Four masterminds calling the shots
Four teams from three continents have made the cut into the semifinals of the ongoing World Cup. While the players have hogged the major share of the spotlight for their respective teams, the coaches still remain the key figures as the culmination of the Greatest Show on Earth draws near. Let us look into the four in charge of the semi-finalists:
Argentina – Lionel Scaloni
In his fourth year as Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni has transformed his side as hot-favourites leading up to the ongoing World Cup. But those aspirations soon took a hit with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening group-stage fixture, ending Albiceleste's 36-match unbeaten run.
But Scaloni, who led Argentina to their first major trophy in 28 years in the 2021 Copa America, managed to sidestep that setback and guided his team to a World Cup semifinal.
Player-turned-coach, Scaloni, played with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in the 2006 World Cup. As a coach this time around, the 44-year-old has had to bank on the seven-time Ballon d'Or to prove Argentina's title credentials. While Messi's individual brilliance inevitably came through, Scaloni's flexibility and willingness to change his shape and tactics in order to trump a shrewd Louis Van Gaal in the quarterfinals have to be appreciated.
Faced with another rigid, well-drilled system in the semifinal against Zlatko Dalic's Croatia, Scaloni will once again have to come up with the right answers to put down the 2018 runners-up.
Croatia – Zlatko Dalic
The World Cup's knockout stage is nothing new for Zlatko Dalic as the 56-year-old, just one year at the helm, had taken Croatia to the grand final of the Russia World Cup. Despite Croatia not being at their attacking best even after having one of the most accomplished midfielders in the tournaments, a dogged defence and a strong sense of resilience have helped Croatia overcome one obstacle after another on their path to the final four.
Dalic's men have already put down one South American giant in Brazil and will relish the prospect of being the party spoilers for Messi's Argentina.
While they have lacked the sort of fluidity that their line-up promises, Croatia opportunistically have managed to come alive in small phases in games and capitalised on opposition blunders. They have been hard to beat and now possess the added momentum of having the last laugh in games after consecutive wins in penalty shootouts, similar to last World Cup edition, on their way to the semifinals this time.
Morocco – Walid Regragui
The defending champions France will not be thrilled at facing Morocco, who turned in a performance in the quarter-finals that was equal parts streetwise and full of heart to end Cristiano Ronaldo's journey in Qatar and send him away in tears.
Morocco's progress at the World Cup has been built on fearless, no-nonsense defending and they arrive into the semis with the best defensive record, having conceded only once - an own goal against Canada in a group stage game that they still won 2-1.
With a dogged defence and an unending desire to keep opponents at bay, Walid Regragui have had the luxury of having the skill, guile, and pace of players – the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Amrabat, Hakim Ziyech, and Youssef En-Nesyri -- who have made a habit of making limited opportunities count.
The way that Regragui has martialled his troops to rally behind his hard-to-beat mentally has stood out. In his first year in charge, Regragui, who had to come in following the dismissal of Vahid Halilhodzic months before the World Cup, has truly made his mark on the global stage.
France – Didier Deschamps
In his 10th year in charge of France, very few would have a better grasp of winning World Cups than Didier Deschamps. The 54-year-old captained France to a World Cup win in 1998 and won the ultimate prize, this time as a coach, in 2018 in Russia.
With another final beckoning, Deschamps, who has guided France impeccably despite being hammered by injuries before the World Cup commenced, has fully managed to spurn the champion's curse as they appear frontrunners to win the coveted trophy.
His playing days saw him initiating offensive transitions as a defensive midfielder, displaying a superior work-rate, vision, and technique. It appears that he instilled every bit of his qualities while managing a team spoiled with a luxury of world-class players.