One of the greatest storylines in this eventful World Cup thus far has unquestionably been Saudi Arabia.
After middle eastern compatriots Qatar were ambushed by Ecuador, Asian rivals Iran were annihilated by England and fans anticipated the same to happen to Saudi Arabia in their opening match.
To make matters even worse, Saudi Arabia were facing tournament favorites Argentina.
The footballing community effectively gave the second lowest-ranked team in the tournament no chance of prevailing, facing an impenetrable Argentinian side on a 36-game unbeaten run spearheaded by arguably the greatest player ever to kick a football.
However, the unthinkable occurred on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia managed to stun Argentina, producing the biggest upset in World Cup history.
As such, the Saudi Arabian manager, Hervé Renard, has been in the limelight for producing a tactical masterclass for the ages. Through his tactical adjustments and man-management skills, a seemingly bereft Saudi Arabian side managed to come out after halftime, overturn a 1-0 deficit and outplay Messi’s Argentina in the second half.
Hence here on Main Stand with writer Agastya Bajaj, we cover Hervé Renard’s story from footballing rags to riches, highlighting his tactical style and what to expect from Saudi Arabia going forward in this tournament.
The managerial pipedream
After a decade of playing for lower-tier French teams, when Renard retired, he realized his earnings weren’t sufficient.
He was offered a coaching role at club FC Draguignan by father figure Pierre Romero, an opportunity he couldn't resist.
This still wasn’t enough to earn a sustainable amount, with Renard managing his own professional cleaning company in the midst of this.
“I had great years but it wasn’t enough to prepare for retirement,” said Renard in an interview with the BBC.
“I woke up at 2:30 in the morning, and finished at around noon. I left at 5pm for Draguignan for training, then we trained, I returned at around 9.15 and ate dinner. I went to bed around 11pm at the earliest.
“I did the windows. I did the carpets and I worked for other industrial French jobs, but I am not ashamed.”
Once his coaching aspirations materialized and progressed, he hired a former professional footballer to work alongside him at his cleaning company. This would decrease his immense load, allowing him to hone in on garnering his coaching badges with Draguignan.
After relentlessly working in the late 90s, garnering his coaching badges and cleaning, Renard was offered the assistant manager role at Shanghai Cosco by Romero, who renowned manager Claude Le Roy contacted.
The well-established manager asked Romero if he was aware of any potential assistant managers to accompany him at his new job, with Pierre endorsing Renard’s profile to him.
During his involvement at Draguignan, Renard was pivotal in the club’s back-to-back promotions, lauded for his proactive management style. Renard’s ambition and age were also something Le Roy was satisfied with, wanting the young French coach to sit beside him at the helm.
When Renard was informed about this offer, he immediately packed his bags and left France to venture into the Chinese league.
Establishing himself
Renard sat alongside Le Roy for two seasons in China before English League club Cambridge United vied for Roy’s services.
Cambridge United were on the brink of relegation to the lowest tier in English football at the tail end of the 2003 season. Vice chairman Roger Hunt told the press they needed “Miracle workers,” to save them from relegation.
The vice chairman opted for the duo of Le Roy and Renard to produce the unfathomable, hailing Le Roy as “one of the most respected managers in Europe, if not the world.”
Unfortunately for Renard, his mentor Le Roy left his role one game after taking charge. Hunt promoted Renard to the managerial role, a game into his stint in England, a feat he hadn’t previously taken on.
With two games to go in the season, Cambridge looked done and dusted, with relegation seemingly impending. However, Renard defied the odds in his opening game, prevailing and securing Cambridge’s status in the league.
His tenure did derail the following season, though, losing 14 of his 26 matches at the club and being sacked six months after taking the job.
He still received immense praise from players, with keeper Ruddy grateful for working with Renard.
"Not only was I inexperienced at first-team level but also in goalkeeping terms in general,” said Ruddy. “The first 15 minutes of my debut I could hardly take a goal-kick I was that nervous, but Hervé was very good at making you feel like you were good enough.
"One of the biggest memories I have of Hervé is the work rate not only he demanded of us but also showed himself in the gym.”
After taking on several managerial roles across the globe, ranging from Vietnam to Cherbourg, he didn’t find stability at any job.
In 2008, he reunited with Le Roy as assistant manager for the Ghana national team. That stint didn’t last long again, though, with the minute nation of Zambia acquiring the young manager’s services and appointing him as manager of their country.
Defying the odds
In his first stint in Zambia, he led the side to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. This was an encouraging start to his managerial career, with that being uncharted territory for a country the size of Zambia.
“We made it to the quarter-finals,” shared the head coach. “It was a very good foundation on which to build for the 2012 edition, which was an amazing tournament.”
In 2011, Renard returned to Zambia after departing for a brief period. This is where the Frenchmen elevated his reputation and put the bigger countries on notice.
The manager produced a managerial clinic with Zambia, taking them to the African Cup of Nations final to face an Ivory Coast side stacked with iconic names such as Drogba.
Renard's side managed to produce the fairytale run and beat African powerhouses Ivory Coast on penalties, 5-4, with Zambia producing an improbable victory.
“We played very well, we seized out chances and continued winning until we reached the final," said Renard. "The players were very committed and capitalized on that historic opportunity to win the title against Ivory Coast.
"It was an excellent tournament, though many said it was a stroke of luck.”
Renard delivered the country’s first and only African Cup of Nations title, playing an impressive brand of possession-based, proactive football to hoist the biggest honor in the continent.
“When I coached Zambia, the team had a lot of young players who were willing to work hard," added Renard. “They were technically adept and the atmosphere was excellent.
"They were willing to do everything I said, and we wanted to compete for titles, not just prove ourselves."
In 2014, he was sacked from his role as Zambian manager after not making a deep run in the tournament. This was a costly mistake for the nation, with Renaurd appointed by Ivory Coast for the 2015 African Cup of Nations tournament.
In filmic fashion, the manager got his revenge on his former employers in the next African Cup of Nations campaign. Under his stewardship, he led the side to victory and his second African Cup of Nations title.
“When you win the trophy once, you just want to get your hands on it again. We went into the tournament with our eyes set on the title,” said Renard after his second African Cup of Nations triumph.
“The team was full of fantastic players, our relationship was strong and I put my trust in them.
"With this combination, you can achieve success, regardless of the obstacles you face.
“We faced Ghana in the final, which went to penalties.
"We missed the first two, but I knew it wasn’t over yet, the players wanted to do the impossible and win the title after twice being runners up.
“I remember Yaya Toure saying this was the highlight of their careers.
"They knew the importance of achieving glory with the national team despite how many titles they won with their clubs in Europe.”
This triumph enhanced his reputation across the globe, becoming the only person to hoist up African Cup of Nations titles with different nations, an extraordinary feat.
The Frenchman was appointed as manager for Ligue 1 club Lille after this triumph. Unfortunately, the stint didn’t go as anticipated. The manager had a flurry of underwhelming results after 13 games and was removed from the post.
However, with Renard’s managerial pedigree, he was offered the Morocco managerial role.
Under his stewardship, he led the nation to the World Cup in 2018, further enhancing his reputation.
Unfortunately for Renard, the highs of qualifying for the World Cup resulted in lows the following summer. The manager’s bolstered Morocco side lost in the Round of 16 in the African Cup of Nations. The ambitious Renard accepted responsibility for their shock exit, resigning from his role as Morocco manager.
Renard joined Saudi Arabia later in 2019 and has had a fairly successful stint thus far. The Frenchmen ascended Saudi Arabia up the pecking order, gaining 20 places on the FIFA Rankings thus far.
He comfortably led Saudi Arabia to World Cup qualification during his tenure. He also became the most successful foreign manager in the country’s history, leading them to 18 victories thus far.
The fairytale victory
Coming into this tournament, expectations were quite bleak for the Saudi Arabian side.
Facing Leo Messi’s dominant Argentinian side in the opening match saw some Saudi Arabian fans were already accepting defeat, wearing Messi on the back of their Saudi Arabian shirt.
In the first half, it was trending this way too.
Argentina had taken an early lead courtesy of Leo Messi, scoring inside the opening 10 minutes and it seemed like a long afternoon for the Saudi Arabian side.
Argentina scored three more goals in the opening half, all disallowed.
This one-way traffic heading into the first half only resulted in a slender deficit, but most were already writing Saudi Arabia off with how dominant Argentina were in the first half.
However, Renard produced a masterstroke at the break.
“We have a crazy coach,” said Saudi Arabian midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki. “He motivated us during half-time, telling us stuff that made us want to eat the grass.
“Before the game, he motivated us to the extent that we couldn't wait for the game to begin.”
In his half-time team talk, the French manager centered it around challenging Saudi Arabia’s commitment and Leo Messi.
“Last time, Messi has the ball in the middle of the pitch, you stand in front of the defence,” shouted Renard.
“Take your phone, you can make a picture with him if you want.
“You don’t feel something here? You don’t feel that we’re able to comeback? You don’t feel it?
"They play relaxed. Come on guys, this is the World Cup. Give everything.”
And the rest was history. Saudi Arabia came out of the gates and scored two goals quickly.
After a successful first half, playing an incredibly high line and forcing Argentina’s runners offside on several occasions, the manager’s second-half adjustments cemented the victory.
His defensive line and man management skills to enhance commitment, passion, emotion and intensity were extraordinary.
Renard's system is stemmed from a high press, high intensity and being in peak physical condition. He has managed to revolutionize Saudi Arabian football and has produced the most remarkable upset in World Cup history, a testament to his commitment.
Sources
https://www.goal.com/en-om/news/herve-renard-afcon-winning-coach-led-saudi-arabia-victory-messi-argentina/blt09738a0d6602dd82
https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/22/from-cleaner-to-world-cup-coach-who-is-saudi-arabia-football-manager-herve-renard
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11457417/Herve-Renard-man-masterminded-Saudi-Arabias-2-1-World-Cup-upset-Argentina.html
