COACH CONTROL: Zambrotta is a curious choice from Dynamos, but not an ideal one
WAS ROBERTO CARLOS a bad coach? Not entirely. After all, he did deliver: Delhi Dynamos got into the ISL 2015 semi-finals and even won the home leg. He came in with some experience and was quick to realise he wasn't going to cut it as a player-coach, and weaved the Delhi Dynamos team into a not-so-exciting but cohesive unit that could pull off narrow victories. A lucky goal here, a grind-through point there and suddenly they were in the semis.
Was Harm van Veldhoven a bad coach? Not at all. He has had a decorated managerial career, including stints at clubs like Brussels and Lommel. And under him the Dynamos weren't that bad. In 2014, they were basically one goal short of making it into the semis. That's a touch-and-go by any means. But still they never looked like probable champions. Veldhoven, in the end, was a traditional manager used to real leagues that ran for months and was kind of caught off guard by the quick-fire nature of ISL. Also, he's never really been the go-for-trophy type. His biggest claim to fame, till date, is saving Roda JC from relegation.
Is Gianluca Zambrotta, as a head coach, better than either Roberto Carlos or Harm van Veldhoven? Hard to say. Veldhoven would logically be the better coach but we're talking about ISL and traditional coaches aren't always the best fit here (think Materazzi, David James). But it would be a safer bet to say he'd be a bit better than Roberto Carlos, who as a manager didn't seem to be very adept at channeling the team's attack, while knowing very well how to shut the opponents out with the defence.
In an odd way, Zambrotta can be looked at as something of a middle ground between Veldhoven and Carlos.
Like Carlos, Zambrotta had a playing career of international repute. He proved his quality at Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan. He was a regular at the Italian national team and collected a gold medal from World Cup 2006. He was a defender too, but his full-back status and technical diversity allowed him to lead attacks up the wings.
Like Veldhoven (as well as Carlos) he showed his intuitions as a potential coach early, becoming an assistant coach at FC Chiasso where he retired as a player and in less than a year becoming their manager. Under him, Chiasso neither improved nor declined. He was pretty much a status quo coach, which considering how early he is in his coaching career is not bad.
But that's not the kind of a coach that Delhi Dynamos need right now. After two years of more or less failing to excite their fanbase, they need a cavalry charge of a campaign. They need somebody at the helm who can come up with a creative attacking plan, play an attractive brand of football and at least make it to the final.
Also, a distinguishing feature this particular DDFC squad has is the high number of young talent in it, both Indians and foreigners. They need a lot of guidance going into this competition, and a head coach with more experience would have been much better suited for them.
The main motivation for Delhi Dynamos to hire Zambrotta, it seems, lies in the hope that his name would draw eyeballs and sell some tickets. Selling big names in borderline gimmick moves has become a predictable trope for the franchise: they did it with Alessandro del Pierro in 2014, and Roberto Carlos in 2015. But here, too, they are sorely mistaken. There may be quite a few Barcelona or Milan fans in Delhi, but seeing Zambrotta walk around in the sidelines is not an exciting prospect for any of them. Seeing Richard Gadze being more ferocious up front with crosses from Kean Lewis, however, is exactly what the fans want to see; and a better manager would have helped towards that cause.
But perhaps, things might fall into place. Along with Zambrotta, former Italian central midfielder Simone Barone has joined DDFC as an assistnt coach. And legendary former Indian striker, Raman Vijayan, has been at the franchise as an assistant coach since last year. That's a world class full-back, a versatile midfielder and a gifted striker with considerable coaching experience within the country, put together. Maybe if they can work things out as a unit - a triumvirate - it will result in an effective and cohesive strategy which, fuelled by the sheer extra stamina that the quality young players will inject into this team will make for a potent, match-winning combination.
With so much potential already in the squad, a status-quo coach like Zambrotta who will not shake things up too much and let the players be themselves, may provide a natural outlet for the players' abilities, allowing them the freedom to adapt and be creative on the field.
We may already be seeing some of that in the pre-season friendlies. The team fought hard against West Brom and then remained unbeaten in matches against Swedish clubs (although those weren't exactly first teams).
Does this make Delhi Dynamos the most interesting team to watch in the coming ISL, from a neutral perspective? Yes. After all in ISL all you need is a last-minute freak goal or two and suddenly you're in the semi-finals and finishing fourth (in a real league that would be called mid-table) is forgiven. The tournament focuses on spectacle rather than excellence, and DDFC are tuned right into it.
But does that justify putting Zambrotta in charge of this team? Nope. The fact remains that there are at least a dozen coaches in India itself who could do a better job than him.
