They’re hard to please at the Omani FA...
Milan Macala, the avuncular Czech coach who guided the Gulf sultanate to July’s Asian Cup for a second consecutive qualification, got his marching orders just three months before the Cup’s opening match.
Oman clearly wanted to give themselves the best possible chance of success and that’s why Gabriel Calderon was shoe-horned into the hotseat in Macala’s place.
The Argentine should offer a more sophisticated tactical approach. The 47-year-old coached Saudi Arabia in 2004 and led them to qualification to the 2006 World Cup before he was shown the door by the Saudi FA in December 2005.
“In today’s modern soccer there’s nothing like a Latin American or European style – everyone adapts to total football,” commented Jumaa Al Kaabi, the Omani Olympic team coach, in a gentle dig at Macala – who’s since taken over fellow Asian Cup nation Bahrain.
Calderon will need all his total football coaching skills as group A is shaping as a tight scrap for second spot behind Australia. A loss, as expected, in the opener to Australia will ramp up the pressure even more.
What effect the change of coaching will have on the side is hard to say. However, Calderon will have a decent squad to work with – almost all the national team ply their trade as professionals outside Oman, which incidentally is ranked 72 in the world and eighth in Asia.
Last line of defence is Bolton Wanderers’ giant keeper Ali Al Habsi – a regular in the national team and the first Gulf glovesman to sign for an English Premiership club. Omani skipper Mohamed Rabia of Qatari power Al-Sadd Doha and Kuwaiti-based striker Fawzi Bashir are also quality. Imad Ali, Oman’s 24-year-old striker, is also a big game player having bagged a double against Iran at Asian Cup 2004.
Under Macala in 2004, Oman was within a minute of qualifying from the group stage alongside Japan before Iran snatched a heart-breaking injury time equaliser. He also took them to a runners-up position in the last Gulf Cup, where they lost in a penalty shoot-out to hosts Qatar in 2004.
Perhaps Oman’s only football blog, SoccerBlaze, had something to do with Macala’s demise. It slammed the Czech for having “nothing to offer, zero tactics and knowledge of how to play mind games.”
Only time will tell if the decision to punt Macala was good judgement on the part of the capricious Oman FA.
FourFourTwo verdict
Oman’s clash with Iraq will be crucial, with both sides looking to secure second place.
Oman clearly wanted to give themselves the best possible chance of success and that’s why Gabriel Calderon was shoe-horned into the hotseat in Macala’s place.
The Argentine should offer a more sophisticated tactical approach. The 47-year-old coached Saudi Arabia in 2004 and led them to qualification to the 2006 World Cup before he was shown the door by the Saudi FA in December 2005.
“In today’s modern soccer there’s nothing like a Latin American or European style – everyone adapts to total football,” commented Jumaa Al Kaabi, the Omani Olympic team coach, in a gentle dig at Macala – who’s since taken over fellow Asian Cup nation Bahrain.
Calderon will need all his total football coaching skills as group A is shaping as a tight scrap for second spot behind Australia. A loss, as expected, in the opener to Australia will ramp up the pressure even more.
What effect the change of coaching will have on the side is hard to say. However, Calderon will have a decent squad to work with – almost all the national team ply their trade as professionals outside Oman, which incidentally is ranked 72 in the world and eighth in Asia.
Last line of defence is Bolton Wanderers’ giant keeper Ali Al Habsi – a regular in the national team and the first Gulf glovesman to sign for an English Premiership club. Omani skipper Mohamed Rabia of Qatari power Al-Sadd Doha and Kuwaiti-based striker Fawzi Bashir are also quality. Imad Ali, Oman’s 24-year-old striker, is also a big game player having bagged a double against Iran at Asian Cup 2004.
Under Macala in 2004, Oman was within a minute of qualifying from the group stage alongside Japan before Iran snatched a heart-breaking injury time equaliser. He also took them to a runners-up position in the last Gulf Cup, where they lost in a penalty shoot-out to hosts Qatar in 2004.
Perhaps Oman’s only football blog, SoccerBlaze, had something to do with Macala’s demise. It slammed the Czech for having “nothing to offer, zero tactics and knowledge of how to play mind games.”
Only time will tell if the decision to punt Macala was good judgement on the part of the capricious Oman FA.
FourFourTwo verdict
Oman’s clash with Iraq will be crucial, with both sides looking to secure second place.
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