Vicente del Bosque

A World Cup contender must contain a squad filled with the correct balance of skill, stamina and determination. A World Cup winning squad, however, requires the right boss.

Dealing with squad selections, tactics, formations, injuries, suspensions whilst being able to motivate your team game in game out during possibly the world’s biggest sporting event is no mean feat. Victorious squads in previous editions of the tournament were always led by a great manager, with this summer bringing in a host of master tacticians.

In the first part of this two part article, we shall be looking into the managers with the highest credentials. If recent tournaments are anything to go by, Spain’s Vicente Del Boqsue is surely among the best in history when it comes to national team management. Having emerged victorious in 2010 whilst dominating Euro 2012, Spain are still considered as one of the tournament’s front runners. A squad largely influenced by the abundance of Barcelona players meant that the club’s tiki taka style also seeped into the national setup’s tactics, bringing in the same amount of success which the same club experienced in recent times.

Another manager which deserves praise is Germany’s Joachim Loew, who has been at the helm since 2006. Ever the consistent favourites, Germany have recently been dangerous on every single occasion and could have gone on to win the tournament had it not been for Italy in 2006 and Euro 2012. Loew, meanwhile, will be looking to increase his winning percentage of 86%, which is already the highest of any German manager.

Tune in for the second part of this article, where we shall be looking into other high calibre tacticians sharing the same goals as Del Bosque and Loew.