Time up for trio

What is the thread that unites Fabio Capello, Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal Apart from being prominent managers in football, which is the most obvious connection, the trio also suffer from delusions of grandeur. On the wrong side of 60, all the three are past their sell-by date but they don’t want to believe that it’s all over. Like a toothless tiger living off its past glories, these gentlemen are plodding on with the false hope that they are still among the best. Humble preys of the jungle are hardwired to believe in the predatory supremacy of a tiger but in the ruthless world of football a glorious past is no insurance against failures today. Gleaning trophies are only pleasant reminders of your powers yesterday. Those who don’t realise the importance of today are destined to see their pride hurt and reputation tarnished tomorrow. It’s one of the greatest tragedies of sports that many top people don’t know when to stop.

After a disastrous tenure as the manager of Russia, Capello may get ready soon to pounce on yet another hapless victim. Even though he is 69 years old, the Italian’s hunger to remain employed hasn’t diminished a bit. After making a terrible England even more terrible at the 2010 World Cup, Capello somehow managed to persuade the Russians into believing his aura. Finally, Russia have realised their folly. Capello was a fine club manager but he is not up to scratch at the helm of a national team.

Hiddink, also 69, is still revered in South Korea for inspiring the country to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup but the Dutchman is reviled back home for overseeing a diabolical campaign that culminated in Oranje’s failure to qualify for Euro 2016. The world’s second most popular international football tournament will have Albania and Iceland but not the Netherlands. Even though Hiddink was replaced towards the end of qualification he can’t shift culpability. The decision of Chelsea to rope in the Dutchman as a stop-gap arrangement after giving the boot to Jose Mourinho shouldn’t be construed as a seal of approval. Hiddink’s mandate is only to keep the seat warm for someone younger next season.

Van Gaal’s bluster of late is a clear indication that he is a spent force. The gruff Dutchman should have called it a day after taking the Netherlands to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2014 but he found the lure of managing the biggest club in the world too tempting. He is clearly not the tactician who won the Champions League with a youthful Ajax two decades ago. Despite burning money on new players, van Gaal hasn’t been able to get United up and running. Out of the Champions League and struggling to keep pace in the EPL title race, United aren’t the club Alex Ferguson had left behind a couple of seasons ago. Van Gaal must also realise that he is not Ferguson, one of the modern-day managers not to have been diminished by the ravages of time. Managerial excellence is also predicated on youthful energy in football these days just as success on the field.