Euro 2024: Who will be the boss of bosses?
WHO'S THE BOSS: the top coaches vying for top position in Germany.
There’s a reason why France are favourites to lift the trophy in Germany and it’s because, over the period of 12 years, the hugely talented Deschamps has created one of the most consistent teams in world football.
As a player he was nicknamed ‘the water carrier’ for the way he steadily ran midfield, but he’s been far more than that as a coach, using his calm, thoughtful and diplomatic style to great effect.
He’s reached two World Cup Finals, winning of course in Russia against Croatia (which made him only the third man in history to win a World Cup as both player and manager) and then coming agonisingly close against Argentina in Qatar before losing on penalties.
He’s also lifted the Nations Cup and reached a Euro final, narrowly missing out in extra-time against Portugal in Paris in 2016.
What’s remarkable is that he has achieved all that at the age of 55, which in managerial terms gives him plenty of time to go (and his current contract runs until 2026).
Over the years he has been flexible with his tactics and with the current France team he switches between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann the key men.
There’s a willingness to give young players a chance, for instance Eduardo Camavinga in midfield, but the fact that he’s stuck with striker Olivier Giroud for so long also hints at loyalty to players who show consistency.
Giroud, who will bow out after this tournament, is France’s all-time top goalscorer, thanks to his own determination to keep on delivering but also because of Deschamps’ continued support. It’s a combination that, despite Giroud’s critics outside of France, has worked. Like just about everything Deschamps has done. You wouldn’t bet against him lifting another trophy in Berlin in July.
Like Deschamps, Southgate has enjoyed a long spell in charge of his national team, having been appointed back in 2016 when Sam Allardyce resigned just days into the role.
He was chosen because of his work with England’s Under 21 teams and his understanding of the talent pipeline, which has delivered him a string of pearls from Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold to Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham.
Southgate took England to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia in his first tournament and then to a final on home soil in Euro 2020, only to lose to Italy on penalties.
There was a quarter-final in Qatar, too, and the feeling now is that England have their best chance to end a trophy drought that goes back to 1966 when they arrive in Germany ranked fourth in the world (with only France and Belgium above them in Europe).
Southgate has already been awarded an OBE for his work in recuperating English football and has twice been BBC Sports Personality of the Year – and you suspect there will be a knighthood coming his way if he manages to lift the trophy in Berlin this summer.
The only question after that is: what next? At the age of 53 maybe it’s time to try his luck at club level. His only experience so far is with Middlesbrough.
We seem to be in the age of the young manager, so how about one who is only 36 winning the European Championship trophy?
Don’t rule it out, because although he may be young, Nagelsmann is certainly not inexperienced. He had retire from playing football at the age of just 20 due to a string of injuries, and has studied the art of coaching ever since.
He became the Bundesliga’s youngest ever coach when Hoffenheim appointed him at the age of just 28; and he’s gone on to manage RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and now Germany – making a mark on each.
Reportedly inspired by the ‘gegenpressing’ style of Ralf Rangnick, he has also added a willingness to mix a variety of tactics and formations – and good man management.
“Thirty per cent of coaching is tactics, 70 per cent social competence,” he once said.
In his first job he took Hoffenheim into Europe – becoming the youngest manager in the Champions League at 31 in 2018.
At Leipzig he reached a cup final and became the youngest ever to take his team into the semi-finals of the Champions League. Then there was a title-winning campaign in 2021-22 with Bayern.
Now it’s all about leading Germany to Euro 2024 glory on home soil. If he achieves it, Nagelsmann will be the youngest ever manager to win the European Championships – overtaking Jose Villalonga who won with Spain in 1964 aged 44 years and 192 days old.
What everybody loves about Roberto Martinez is his unswerving commitment to possession football and an entertaining playing style that has been a golden thread through his entire managerial career.
It started with Swansea City and continued unabated at Wigan (where the Spaniard once played), winning the FA Cup and seeing his team relegated in the same season. He did his best to integrate it at Everton, too, before taking Belgium to third place in the World Cup of 2018 (beating England in the third-fourth place play-off).
Whether that is enough, considering he was in charge of the most talented Belgian line-up of all time, remains an argument, but it was still the Red Devils’ best every finish in a major tournament and they remained firmly in the world’s top three throughout his tenure.
Now he has moved on to Portugal, another country with a history of beautiful football and beautiful players, but with an extra edge that brought the European Championship trophy in France in 2016.
He already looks very much at home, equally adept at spotting young talent or motivating (and handling) older ones.
Importantly, he’s getting the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo even though many thought the striker was already a fading influence at the World Cup in Qatar where he often sat sulking on the bench, “Cristiano is prepared to help and give everything,” a wily Martinez said shortly before the tournament. “And there is no other player in the world who can bring what he can to the dressing room”.
That’s man management in action.
Spalletti didn’t win Italy the trophy in England last time out, that was Roberto Mancini, but he is charged with defending it, and he’s highly rated.
The former midfielder was a lower league talent as a player, mostly playing in Serie C, but he’s definitely top drawer as a coach.
He took little Empoli to Serie A following successive promotion campaigns and delivered European football for Udinese before hitting the big time with Roma.
In two spells he won two Coppa Italia and later, following a successful period with Zenit St Petersburg in Russia, won Serie A for Napoli in 2023, a career highlight.
Napoli’s stunning performances that year earned him the Italy job as well as the Serie A Coach of the Year for the third time.
Now he hopes to bring that expertise to the Euros and find a way for Italy, who won against the odds last time out, to repeat the act.
Another young manager – he’s only 38 – whose star is burning bright.
Born in Italy but brought up in Germany, this might be a good time to combine those styles in the search for Euro 2024 glory.
He has already delivered silverware for Leipzig (a DFB Pokal) and taken Schalke to runners-up spot in the Bundesliga, but he was still a surprise – and bold - choice to replace Roberto Martinez with Belgium.
The Belgians are enjoying his attacking philosophy and his mantra of winning back the ball as quickly as possible when possession is lost.
So far it’s working. Belgium qualified comfortably for the Euros and arrive in Germany unbeaten in 14 games.
A former left back with Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla, the Spain coach is markedly different to the likes of Tedesco and Nagelsmann in that he’s 62 and has seen it all.
He’s managed five clubs as well as Spain’s Under 19s, Under 21s and Under 23s and has a strong belief in grassroots football and the quality of young players.
Across his career he has managed almost 400 games and comes to Euro 2024 looking to add to the Nations League trophy he won with Spain in 2023 and the European Championships he lifted with both the Under 19s and Under 21s.
There can’t be many people in the football world who don’t recognise Koeman, who had such an outstanding career as a defender, scoring 250 goals (and many of them from long distance) for the likes of Ajax, PSV and Barcelona – as well as the Nethelands of course. That makes him the top-scoring defender in world football.
As a player his trophies include four La Liga titles and a Champions League with Barcelona plus the European Championships with his country in 1988.
As a manager he’s won three Eredivisie titles in Holland, two with Ajax and one with PSV, as well as a Copa del Rey with Barca.
In comparison to the likes of Nagelsmann, Martienz and Tadesco he focuses as much on organisation and being well-disciplined as he does on all-out attack, but still adding Dutch flair in the final third.
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