Osim favourite to take over from Zico as Japan coa

[nolando]

I saw Holger mentioned this past week as a possibility.

Osim favourite to take over from Zico as Japan coach

Sat 24 Jun, 1:16 PM

BONN (AFP) - Former Yugoslavia coach Ivica Osim has emerged as the likely successor to Brazilian legend Zico at the head of the Japanese national team.

"We have been negotiating with coach Osim since before the World Cup started," Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi said in Tokyo, confirming rumours that he wanted Osim to steer Japan on the road to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

"I think that there is a 70 percent or 80 percent chance that things will go in that direction," Kawabuchi told a press conference.

The Sarajevo-born Osim, 65, who has been managing J-League powerhouse JEF United Chiba for four years, marshalled the former Yugoslavia to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990 after taking over the national team in 1986.

Before leaving Germany, Kawabuchi said the FA planned to make its final decision this month, or by early July at the latest.

Japan, who failed to make it past the group stages in Germany, are to play their first Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen at home on August 16.

Osim expressed interest in the Japanese job when he was approached by the football association, the Sports Nippon daily reported in Tokyo.

Kawabuchi said the FA is searching for a coach who would respect players' judgements as the core of team building.

Rumor has been rife about Zico's successor since the 53-year-old veteran of three World Cups as a player vowed to quit Japan after the 2006 finals and look for a coaching job in Europe.

Among other likely successor, according to Japanese media, is former French star midfielder Didier Deschamps, who was the France captain when the country lifted the 1998 World Cup at home and won Euro 2000.

Aime Jacquet, the 1998 World Cup winning coach, and another Frenchman Bruno Metsu have also been mentioned.

Metsu, guided Senegal to their first-ever World Cup in 2002 when they beat France and eventually reached the quarterfinals.

The Japanese FA chief said the next Japan coach must follow Zico's policy of giving players the freedom to express themselves on the pitch, in contrast to his predecessor Frenchman Philippe Troussier's emphasis on tactics and rules.

However, Troussier brought Japan to the round of 16, their best ever result since their World Cup finals debut in 1998.

In Germany, Japan surrendered late a 1-0 lead to Australia, going down 3-1, then drew 0-0 with Croatia and again failed to hold on to a lead Against Brazil losing 4-1.

Zico said after the Japanese demise that his players lacked "professionalism," and he urged more Japanese players to play in clubs overseas to gain experience.

His squad had featured six players plying their trade in European clubs, including Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and Bolton midfieder Hidetoshi Nakata.

[nolando]

Osim is 65 and, nothing against a wise, battle-hardened coach, had trouble WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS, doing nothing to dispell my thinking that at 69 in the next World Cup, he is too elderly, and is not the right fit for a team that desperately needs another hands-on coach. I hope this doesn't sound too ageist, as that is not a general characteristic that I think I have within me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psrcBL3ybIk&search=osim