by Matt Horn
No manager of Guangzhou Evergrande should ever get too comfortable in his chair in the early summertime. Almost exactly three years after they traded in a South Korean for an Italian, China’s champions have swapped a different Italian for a Brazilian.
The biggest sound heard across the city early last month was the collective dropping of jaws as the news started to filter out that Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro had been replaced by Brazil's World Cup-winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari, aka ‘Big Phil.’ The story was breaking in the middle of the 2-2 draw against Tianjin, just one week after qualification for the last eight of the Asian Champions League. It immediately became a hot topic on WeChat.
The striking similarity to the events of 2012 has not been lost on fans of the four-time champions. South Korean Lee Jang-Soo had led Hengda to the club's first Chinese Super League title the previous season, when it was announced that he was leaving the club in favour of Italian Marcello Lippi.
Like Scolari, Lippi has a World Cup triumph on his CV, leading Italy - skippered by Cannavaro – to the title in Germany in 2006. That triumph was four years after Scolari managed Brazil to their fifth World title, but now it is his turn to follow the Italians.
The sheer speed and ruthlessness of both decisions illustrates the determination of the club's owners to establish not only an Asian powerhouse, but a name known around the globe.
Cannavaro was brought in at the end of last season to replace Lippi, who took a consultancy role, and when he left his team was top, albeit only on goal difference, having suffered just one league defeat. The astonishing scenes as he left Baiyun Airport, cheered by thousands of fans with many in tears, showed he had made an impact in his short spell at the club.
Scolari has a tough act to follow but will be working with four fellow Brazilians, as Rene Junior, Alan, Elkeson and Ricardo Goulart are key members of his new squad.
It is an interesting appointment, not least because it has been a tough year for Scolari. As Brazil’s boss in their home World Cup, he suffered the 7-1 semi-final humiliation at the hands of Germany 12 months ago before an unsuccessful spell as manager of Gremio. But he is known as a tough boss with great triumphs behind him, and instant success will clearly be demanded here in Guangzhou.
Scolari will get the chance to pit his wits against arguably the top boss in the world today on July 23, when Pep Guardiola brings his Bayern Munich stars for a prestige friendly in the Tianhe Stadium. It will stir memories of the clash between the two sides in the World Club Championship in 2013, which the Germans won 3-0 on the way to lifting the trophy.
If that is not enough excitement for football fans, four days later two of the world's most famous clubs, Real Madrid and Internazionale, aka Inter Milan, will take to the same pitch as part of their preparations for next season.
The city of Guangzhou has a good recent record of bringing in top clubs, with both Manchester United and Liverpool previous visitors. Pre-season friendlies can be both turgid and confusing affairs, with bosses making wholesale substitutions as they seek to give as many players as possible game time.
But all three of the big name clubs have good reasons to take the matches seriously. Bayern stumbled towards the end of last season and ‘only’ won the single trophy. Inter had a torrid time, limping to an eighth-place finish. As for Real Madrid, they finished potless, prompting the club to swap Carlo Ancelotti for the former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. He will have to hit the ground running (owner Florentino Perez makes Evergrande look like loyal employers).
That is also true for Scolari as he gets to grips with residing in China. Things are off to a fair start, with the Brazilian’s first game as head honcho resulting in a 2-1 win for Evergrande over Shandong Luneng. Loyal fans, however, are waiting to see how the Brazilian boss will adapt long-term. One thing appears clear: anything less than glory will be unacceptable.
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