MOSCOW: Not only did Zlatko Dalic take Croatia all the way to the World Cup final but he also proved that a route to top-level coaching can start in the Middle East, that is according to Khalin Ghadin of the Saudi Pro League.
Dalic was little known when he took charge of the Croatia team in October last year, replacing Ante Cacic who was axed on the eve of their final World Cup qualification match.
In Russia the former midfielder took his team, from a country of just over four million, to their first World Cup final, losing out 4-2 to France having beaten Argentina in the group, then Denmark, the hosts and then England in the knockout stages. While the run ensured that the 51-year-old made a global name for himself, he was already well-known in the Arab world.
Dalic arrived in Saudi Arabia as a little-known coach in 2010, first heading to Al-Faisaly and then Al-Hilal. After his spell with the Riyadh giants, he then took over at Al-Ain in 2014 where he won the United Arab Emirates league title. In November 2016, the Bosnian-born boss led the club to the final of the 2016 AFC Champions League, losing out narrowly to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea.
For Ghadin that illustrates that there is another route to reaching the top of the coaching tree. Traditionally, big clubs in the region have looked, when searching for overseas tacticians, for candidates with significant European experience.
“Most Saudi fans here are happy with what Zlatko achieved in the World Cup. It is incredible,” Saudi Pro League official Ghadin said.
“Many coaches start in Europe or South America then come to the Middle East with a great career behind them. What happened with Zlatko is the opposite. He started in the Middle East and then he left to Europe. So this is an interesting point for Saudi Arabian media and fans.”
It remains to be seen with the new season approaching whether clubs in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and elsewhere follow the “Dalic way” and look for unknown, hungry coaches with potential. It could be a turning point for the region.
“What happened with Zlatko means that many coaches now can start in the Middle East or come
in the middle of their career,” Ghadin said. “It means that coaches do not have to be afraid to come here and think that they will not be able to go back to Europe or South America.”
The Croatia boss returned to his home country on Monday to be given a hero’s welcome as thousands packed into Zagreb’s Bana Jelacica Square to celebrate the side’s remarkable march to the final. He was able to reflect on how his time in the Middle East helped his footballing and coaching education.
“It is great that there has been such support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” Dalic told Arab News.
“I have happy memories of my time there, they love their football and there is passion and a lot of talent too.”
Despite not having the European experience that many of his coaching counterparts in Russia have enjoyed, the time spent in region prepared Dalic to take a team all the way to the biggest game in world football.
“It is a very good place to grow as a coach and it was a very good learning experience,” Dalic said. “There is big pressure on a coach every week in Saudi Arabia and in the UAE too. You are always judged on your last game and you have to produce results. If you don’t get the results then you are out. You know what you have to do and it keeps you focused.”
He added that the change in culture can also be valuable.
“You are going far from home and the way of doing things is different in football and in life. Whatever happens on the pitch, you grow as a person.”
If Dalic chooses to leave his current post then he is sure to have numerous offers elsewhere after his exploits this summer. Wherever he goes, there will always be an appreciation for the Middle East and he has no hesitation in recommending that others follow his path.
“Football is not just about Europe and there are opportunities everywhere,” Dalic said.
“I would not change my coaching career and have no regrets.”
Zlatko Dalic and Croatia’s World Cup success proves path to glory can start in the Middle East
Zlatko Dalic and Croatia’s World Cup success proves path to glory can start in the Middle East
- Dalic's success in Russia could pave way for more unknown, hungry managers to coach in the region
- Croatian's time at Al-Hilal and Al-Ain crucial in his education and development as a coach
Rublev marches on, Bublik and Draper fall at Dubai Tennis Championships
- No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev, the 2022 champion, dispatches Ugo Humbert in epic three setter 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3
- Tallon Griekspoor upsets No. 2 seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets to set-up quarterfinal clash with No. 6 seed Jakub Mensik
DUBAI: Andrey Rublev signaled his determination to reclaim the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title on Wednesday, as the ruthless Russian dispatched fellow former champion Ugo Humbert in a titanic, three-set tussle on center court.
As a two-time finalist in Dubai and the winner there in 2022, Rublev already has fond memories of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Meanwhile Humbert, who has also tasted success in Dubai having edged Alexander Bublik to the title in 2024, was looking to tame a second former winner in the space of 24 hours after eliminating reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas on Tuesday.
In the early stages of the match a smattering of vocal young fans stirred up an endless cacophony of noise from all four grandstands as the near-capacity crowd repeatedly serenaded both players with cries of “Let’s go, Andrey” and “Allez, Ugo,” the even split among the supporters mirroring the evenly matched contest.
The nail-biter of a match went with serve for the first six games before, as is so often the case in professional tennis, the seventh proved to be a critical turning point. Rublev took advantage of two break points afforded by a pair of uncharacteristic double-faults by Humbert to achieve what Tsitsipas had failed to do in the entirety of their Round of 32 clash: he broke the Frenchman.
The set then resettled into a familiar pattern as the pair once again held serve amid minimal threats. And so, after 41 minutes of the back-and-forth, Rublev claimed the opening set 6-4 courtesy of that sole break of serve.
The second set mirrored the first, this time with both players avoiding a break of serve, until Humbert, the current world No. 37, narrowly edged the tiebreak 7-5 to even the match.
With very little separating the battling duo at this point, their seesaw duel was akin to two prize fighters exchanging punches with neither able to land a decisive blow. Buoyed no doubt by the feverish support from their respective fans, both players refused to buckle.
But then, with the third set tied at 1-1, Rublev held serve, broke and held again to win three straight games and move 4-1 ahead. The match then, predictably, once again went with serve until it was 5-3.
Then Humbert, facing the prospect of elimination, suddenly found himself with two break points as his opponent wobbled while serving for the match. The steely Russian held his nerve, however, and dispatched a trio of massive serves, including two aces, to reverse the deficit and set up his first match-point.
That was all the 28-year-old needed, as another huge serve forced a Humbert error and sealed the match 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
“It was a very dramatic ending,” Rublev said. “I’m really happy I was able to keep going and save the last game.
“It’s difficult to close a match; you can make a double-fault or a mistake, but I made three good serves and that helped me a lot. It’s much easier to win points from the serve than playing rallies every time.”
He commended his opponent, saying: “Ugo played really well. I took my two break chances but he served unbelievably all match. He shoots super hard and very fast, so it’s not easy to do something. I had to be ready for the one chance to break him in a set, and I got those chances and was able to do it.
“This match gives me a lot of confidence, so we’ll see what will happen in the quarterfinal. I’m playing well, so let’s see.”
Rublev now faces another Frenchmen, Arthur Rinderknech, who emerged victorious from a grueling three-set marathon against the British No. 4 seed, Jack Draper, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4.
Their match, which finished well after midnight and with an eerie mist hovering over center court, yielded only two breaks of serve, both of which went Rinderknech’s way. Despite the defeat, Draper can head home with his head held high as his return to top-level tennis continues after a six-month injury layoff.
On the new court 1, Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands pulled off the biggest upset of the day by taming No. 2 seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. The win earned the world No. 25 a quarterfinal encounter with No. 6 seed Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who made short work of the Australian, Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2.
