Discover the top 2022 World Cup football managers, such as Walid Regragui, Didier Deschamps, and Lionel Scaloni. Learn about their winning strategies.
The Three Managers Who Stood Out at the 2022 World Cup: A Look Back
The events that took place on the pitch at the 2022 World Cup will be remembered by fans forever. There were amazing individual player performances, with a high level of execution on full display on the global stage. The World Cup is only played once every four years, and the commitment to excellence during these games was on full display. The excitement that is created by this event held every four years attracts fans a wide range of games, sports, and backgrounds across the globe.
Gaming enthusiasts at home can experience the thrill of sports online pokies or other types of video games to imitate the spectacle of World Cup excitement. There’s also excitement in being the person who helps put players in the best position to succeed.
With this in mind, let’s take a look back at the three managers who stood out the most during the previous World Cup.
Walid Regragui
Understanding the temperament of your team and how to get the most out of them is a basic tenet of coaching, but it is really difficult to achieve. Morocco had an interesting set of circumstances heading into the 2022 World Cup and had to hire a manager just a few short months ahead of the big tournament. They settled on Walid Regragui, who proved to be one of the most adept sideline performers in the sport.
In a really short amount of time, he was able to assess the strengths of the Moroccan roster, and play to them at the highest level of competition. Regragui largely knew that the team would be able to play disciplined football on the backline, not conceding chances to the opposition. However, he would also have to give certain players the freedom to create to get on to the scoreboard.
Azzedine Ounahi was one of the youngest players on the team but had a phenomenal tournament thanks to the trust Regragui showed in him. He wasn’t the only player who was invigorated by Regragui’s coaching style. After signature wins against, Spain and Portugal, the Morrocan players lovingly threw their leader up and down into the air, showing the type of admiration they had for him.
Didier Deschamps
France had an excellent opportunity to etch their names into football lore during the final game of the 2022 World Cup. They won the 2018 World Cup and were looking to win the world’s most prestigious tournament on back-to-back occasions. Unfortunately, they were not able to get it done, but manager Didier Deschamps deserves a ton of credit for how he was able to navigate the slate in order to give France a chance until the very end.
The French had a chance to win back-to-back World Cups in 1998 and 2002 but were unceremoniously ousted from the latter tournament after a flat performance. Every country brings its best game to matches involving World Cup champions, and Deschamps knew that his 2022 team would not be able to afford a let-down. Despite the pressure and the spotlight, Deschamps was able to keep his team cool and collected during the 2022 World Cup, which led them to the brink of history.
They got off to a slow start in the final, falling behind 2-0 to Argentina, the eventual champions. Deschamps made some bold moves in order to give his lineup a jolt, including substituting out fan favorites Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud. Despite the unorthodox strategy, younger legs did give France a boost when they needed it most, and Deschamps deserves credit for being confident enough to press the right buttons.
Lionel Scaloni
Of course, the manager of the nation that actually won the World Cup should also be lauded in this piece. Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni will forever be a hero in his home country, as he was able to lead the team to its first World Cup victory since 1986. He will always be remembered for his accomplishments and will have a special place in history as a result of it.
Even though Argentina came away with the victory in the final game, there were a lot of emotional challenges faced during the contest. They thought they had the game well in hand deep into the second half, but France would end up scoring two goals to equalize. At that point, Argentina could have elected to feel sorry for themselves, but they kept fighting, and would eventually outlast France during penalty kicks.
Argentina also faced adversity before reaching the World Cup finals, which arguably toughened them up for their crowning achievement. It’s only a footnote now, but they lost their initial group stage match and were also on the brink of elimination for much of their knockout stage contest against the Netherlands. It would have been easy for Argentina to lose their sense of hope during any of these moments, but Scaloni was able to maintain morale, and it paid huge dividends.