Gareth Southgate vs. Zlatko Dalic: Common man and anonymous

No one knows or appreciates Gareth Southgate and Zlatko Dalic. But from the darkness, they came out, came to Russia and occupied the central stage. Hard to believe but true, these two ordinary and anonymous will encounter each other in a World Cup semi-final.
Gareth Southgate vs. Zlatko Dalic: Common man and anonymous
World Cup 2018 schedule

Two unwanted options
"Oh yeah! My father was fired! "

It was a October day nine years ago and Gareth Southgate experienced the darkest hour of his career. His son, Flynn, was just a kid at the time. And it thinks that being fired is something to be proud of. But with Southgate only the worst, even worse than the moment he kicked the penalty in the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup. The outcome was quite predictable a few months ago, under his direction. , M'brough fell to the Championship (First Division).

Unemployment, Southgate became BLV football. It is not until 2013 that Flynn is screaming, "My father has a new job." Back in the coaching room, he led the England Under-21 team. At the 2015 U21 European Cup, Southgate's side were eliminated from the group stage after a win, two defeats. Despite winning the 2016 Toulon Cup, it is only a friendly match and not part of the FIFA tournament system.

With such a record, it was hard to believe that Southgate was awarded the Gold Medal by the FA. Actually, this is a very difficult decision, because after the dismissal of Sam Allardyce, they can not find a suitable replacement. In the four matches, Southgate's three masters are not bad, win 2 and draw 2.

Zlatko Dalic on Croatia is no better. At the same time as the legendary 1998 season, Dalic was never called up to the national team. Turning to training for 15 years, almost no one knows Dalic, except Saudi Arabia and the UAE for seven years he practiced there. So far, many people still wonder why Dalic was appointed coach of Croatia. The answer is that, similarly to the FA, the Croatian Football Federation has no candidate to clean up the mess that Ante Cacic left.

Words are unwilling options, Southgate (left) and Dalic are becoming the hope of England with Croatia
Words are unwilling options, Southgate (left) and Dalic are becoming the hope of England with Croatia

Unsuspecting options, few people trust Southgate as well as Dalic. Yet they still remain in the World Cup so far, and then face each other in a semi-final, which is at the threshold of glory.

The secret of success
The World Cup is no shortage of brilliant strategies. So Joachim Loew, Didier Deschamps, Tite, Fernando Santos, Jose Pekerman or Jorge Sampaoli, Southgate and Dalic were too small. They can not even compare to Australia's Bert van Marwijk, Iran's Carlos Queiroz or Egypt's Hector Cuper, both in terms of experience and reputation.

But because Southgate and Dalic are underestimated and under pressure to succeed at all costs, both have the capacity to work their full potential. They go out of style, dare risky, ready to engage in the challenge. Under Southgate, the Three Kings became the most admired version of the land of fog in recent years. They are full of bravery, have a clear plan and create exciting performances.


Similarly Dalic, who is not afraid of the wrong and knows how to correct it. As with the Russian game, Dalic's initial approach made Croatia unstable for most of the time. But with the introduction of Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric was immediately liberated and Croatia resurrected strongly.

Now, Southgate has become a favorite in Britain and his son can be proud that my father is the hero of the UK. Dalic has also received many congratulatory messages, from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Croatia. The things they have done are beyond expectations and so extraordinary, that coaches like Santos, Tite, Sampaoli or Loew are jealous.

And both will step out to Luzhniki tonight to shine again, at the same time prove at the World Cup, the opportunity is always for all. Whether you are mediocre or anonymous, but if you fight for what you believe, the path to success will open up.

People go against the trend
The last six World Cups, all coaches to the championship have at least 20 years experience. They include Carlos Alberto Parreira (27 years), Aime Jacquet (22), Marcelo Lippi (24), Del Bosque (23) and Joachim Loew (24). In addition, the number of years leading the national team before the average is 3.5 years. Southgate and Dalic have the opportunity to prove the opposite. They have only 12 and 13 years of coaching experience, and take the national team two and one year.

In the 21st century, Southgate was the second lowest finisher in the league (57.1%), England's Steve McClaren (50%). Dalic also does not get better. His 58.3% winning rate is lower than his predecessor Ante Cacic (60%) and far behind Slaven Bilic (64.6%).