghai team is the top-ranked team in the Chinese Super League this season and leads the festival in expected goals, xG difference, possession, shots and goals scored.
Biggest to date: Muscat led Yokohama to the J1 League crown in 2022 and finished second in his other two seasons in charge. He also won the name and premiership twice in the Melbourne Victory.
Linked clubs/clubs that would fit: Muscat has been linked with returns to two of his former clubs, Rangers and Millwall, which would seem fitting given what he’s achieved as a familiar face at Victory. However, his recent rise has been in the news about Feyenoord’s role was released when Arne Slot left for Liverpool.
When it comes to the former Australian foreigner – especially for those unfamiliar with his good luck in the Asian aspect – it can be tricky to separate Muscat, the coach, from Muscat, the player. That’s understandable, given that he named through Spanish outlet El Gol Digital as “the dirtiest football player of all time” in 2013, and described him in a podcast via the former England striker and Liverpool’s Peter Crouch as “the only player who ever scared him. “‘.
But since taking over as coach after a 21-year career in the game, Muscat has established himself as a rising star; winning trophies in the Men’s A-League and J1 League, and looking to add Chinese honors to his growing trophy cabinet. Yes, his only past European coaching experience was an unfortunate stint at Belgian team Sint-Truidense after their winning exit in 2019. But since he was able to temporarily recover and achieve good luck in Japan (arguably the most productive league in Asia ), this illustrates a coach who has continued to evolve and expand despite setbacks.
Inevitably, questions have been raised about whether he follows in Postecoglou’s footsteps, given that he replaced the Spurs boss at Yokohama and Victory. This, however, is countered by his more productive years at the end of his tenure and how both clubs experienced a sharp drop in their fortunes after his departure, suggesting that it wasn’t just about leaving the lights on after taking office. through Postecoglou.
Although moving to Shanghai after leaving Yokohama wasn’t the most exciting thing, his early good fortune in China’s largest city kept Muscat in the race to move to Europe. However, his good fortunes in Victory, Yokohama and Shanghai, combined with his struggles in Belgium, indicated to him that, at least initially, he would be better off joining a club that was already in a position where he was now amply prepared to win. -Joey Lynch
Style of play: At the height of Kawasaki Frontale’s dominance in the J1 League, Oniki trained them perfectly in their 4-3-3 formula, which involved an expansive style of play that regularly used the width of the pitch in the final phase of the attack. . . By regularly introducing the team to academy graduates once established names have evolved, Oniki is a company that believes in roles rather than reputation.
Best to date: With four titles in five years, from 2017 to 2021, Oniki presided over the most dominant era ever seen in J1 League history. The 50-year-old’s top 10 trophies – the last of which was a previous Super Cup this year – have also seen him overtake Oswaldo de Oliveira as the most successful coach in Japanese football of all time.
Linked clubs/clubs that would be suitable: No Japanese – or Asian, for that matter – has ever controlled a top-level European team, which is curious considering the number of players who have been successful. The most realistic option for Oniki would be Sint-Truidense of the Belgian Pro League, which has Japanese owners and has made a habit of recruiting players from the country. Otherwise, it is more credible that Oniki’s next big replacement is a conceivable successor to Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu. .
Oniki may be an unknown call for many, but its trajectory speaks for itself.
After leading Frontale to a first name in 2017 in one of the most competitive leagues in football, he won 3 more crowns at a time when there was no shortage of strong opponents. Despite all the plaudits, Tottenham manager Postecoglou won his time in Yokohama, the fact that he won one J1 League crown compared to Oniki’s two in 3 years suggests that the latter has not achieved as much popularity as it deserves.
The Chiba venue also has a perfect track record when it comes to recruiting young talent, with Europe-based Japanese stars Kaoru Mitoma, Reo Hatate and Ao Tanaka making their big fortunes with it. Still, the historic lack of European opportunities for Asian coaches, whether out of subconscious dislike or naturally, may simply mean that the 50-year-old Oniki’s chance has passed.
Since his last name in the league in 2021, Frontale has been left out a bit: he lost two problems to a Muscat-coached Marinos team in 2022 before dropping to eighth last year. Their struggles have worsened this season, with the club sitting 14th in the table and only 4 points above the relegation zone. Oniki, however, has a lot of credits due to his past and in Japan his inventory is still high. –Tan
Style of play: It’s simple: Buckingham teams break scoring records. The 54 goals scored by Mumbai City in their 2022-23 campaign under his leadership remain the most in a single season of the Indian Super League. Oxford United scored 79 goals in his first season in charge; last year, they had only achieved it in 49.
The most important to date: securing Oxford’s promotion to the championship last season.
Related clubs/clubs that would be suitable: Buckingham’s recent good fortune with Oxford, coupled with his exciting taste in football, may make him a suitable candidate for a host of mid-table championship clubs. Swansea City, with its history of employing young coaches who play a proprietary game (Graham Potter, Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez), seems like the ideal solution.
Buckingham has a habit of breaking barriers wherever he goes. The Englishman is the youngest coach in A-League history when he took charge of Wellington Phoenix at the age of 31, before leading New Zealand to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Under-20 World Cup. , the furthest the country has gone in any FIFA. . men’s event.
Signed through Mumbai City in 2021, Buckingham broke a further 17 Indian Super League records to reach the League Shield in 2023. Under him, Mumbai became the first Indian team in history to win an Asian Champions League .
Buckingham returned to Oxford United, the club he played for and where he began his coaching career, in December 2023 and guided the U to the championship after 25 years. Oxford’s rise was secured with their first win in the English Football League playoff final. Considering their return to the championship celebrated with a parade of open-top buses through the city, Buckingham understands the price of results. But that’s not how he measures success.
“Sometimes you have to be cautious in the way you train, especially when you’re betting against bigger teams,” Buckingham told ESPN. “I need to be a coach who builds a framework around a team that allows players to show up and express themselves as Americans [and] get the most productive out of each other collectively, have enough confidence and the courage to do so.
“We communicate about our identity and our taste for the game. If we lose, we will lose betting on our taste for football. But if we win, we know how we win,” he said of the mentality he instilled in New York, Zealand and Mumbai. .
This philosophy has carried over to Oxford, as have other classes learned from his time outside England. For example, she spoke about employing elements of Māori practices she learned in New Zealand to help build relationships and accept them as true within the country. team.
“Working abroad made me realize that there are many other work tactics out there,” he said. “But if you take the time to notice the differences between those environments: what’s important, how do things work, and how can I bring in as productive as possible?That has been the most productive way for me to work, to achieve the most productive. “and you’ll probably go through a lot more than you could go through alone. ” – Shibi Arun.
Style of play: Jackson, a former Scunthorpe United defenseman, did more with less in the low-budget Mariners, winning with a roster made up largely of academy players, turnaround projects and signings at reduced prices. Jackson plays with determination and brave taste in possession, while remaining direct and pragmatic.
Biggest achievement to date: Last season, the 46-year-old led the Mariners to a historic treble by winning the A-League first division, the A-League championship and the AFC Cup, the first club in Australia’s history to achieve this.
Linked clubs/clubs that would be a good fit: Jackson’s recent past fortune with the Mariners goes on to somewhat alleviate any consideration potential suitors may have had after his brief stint with MK Dons ended in relegation. The Mariners have been hit by a new wave of departures this offseason and the microscope will be on Jackson to see if he can keep them on the right track, but if he passes that test, it’s almost inevitable that additional opportunities to return to England will arise. Whether it’s in League One or the Championship. As rare as it may seem at those levels, the integration process he wants at Gosford before his team comes to life would show Jackson’s benefits at a process-driven club that arguably wouldn’t have knee-jerk reactions.
Jackson seemed to be hiding from nothing when he replaced Nick just weeks before the start of the 2023-24 Men’s A-League season.
The Mariners had disappointed Melbourne City 6-1 in last season’s Grand Final against the champions of Australia, but the chilling reality of running a small-market, low-budget club had really hit them; Several members of the team, as well as the coach who organized this unlikely success, have left the club. Mariners enthusiasts suspect Jackson himself is an outsider who doesn’t enjoy Australian regulation football, a festival that takes place in the summer, has a salary cap and a host of other quirks that impose a period of adjustment. And when the season started with 4 straight losses, with the Mariners outscored 9-2 in that stretch, things looked pretty bleak.
But then, starting with a victory over the Newcastle Jets, the Mariners’ rivals in the F3 Derthrough, the victories began to come. And they barely stopped. In the league and on the continent, Jackson and his team would only lose twice more. either Sydney FC, and avenge their defeats by eliminating the Sky Blues in the league semi-finals. The AFC Cup crown was secured with a 1-0 victory over Lebanese side Al Ahed, a premiership plaque awarded to the team that finishes top of the A-League standings at the end of the 27 regular season. games, shortly after, and then a title after a 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory in the 2023-24 Grand Final. The club with the smallest team budget in the league have become the first Australian team in history to achieve a treble.
Aware of the strong framework in place, Jackson and his assistant Danny Schofield did not try to reinvent the wheel when they arrived at Gosford, but instead built on what already existed and adapted it to the remaining players and new additions brought to the club. . Array Young players such as Max Balard and Harrison Steele grew stronger and helped lead the club’s midfield, while Josh Nisbet benefited from greater offensive diversity and responded by fitting in a medalist Johnny Warren (the A-League MVP). and gaining its first internationalization abroad. . -Lynch
Style of play: Having risen through the ranks of the Red Bull football group, it’s no surprise that Jaissle is a representative of the higher-pressing game and prefers a 4-2-3-1 system. The German needs his team to recover the ball as temporarily and quickly as possible by suffocating the opponent with force and, when it is his turn to attack, they occasionally do it vertically.
Biggest achievement to date: Replacing Jesse Marsch at RB Salzburg was going to be a tricky task, but Jaissle did not disappoint and won back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles as well as an Austria Cup. However, given that Salzburg have absolutely dominated the domestic scene lately, it is perhaps the club’s first appearance in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 that Jaissle can be proud of.
Linked clubs/clubs that would be suitable: Jaissle joined Al Ahli last summer with a hefty salary, so he is unlikely to leave in the near future, he is destined to find his way back to Europe. Jaissle has spent his entire life his brief playing career at Hoffenheim and they are used to relying on relatively unproven coaches, especially Julian Nagelsmann, while his spell at Red Bull surely means that his Bundesliga teammate RB Leipzig will help them keep up. .
Jaissle is part of a growing trend of coaches, such as Thomas Tuchel and Nagelsmann, who are making their mark despite a lack of experience in the top-level game, despite having made at least 30 appearances in Hoffenheim’s first Bundesliga campaign.
The fact that the 36-year-old has already won trophies bodes well for his prospects, but he has arguably yet to show his true talent after leading a Salzburg team that won eight consecutive Austrian Bundesliga titles before his appointment. He now has the possibility of doing so in, at least on paper, a much more open party with Al Ahli, one of the 4 powers of the Saudi Pro League.
However, recent history suggests that the Saudi league is not as competitive given Al Hilal’s recent dominance. The Riyadh-based side have won four of the last five titles, lately a maximum of 14 times behind nearest rivals Al Nassr, while Al Ahli finished third. however, 31 outdated numbers. With stars like Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessié and Edouard Mendy already at their disposal, a new season may bring even more stellar names that Jaissle will hopefully bridge the gap between his team and Al Hilal.
If that happens, there will also be more tension to bring Al-Malaki to its first name in the league since 2018, which may affect its position as a valid candidate for any vacant spot in Europe.
Style of play: Kratky’s philosophy of play means that his team has two things: a lot of the ball and a lot of fun. The Czech Republic-born coach has a history of youth progression and, having risen through the ranks of City Football The group follows a possession-based style of play, favouring the 4-3-3 system.
Biggest to date: winning the Indian Super League with Mumbai City in his first full-time head coaching role.
Linked clubs/clubs that would be suitable: Continued good luck with Mumbai City may see Kratky sign up for some other club in City Football Group’s portfolio. Palermo in Serie B may emerge as an option, while outside Europe, Melbourne City and New York City FC are imaginable long-term destinations.
Kratky began his career at Melbourne City’s academy before becoming an assistant coach in the senior men’s team. After successive league titles in 2022 and 2023, he succeeded Buckingham at City Football Group’s Indian outfield, Mumbai City, in December 2023. It is his first full-time head coaching position and within five months, he had led the club in the Indian Super League.
Kratky’s ability lies in his ability to adapt. He was transparent about the football logo he wanted to implement when he arrived in Mumbai, but he took the time to understand his players and mold his taste around their strengths.
“I know a lot of coaches who come in and say this is my way, no other. And they don’t respect the culture and unfortunately it didn’t work for them,” he told ESPN. “You have to adapt and what I mean by adapt is not to go backwards in your standards, it’s just about how you apply them. “
To that end, Kratky began learning Hindi to bond with his players and team. A striking feature of Mumbai’s name triumph is the way it was built around young domestic talent. Player progression is one of Kratky’s greatest strengths. During his time in Melbourne, he oversaw the progression of several existing Socceroos, adding Aiden O’Neill and Marco Tilio. Kratky speaks to the ‘young souls’ of the Mumbai team on a daily basis about how they can break into the first team and, more importantly, stay there.
“I would like to create an environment in Mumbai where we can create a bridge between the academy and the first team, which is very important to me, so that I don’t have to look for young talent elsewhere,” he said. Be patient to achieve this, and don’t be too reactive when something doesn’t work right away. Sometimes you have to give [players] time and space to grow. “-Arun