World Cup: The Coach Crusher

A national team coach's tenure is, invariably, tied to a strong performance at the World Cup. The current edition and the recent memory of Qatar 2022 confirm that the tournament is unforgiving, with a significant number of coaches departing their posts.

Of the coaches who participated in the last World Cup, just over three and a half years ago, where Portugal was led by Fernando Santos, only five retained their positions heading into the current competition: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Didier Deschamps (France), Zlatko Dalic (Croatia), Murat Yakin (Switzerland), and Hajime Moriyasu (Japan). However, this number has already dwindled. Zlatko Dalic left the Croatian helm after their elimination in the round of 16, and Didier Deschamps announced he would step down from the French national team at the end of the tournament, concluding a 14-year cycle.

With Dalic's departure, the number of coaches who will not continue in their roles as a direct consequence of the tournament has risen to 13. This figure represents a 31 percent rate of dismissals or resignations, as was the case with Roberto Martínez for the Portuguese national team whose contract also expired, and this number is expected to increase by the end of the competition.

However, despite being significant, this number is lower than that recorded at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In that edition, which featured only 32 teams, the number of departures was identical (13), but the percentage was considerably higher, reaching 40.6 percent of coaching benches that saw a change in leadership, compared to the current 31%.

It's worth remembering that after the 2022 World Cup, the list of departures was extensive, although the line between dismissals and resignations is often blurred, with many ending their contracts by mutual agreement. Among those dismissed were: Luis Enrique (Spain), Czesław Michniewicz (Poland), and Carlos Queiroz (Iran). Meanwhile, Tite (Brazil), Roberto Martínez (Belgium), Otto Addo (Ghana), Paulo Bento (South Korea), Fernando Santos (Portugal), Louis Van Gaal (Netherlands), Félix Sánchez (Qatar), Diego Alonso (Uruguay), and Gustavo Alfaro (Ecuador) all resigned. Gerardo 'Tata' Martino (Mexico) saw his contract expire.

It is thus clear that the premier national team competition offers no quarter, and a coach's continuity hinges crucially on achieving set objectives. Cases like Luis Enrique or Hansi Flick, who found success with their clubs after leaving their respective national teams, demonstrate how a cycle can be defined by a handful of matches.