Zinedine Zidane and Jürgen Klopp were waiting for France and Germany for months. They did not consider other options, both saying "no", for example, to Real Madrid's scores because their Federations had given them something close to a blank check. Now they will finally make their debut as coaches of their countries in the middle of a bench earthquake around the world coinciding with the start of the Nations League. Xavi Hernández has also calmly awaited his new destination, who returns to coach the Netherlands and is, like Zidane and Klopp, the example that the Federations have opted for big names before to dethrone De la Fuente's Spain, which curiously has just renewed.
They are Zidane, Xavi and Klopp, but also Forlán in Uruguay, Rafa Márquez in Mexico, Mancini in Italy, Vieira in Senegal, Jorge Jesús in Portugal, Van Bommel in Belgium or Slaven Bilic in Croatia. All well-known names that accompany several novelties with a Spanish accent: Santi Denia in the Czech Republic, Rober Moreno in South Korea, José Francisco Molina in Honduras or David Badia in Haiti.
Of the 48 teams that competed in the last World Cup, 20 are going to have a new coach during this break. A consequence of last summer's disappointments in most national teams. Scaloni (Argentina), Tuchel (England), Yakin (Switzerland), Ouahbi (Morocco) and Solbakken (Norway) are still in place there, but many federations have opted for reconstruction.
Klopp's rules
Klopp was the big free agent. He was rumored for several teams, and especially for Madrid when Xabi Alonso left, but he was clear that he would only leave his position as Red Bull's football director to coach the German team. There was no urgency, but the German disaster in the World Cup opened the door. Nagelsmann's team fell on penalties against Paraguay in the round of 32 and culminated one of their biggest defeats in the history of the World Cup. The young coach resigned from his position and in just two weeks the German federation convinced Klopp.
To rebuild the image of the team, the former Liverpool player has put several internal rules in the first concentration that have caught the attention of journalists and those around the team. It has banned cell phones in the locker room and in the gym, it has restricted visits from family members, it has forced the players to be punctual at lunch and dinner, far from the flexibility of the previous stage, and it has limited visits from stylists, who spent too much time in the concentration hotel. In addition, Klopp wants to recover the "German identity", including unity around the flag in the midst of a tense political climate in the country due to the rise of the extreme right. At a sporting level, his first decision was to give a list of 44 players instead of 26 to work with as many players as possible. Veterans like Neuer and Rüdiger have left the national team and others like Goretzka or Sané do not seem to be part of their plans.
Xavi and the "connection" with Cruyff
Klopp will make his debut against Xavi, who after two sabbatical seasons after his time at Barcelona, assumes the goal of winning a title with the Netherlands. The Dutch team was a semi-finalist in the last Euro Cup, but lost in the round of 32 of the World Cup against Morocco, which led to the departure of Ronald Koeman. In his first statements, the player from Terrassa has not hidden one of the main reasons that motivated the agreement, both on his part and on the part of the country's Federation: «There is a lot of connection between Barça football and that of the Netherlands. I am a son of Dutch football. I trained in the Barça youth academy with a strong influence from Cruyff and Rinus Michels. "I feel a special connection."
The other big star of this coaching market is Zidane, who these days has led his first training sessions in Clairefontaine. The Frenchman has ended five years away from the bench to take over from Deschamps. It was an open secret for months and Zidane said "no" to several offers, but it remains to be seen how the former Madrid player will adapt to the new position. "I have waited for my moment," he admitted these days. The coach will train Mbappé for the first time, whom he will keep as captain and plans to try out as a left winger during this break. "We are going to try to put him in the best conditions."
Zidane will debut against Türkiye and then play against Belgium and Italy, two teams that also have a new coach with Van Bommel and Mancini, the transalpines obsessed with recovering lost glory. In Portugal, Jorge Jesús keeps Cristiano Ronaldo, the exception to all these changes.
