Recipe for Success

With much of the group play at WC 2010 wrapped up and having spent most of our time watching and analyzing the merits and deficiencies of the players for 11 plus days, I wondered what, if any, is the coach's (or team manager's, if you prefer) recipe for success. A lot of ridicule was directed at Maradona before the competition began. As of now, his Argentina is the only team to have won all 3 group games. On the other hand, England's Capello was deemed a national savior who had re-instilled discipline and a strong sense of authority. That was until his team started to play football at the tournament. He is now already being touted as an overpaid fraud. So what works? The distant authoritarian (Capello) or the enthusiastic, heart-on-the-sleeve, crazy uncle (Maradona)? Maybe in these days of 24-7 internet and incessant news coverage, there is something to be said for the coach as a sideshow. I remember reading that Frank Lampard admired Jose Mourinho in part because the latter viewed one of his roles as deflecting media attention away from his players. Whatever your views on Mourinho, it is hard to argue with his record at club level.
Ultimately, of course, any coach has got to have the "horses" (and Maradona has one of the deepest squads at the tournament) but, as France has embarrassingly illustrated, talent is not enough. The skills and egos need to be woven together to form (the illusion of) a highly motivated and harmonious collective...even it only lasts for four weeks.