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Asian Angle: Will The Sun Rise For Alberto Zaccheroni In Japan?
Goal.com's Chris Paraskevas looks at the challenges facing the one-time scudetto winner in Japan.
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Sep 9, 2010 4:18:00 AM
By Chris Paraskevas
It’s hardly a compliment to a manager when they are mentioned in the same breath as the Sven Goran Eriksson the Mexican national team had to suffer a couple of years ago; of the many personalities of the Swedish coach during what has been a colourful career, his bizarre move to the North American state arguably brought out the worst in what was arguably his most disastrous role.
Unfortunately for new Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni, the prevailing view from within his native Italy is that he could be headed for an Eriksson-esque disaster in Asia. This is a man, after all, who has forged his entire 27-year coaching career on Italy’s domestic scene.
“Most would probably consider his appointment for the Asian country a strange choice in the peninsula and not be surprised if it was a failure – similar to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s stint with Mexico,” says Goal.com’s Adam Scime.
Hardly encouraging words for Japan fans who, like most of the Japanese football media, seem unsure of what to expect from a man who’s managerial career had stagnated before he signed on as the caretaker of troubled Juventus last season.
Opinion is reportedly already divided on the 57 year-old, who some claim will bring a much-desired attacking philosophy to the team in the wake of his successor Takeshi Okada’s more conservative approach.
Others however worry that Zaccheroni is a manager of a bygone era and certainly his complete lack of success in the more recent years of his coaching career supports that argument.
Still a proponent of the 3-4-3 system that is the hallmark of his Serie A coaching career and which by the competition’s standards was at the time – and perhaps still is – rather unconventional, the former AC Milan manager has a reputation for stubbornness when it comes to his tactical approach to the game.
Downhill slope | Zaccheroni's career has stagnated
Indeed, it is a lack of flexibility and willingness to react to dips in form by his sides that appears to explain a prevailing trend: he has more often that not made bright starts after taking over at clubs before gradually seeing his influence dissipate.
“I would say he is very stubborn in sticking with the 3-4-3, even when the situation doesn’t warrant it – to the extent he could play members of the team in positions they are not comfortable with and it hinders their performance,” Scime continues.
“At times he has changed his 3-4-3 into a 3-4-1-2, but rarely is he more flexible than that.”
Fallen Star
Certainly Zaccheroni doesn’t command the respect as a tactician that he once did in Italy, where his legacy rests on a single piece of silverware: a scudetto with AC Milan during the 1998-99 season.
That the man from Meldola has won only one trophy despite having managed Italy’s big three in Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan doesn’t reflect favourably on his coaching abilities.
Though the state of the teams he took over - particularly at crisis-hit Juventus and to a lesser extent at Inter - weren’t conducive to any major success, spells at Lazio – where the low-point of his tenure was a humiliating 5-1 defeat to fierce rivals Roma – and Torino were particularly disappointing.
However, he enjoys an immediate advantage in his new role in that he will command respect from fans, analysts and even players simply for being a foreign manager.
Japan native Takeshi Okada was very much the exception to the rule that has prevailed over the past few years, during which Philippe Troussier, Brazilian legend Zico and Ivica Osim were consecutively appointed before him.
Okada never enjoyed the cult following that Osim did before him, regardless of how his achievements and tactical credentials compared, enduring a frosty relationship with the media. In an interview I conducted with him during his tenure as Australia manager, Pim Verbeek said Okada’s biggest problem was that he was Japanese.
Zaccheroni by contrast has already turned heads with his appointment.
“[The] Japanese tend to respect foreign coaches but it depend on whether [his team produces] good football or not,” says Goal.com Japan’s Takashi Sugiyama.
And whilst Sugiyama admits that “personality is important”, he touches on a crucial point: once the intrigue, confusion and surprise that has met the Italian’s appointment wears off, he will ultimately be judged on his accomplishments on the pitch.
Honda | How will he fit into a 3-4-3 system?
JFA president Junji Ogura has already set the Quarter Finals of Brazil 2014 as the objective, whilst demanding that an attacking philosophy be brought to a team that largely ground its way out of the group stages in South Africa on the back of a resilient back-line.
Making The Pieces Fit
Certainly Zaccheroni has the tools at his disposal to facilitate a transition to a more fluent style of play, with Japan’s current crop of players among the most technically gifted in Asia, often at their most impressive when producing a characteristic neat passing game.
The prevailing view is that attack will be the best form of defence for a team that should boast a number of Europe-based stars by the time Brazil rolls around, particularly after a number of individuals caught the attention of European suitors in June.
“That is what Japan need now even though we cannot see yet whether Zaccheroni has real attacking style or not.” Sugiyama continues.
“Okada's team was so defensive in South Africa; Okada had aimed to play offensively just before the tournament but failed and threw it away. Ironically, that’s why Japan succeeded.”
What will certainly be crucial during Zaccheroni’s reign is whether his 3-4-3 system is adapted to by Japan’s stars.
Immediately he’ll need to establish a three-man central defence and decide whether talisman central defensive pairing Tulio Tanaka and Yugi Nakazawa will be going to the World Cup in four years time given their age (29 and 32 respectively). It will be a fundamental change to the way Japan’s back-line operates regardless of personnel, so the players who make up Zaccheroni’s defence will need to learn fast and learn early.
In terms of wide men, full backs Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo look perfectly suited to line up on the flanks with their pace and energy, which leaves two central midfield positions to decide upon, with an abundance of technical quality and mobility available.
Which leads naturally to the question of what to do with prodigious talent Keisuke Honda, who operates best as a second striker but at a glance, doesn’t appear to fit into a 3-4-3 shape.
Zaccheroni will need to work out how best to utilize one of Asia’s best attacking players, while he’ll also need to find a striker suitable to lead the line, with Italy-based Takayuki Morimoto and goal-poacher Shinji Okazaki two options.
An Unknown Quantity
In theory the decision to appoint Zaccheroni seems to tick the important boxes for the JFA: bring in a relatively big foreign name to appease fans, media and players and ensure an attacking brand of football.
Fresh start | Japan: a totally new experience
Yet this is the same man who Goal.com’s resident Serie A guru Carlo Garganese once plainly described as a “disaster”, both before and in the midst of his forgettable spell with Juventus last season.
“With the plague engulfing Turin the Pied Piper’s latest tune, rather than drive away the rats, has instead attracted yet another one. The rat’s name? Alberto Zaccheroni,” Garganese penned when the formerly impressive Udinese manager was appointed by the Turin club.
Takashi Sugiyama meanwhile points out that he’s not too sure whether Zaccheroni was even the JFA’s first-choice, a salient point given they had failed in approaches for the likes of Manuel Pellegrini, Marcelo Bisela and Ernesto Valverde.
Ultimately, despite all of his years of experience the JFA have taken a huge risk in appointing an individual who is an unknown quantity: Zaccheroni has never coached outside of Italy and has never had a taste of international management, which is a world apart from its club equivalent.
Could it be though, that this is the change the ‘Zac’ needs to resurrect his career?
“I think he may suit international football more than a club at this point in time,” says Scime. “If the players get behind him he could quite be a success and obviously the JFA believe he has a viable plan for the national team.
“The day-to-day aspects seem to have Zaccheroni struggling over his last few jobs; perhaps as an international manager he will have less of that to deal with and be able to implement a successful system.”
For the moment the Sun has set on Zaccheroni’s coaching career in the west: Japan fans will be hoping it rises again in the East.
Unfortunately for new Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni, the prevailing view from within his native Italy is that he could be headed for an Eriksson-esque disaster in Asia. This is a man, after all, who has forged his entire 27-year coaching career on Italy’s domestic scene.
“Most would probably consider his appointment for the Asian country a strange choice in the peninsula and not be surprised if it was a failure – similar to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s stint with Mexico,” says Goal.com’s Adam Scime.
Hardly encouraging words for Japan fans who, like most of the Japanese football media, seem unsure of what to expect from a man who’s managerial career had stagnated before he signed on as the caretaker of troubled Juventus last season.
Opinion is reportedly already divided on the 57 year-old, who some claim will bring a much-desired attacking philosophy to the team in the wake of his successor Takeshi Okada’s more conservative approach.
Others however worry that Zaccheroni is a manager of a bygone era and certainly his complete lack of success in the more recent years of his coaching career supports that argument.
Still a proponent of the 3-4-3 system that is the hallmark of his Serie A coaching career and which by the competition’s standards was at the time – and perhaps still is – rather unconventional, the former AC Milan manager has a reputation for stubbornness when it comes to his tactical approach to the game.
Downhill slope | Zaccheroni's career has stagnated
Indeed, it is a lack of flexibility and willingness to react to dips in form by his sides that appears to explain a prevailing trend: he has more often that not made bright starts after taking over at clubs before gradually seeing his influence dissipate.
“I would say he is very stubborn in sticking with the 3-4-3, even when the situation doesn’t warrant it – to the extent he could play members of the team in positions they are not comfortable with and it hinders their performance,” Scime continues.
“At times he has changed his 3-4-3 into a 3-4-1-2, but rarely is he more flexible than that.”
Fallen Star
Certainly Zaccheroni doesn’t command the respect as a tactician that he once did in Italy, where his legacy rests on a single piece of silverware: a scudetto with AC Milan during the 1998-99 season.
That the man from Meldola has won only one trophy despite having managed Italy’s big three in Juventus, Internazionale and AC Milan doesn’t reflect favourably on his coaching abilities.
Though the state of the teams he took over - particularly at crisis-hit Juventus and to a lesser extent at Inter - weren’t conducive to any major success, spells at Lazio – where the low-point of his tenure was a humiliating 5-1 defeat to fierce rivals Roma – and Torino were particularly disappointing.
However, he enjoys an immediate advantage in his new role in that he will command respect from fans, analysts and even players simply for being a foreign manager.
Japan native Takeshi Okada was very much the exception to the rule that has prevailed over the past few years, during which Philippe Troussier, Brazilian legend Zico and Ivica Osim were consecutively appointed before him.
Okada never enjoyed the cult following that Osim did before him, regardless of how his achievements and tactical credentials compared, enduring a frosty relationship with the media. In an interview I conducted with him during his tenure as Australia manager, Pim Verbeek said Okada’s biggest problem was that he was Japanese.
Zaccheroni by contrast has already turned heads with his appointment.
“[The] Japanese tend to respect foreign coaches but it depend on whether [his team produces] good football or not,” says Goal.com Japan’s Takashi Sugiyama.
And whilst Sugiyama admits that “personality is important”, he touches on a crucial point: once the intrigue, confusion and surprise that has met the Italian’s appointment wears off, he will ultimately be judged on his accomplishments on the pitch.
Honda | How will he fit into a 3-4-3 system?
JFA president Junji Ogura has already set the Quarter Finals of Brazil 2014 as the objective, whilst demanding that an attacking philosophy be brought to a team that largely ground its way out of the group stages in South Africa on the back of a resilient back-line.
Making The Pieces Fit
Certainly Zaccheroni has the tools at his disposal to facilitate a transition to a more fluent style of play, with Japan’s current crop of players among the most technically gifted in Asia, often at their most impressive when producing a characteristic neat passing game.
The prevailing view is that attack will be the best form of defence for a team that should boast a number of Europe-based stars by the time Brazil rolls around, particularly after a number of individuals caught the attention of European suitors in June.
“That is what Japan need now even though we cannot see yet whether Zaccheroni has real attacking style or not.” Sugiyama continues.
“Okada's team was so defensive in South Africa; Okada had aimed to play offensively just before the tournament but failed and threw it away. Ironically, that’s why Japan succeeded.”
What will certainly be crucial during Zaccheroni’s reign is whether his 3-4-3 system is adapted to by Japan’s stars.
Immediately he’ll need to establish a three-man central defence and decide whether talisman central defensive pairing Tulio Tanaka and Yugi Nakazawa will be going to the World Cup in four years time given their age (29 and 32 respectively). It will be a fundamental change to the way Japan’s back-line operates regardless of personnel, so the players who make up Zaccheroni’s defence will need to learn fast and learn early.
In terms of wide men, full backs Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo look perfectly suited to line up on the flanks with their pace and energy, which leaves two central midfield positions to decide upon, with an abundance of technical quality and mobility available.
Which leads naturally to the question of what to do with prodigious talent Keisuke Honda, who operates best as a second striker but at a glance, doesn’t appear to fit into a 3-4-3 shape.
Zaccheroni will need to work out how best to utilize one of Asia’s best attacking players, while he’ll also need to find a striker suitable to lead the line, with Italy-based Takayuki Morimoto and goal-poacher Shinji Okazaki two options.
An Unknown Quantity
In theory the decision to appoint Zaccheroni seems to tick the important boxes for the JFA: bring in a relatively big foreign name to appease fans, media and players and ensure an attacking brand of football.
Fresh start | Japan: a totally new experience
Yet this is the same man who Goal.com’s resident Serie A guru Carlo Garganese once plainly described as a “disaster”, both before and in the midst of his forgettable spell with Juventus last season.
“With the plague engulfing Turin the Pied Piper’s latest tune, rather than drive away the rats, has instead attracted yet another one. The rat’s name? Alberto Zaccheroni,” Garganese penned when the formerly impressive Udinese manager was appointed by the Turin club.
Takashi Sugiyama meanwhile points out that he’s not too sure whether Zaccheroni was even the JFA’s first-choice, a salient point given they had failed in approaches for the likes of Manuel Pellegrini, Marcelo Bisela and Ernesto Valverde.
Ultimately, despite all of his years of experience the JFA have taken a huge risk in appointing an individual who is an unknown quantity: Zaccheroni has never coached outside of Italy and has never had a taste of international management, which is a world apart from its club equivalent.
Could it be though, that this is the change the ‘Zac’ needs to resurrect his career?
“I think he may suit international football more than a club at this point in time,” says Scime. “If the players get behind him he could quite be a success and obviously the JFA believe he has a viable plan for the national team.
“The day-to-day aspects seem to have Zaccheroni struggling over his last few jobs; perhaps as an international manager he will have less of that to deal with and be able to implement a successful system.”
For the moment the Sun has set on Zaccheroni’s coaching career in the west: Japan fans will be hoping it rises again in the East.
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
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