‘Ferguson more important to football than Maradona’

How many times has Bob Houghton called for restructuring India’s domestic football? One loses count.

How many times has Bob Houghton called for restructuring India’s domestic football? One loses count. But this time around, The Indian Express met the man who took Malmo FF to the European Champions Cup final in 1979 and had a face-off with Diego Maradona.

Giving his perspective on world football the Englishman explains why he feels coaches like Michels and Ferguson have influenced the game more than the Peles and the Maradonas. “Rinus Michels changed the game with his Dutch team in the late 70s. Before him the German style was dominant. They used Beckenbauer as the libero, went for man-marking and attacked through the wings. Michels changed all that. There was no libero, no man-marking. High tempo and fluid all-round display took the centrestage.”

Houghton gives credit to Ferguson for introducing the rotation system for players. “Even a talent like Cristiano Ronaldo is starting only in 50 per cent of the Premier League matches. Rotation is now the buzzword in world football. So, for me, they have had changed the game.

Story continues below this ad

The real greats of the game — Maradona, Pele, Cruyff, Zidane — showed exceptional skill on the field and influenced the crowd and the media. They have been icons of the sport. But did they change the game? I don’t think so.”

Houghton recounts his date with Maradona and how he used the collective defending ploy to negate him. “In the ‘90s when I went to Malmo FF for the second time, we had a Champions Cup match against Sevilla. Maradona by then had moved from Napoli to that Spanish club. I had a notion about Maradona that he was a selfish player, happy to show off his individual skills. However, that day I saw how good a team player he could be. He went for every ball and created space for others. It was an excellent all-round display.”

But why collective defending rather than man-marking? “Once I had a talk with the Juventus coach Giovanni Trapattoni who told me it was the best way to stop Maradona. He said that during Maradona’s stint at Napoli, every team tried to man-mark him with their best defenders. Still Maradona scored 30 goals for two consecutive seasons, giving Napoli the Serie A title and the European Champions Cup. Collective defending is a safer bet,” elaborates Houghton.

However, his coaching stint in India is turning out to be a different proposition altogether. The India coach believes that the country has the potential to be a force to reckon with in Asian football if the state associations and the clubs (read Kolkata clubs) keep an eye on the bigger picture.

Story continues below this ad

“Mr Dasmunsi alone can’t do anything. Clubs and the state associations must support him. They must act in the right earnest.

There are lots of young players in Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and other clubs. I want to see them playing (in less important tournaments). Also, the national momentum needs to get going. A full-house for a match makes a difference. You can achieve more than you think,” he states.

“Yesterday 70,000 people witnessed a match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal with all the top players there, while India are playing before empty stands!,” states the coach incredulously while adding: “The national team ought to be the top priority. Korea, Japan and China have moved into the right direction and got results. The Chinese had radically overhauled their domestic structure and played in the World Cup finals within eight years. India must follow suit”.