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In the utterly magnificent Interstellar, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan chart an incredibly bold path – testing the grasping powers (and the researching capacities) of movie-goers -with their treatment of time as a physical dimension - a dimension that can be seen, felt and in essence, travelled through. The reason we are here though, talking about time travel, is for nothing as mundane as saving a species.'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that’ – so said Bill Shankly. And who are we to argue with the great man.So, here we take a look back at ten cases where the men-in-charge at the time would want to revisit to set right the wrongs they had committed, and change the course of football history.
#1 The mysterious disappearance of O Fenmeno Ronaldo
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Who?Mario Zagallo -Manager, Brazil
When?12 July1998 World Cup Final
Where?Stade de France, Saint Denis
What Happened?
Taking over once again as first team coach after the rather disappointing 94 World Cup campaign (yes, yes, they won the damn thing but could they have been more boring?), Mario Zagallo twice winner ofthe Cup, as a player and coach had reintroduced flair and flamboyance into the Seleo. This team, who sometimes played in real life the way they did in some of their brilliant Nike advertisements, romped their way through to the final the watching world gradually turning into one large, screaming ocean of fanboys.
No one epitomized this joga bonito, this new found spirit of adventure and goals, better than Ronaldo. O Fenmeno had been virtually unplayable the entire tournament, scoring goals at will, his mere presence sending shivers down the spines of opposing teams and waves of belief through his teammates.As the final rolled up, it felt like nothing could go wrong for him or for the men in yellow.
How wrong they (and we) were!
As if caught in a whirlpool rising from the depths of Hades Underworld,everything went spinning viciously out of control for the Brazilians. Reports emerged that Ronaldo had suffered some form of fits in the night leading up to the match. The media was awash with rumours he had suffered an anxiety attack, he had been dosed with painkillers and wouldnt play, his love life had blown up (!) If there was a theory about it, it found air time (and print space).
Ronaldo ended up playing in the end, looking more like a small boy who had wandered on to a racetrack and did not quite know what was happening (or why everything was moving so fast) rather than the best player in the world.A Zinedine Zidane inspired France would swat away the Ronaldo-less, rudder-less Brazilians, on the way to a historic triumph.
If Ronaldo hadnt played, France may well have won they were that good that night. But it can be said without a shadow of a doubt that the Brazilians would have played a whole lot better too.
#2 Cityitis: When incorrect information relegated Manchester City
Who? Alan Ball – Manchester City manager
When? 5 May 1996. Last day of the English Premier League season
Where? Maine Road, Manchester
What happened?
The blue half of Manchester has long been stuck with a malaise known as Cityitis. Coined by the then City manager Joe Royle in the late nineties, Cityitis is a source of some of the greatest slapstick tragi-comedy ever seen in the long history of the Beautiful Game. The term essentially denotes the belief, nay, the absolute certainty, that when presented with a decent chance of success, Manchester City would somehow contrive to throw it all away.
Never has that ‘truism’ been truer than on the closing day of the enthralling 1995/96 Premier League season. Tied on points with Southampton and Coventry City, City’s inferior goal difference saw them struggling for air in the relegation zone as they prepared to host FA Cup runners-up Liverpool.
A win for either Saints or the Sky Blues would have cemented City’s 17th place, and their relegation. But as the day wore on it became increasingly clear that if any team were going to win that day, it would be City. Having gone 2-0 down, they had rallied to draw level with a little under 12 minutes remaining and were in the ascendancy when news filtered through that Wimbledon had managed to score at the Dell.
Having heard this piece of ‘information’ from a supporter, City manager Alan Ball promptly told Steve Lomas to take the ball and keep it in the corner to secure the draw that would ensure their survival. As Lomas ran the clock down on the pitch, the truth was slowly sinking in off it. Nobody had scored in the Southampton game and by the time Niall Quinn rushed out of the tunnel (having been subbed off much earlier) to tell Lomas to get a move on, it was too late. City were relegated.
Sure, even if they had attacked, they might still have been relegated (there was no guarantee that a third goal would have come). But keeping the ball in the corner for the good part of the last few minutes ensured it. Oh, City!
#3 Sir Alex Ferguson letting Paul Pogba leave Manchester United
Who? Alex Ferguson – Manchester United manager
When? 2012/13 English Premier League pre-season
Where? Carrington, Manchester
What Happened?
When you do something for over 26 years, regardless of how good you are at it, you are bound to get something or the other wrong at some stage. For all his success in turning the struggling mid-table entity that was Manchester United in the mid-‘80s to the championship steamrolling juggernaut we know today, he had his fair share of “Oops! I wish I hadn’t done that!” moments.
The purchases of Juan Sebastian Veron and the sale of Jaap Staam are among the biggest in a long laundry list that includes the purchases of those ten odd goalkeepers who came and went in between Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van Der Sar, letting Gerard Pique go, almost throwing away everything in Barcelona ’99. And so on and so forth.
However, arguably the biggest footballing mistake of his career, the one he probably wishes he hadn’t done (if not him, at least everyone else in the United supporting universe) was letting Paul Pogba leave. The Pogba we see today at Juventus would have been just what was needed in a midfield that has been crying out for some steel, authority and power ever since the departure of the legend that is Roy Keane.
Why Fergie ever thought Rafael would be a better fit in midfield, only he can tell.
#4 David Moyes sacking the entire Manchester United backroom staff
Who? David Moyes -Manager, Manchester United
When? The 2013-14 season. English Premier League Pre-season
Where? Carrington, Manchester
What Happened?
What should David Moyes have said when Sir Alex Ferguson called him up and offered him his coveted post at United? “No way, mate. I’d rather keep my dignity, if you don’t much mind, thank you very kindly.”
End of story.
But that’s not giving Moyes enough of a chance to right the wrongs he did at Manchester – the vacation right after he took over (transfer window planning? Pshaw!), the mad signings (at the time), the muddled strategies. However, all these mistakes, as big as they are, pale in comparison to the Scot’s first act after taking over the club – the wholesale sacking of Rene Meulensteen, Mike Phelan and Eric Steele.
While it is understandable that Moyes would want to make the office his own and get his own backroom staff in for that purpose, the immediate disposal of the vast, almost encyclopedic knowledge and the calm, natural authority of United’s magnificent coaching trio meant that the already rocky transition period turned into a journey through the nine circles of Dante’s Hell.
These were serial winners, coaches who had almost worked independently of Sir Alex (especially in the later years, Fergie had become very hands off) and had formed a wonderfully strong bond with the players. The staff he got in from Everton could in no way hope to match the sacked staff’s experience nor foster the connection and influence they had with the superstars in the United dressing room.
With that one fell swoop, the poor man had cut his legs off from underneath him even before he started off things in real earnest.
#5 Brazil resting their best player in a World Cup semi-final
Who ? Adhemir Pimenta – Brazil manager
When? 16 June 1938 – World Cup semi-final
Where? Stade Velodrome, Marseille
What Happened?
The ‘30s were a really weird time when countries had to be begged to play in the World Cup. Many European countries couldn’t be bothered to show up for the first edition in South America and vice versa for the tournament in Europe. Uruguay, winners of the inaugural edition, and arguably the best team on the planet, didn’t even bother turning up for the ’34 tournament - won by hosts Italy - nor the ’38 schebang in France.
But one thing that remained constant was the presence of Brazil. The Seleção’s history is woven into the fabric of the World Cup like no one else’s, but this epic fairytale didn’t really have the best of beginnings. They had been comprehensively outplayed in the first two tournaments and were hell bent to change their fortunes in ’38.
Leading this charge was Leônidas da Silva – a young 24-year-old forward full of pace, agility, and incredible footballing skill. A pioneer of the ever entertaining bicycle kick, he was a goal-monger par excellence. It had been his goals (3 against Poland, one each in the draw and replay win – no penalties after extra time back then – against the Czech Republic) that had got them to the semi-final – where he faced defending champions and in-form team Italy.
Or he would have, had Adhemir Pimenta not decided to rest his star striker. Against the defending champions. Utterly confident that his team would swat aside Italy, Pimenta had up and decided that the man who had scored 5 of their 9 goals would not be needed against a team that was even then famous for being impossibly hard to break down.
Karma, as we all know, is quite a b*tch. And Pimenta paid the ultimate price for his hubris when masterminded by the great Vittorio Pozzo and inspired by the other-worldly genius of Giusseppe Meazza, the Italians ran the Brazilians ragged. Italy would go on to thrash Hungary in the finals and retain their crown. Pimenta meanwhile, brought back Leônidas for the third place match against Sweden, and the great Brazilian forward duly ripped the Scandinavians apart in a 3-2 win.
#6 Carlo Ancelotti playing Thierry Henry on the wings
Who? Carlo Ancelotti – Juventus manager
When? January 1999 – Serie A Winter Break
Where? Juventus, Turin
What Happened?
The Carlo Ancelotti we know today is the ultimate man-manager. A person capable of unearthing superstars and moulding teams according to the needs of the hour without comprising on individual talents. Transforming Andrea Pirlo into the deep lying playmaking genius he is today and building his Milan side around Kaka’s surreal talent are arguably his biggest high profile managerial masterstrokes.
All that man-management ability though was kickstarted in his ill-fated spell at Juventus where he recognised that Zinedine Zidane was just too good a player to be played on the wings in a 4-4-2 (his preferred, and only, formation at the time). You see, before the Zizou ‘moment of enlightenment’, Ancelotti was a bit of a hard-ass – his earliest sides paying homage to the darkest forms of Catennaccio. The English Premiership and a couple of London clubs would be ever so grateful that he was.
With Parma, his rigid approach and steadfast refusal to part with the 4-4-2 alienated the great Giafranco Zola (be thankful here Chelsea fans). He even refused to sign Roberto Baggio - Il Divin Codino having approached Parma himself, and he would later join Bologna and score more goals than Parma’s strikers (Chiesa and Crespo) combined.
When he replaced Lippi at Juventus, he carried with him the same philosophy - a philosophy that would ultimately lead to the eventual estrangement of the already disgruntled Thierry Henry. Ancelotti, to this day, admits that not recognizing Henry as a striker (and not the winger he had been playing as) was his biggest career mistake.
Had Monsieur Henry fired in those 228 goals in the black and white of the Old Lady, Ancelotti may well have never moved away from Turin – and Arsene Wenger may never have had his Invincibles.
#7 Argentina goes defensive against Germany in the World Cup quarterfinal
Who? Jose Pekerman Argentina manager
When? 30 June2006. World Cup quarter-final
Where? Olympiastadion, Berlin
What Happened?
Argentina had coasted through what had on paper looked like a tough group beating Ivory Coast well, drawing with ever-powerful Netherlands and obliterating Serbia and Montenegro (a game marked by one of the great team goals not for the sterile possession of the majority of the move, but the class of the final six minutes). Their pre-quarter clash with Mexico was a mini-classic and mouths the world over watered at the prospect of their quarter-final meeting with the resurgent hostsGermany.
They dominated the young(-ish) German team and took a deserved lead through a trademark thumping header from the great Roberto Ayala in the 49th minute. It looked for all the world like they were coasting but if youve read this far into this piece, you know the manager was going to do something stupid.
The withdrawal of Juan Ramon Riquelme in itself wasnt a bad move the magisterial playmaker hadnt been his usual self. But Esteban Cambiasso was never going to assert the kind of dominance in midfieldsome of his compatriots on the bench were capable of. Pekerman shot himself in the footby hauling off the ever-threatening Hernan Crespo and replacing him with the lumbering Julio Cruz.
Argentina had Cruz and Cambiasso on the pitch while Javier Saviola and Pablo Aimar (in the form of their lives) were on the bench, alongside a young kid from Rosario called Lionel Messi. Instead of killing off the opposition, Pekerman had taken the foot off the pedaland surrendered the intiative a Miroslav Klose finish in the 80th minute taking them to extra-time and penalties.
Germany. Penalties. Game over.
#8 Netherlands\' unbelievable substitution against Czech Republic in Euro 2004
Who?Dick Advocaat Netherlands manager
When?19 June 2004 Group stages of the Euros
Where?Estdio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro
What Happened?
In what would turn out to be arguably the greatest competitive international match ever played in the new millennium, the Czech Republic and Holland squared off in a thrilling, full-blooded encounter that was played at full pelt from the word go. The most influential man on the pitch that night played on the flanks for Holland a young left footed winger named Arjen Robben who set up the opening two goals of the match a Wilfred Zouma header and a typical Ruud van Nistelrooy tap-in.
Within a minute of Nistelrooys goal though, the Czechs had pulled one back with a goal from big Jan Koller. Karel Brckner immediately took off Zdenk Grygera (the right back had aged by about fifty years in the twenty odd minuteshe had faced Robben) and replaced him with Vladimir Smicer and switched his team to a 5-3-2, with Karel Poborsky now playing the role of a flying wingback.
Although there were chances at both ends, the score remained the same at halftime. The Czechs and their magical midfield were in the ascendancy, but Holland had Robben burning his tracks all across their wings and he had been looking scarily unstoppable for the entirety of the half.
Twelve minutes into the second half though, Dick Advocaat suddenly up and forgot he was Dutch, forgot he was coaching a team that had pioneered Total Football and had stood as a beacon of hope for lovers of flowing, attacking football everywhere. He went full Catennaccio, taking off a winger to bring on a bruising midfield enforcer in the shape of Paul Bosvelt.
This in itself was a mistake the Czechs two wingbacks leftmassive exploitable spaces behind them, and it was only the 56th minute for crying out loud but what was truly mind-numbing was the fact that he he had taken off the best player on the pitch. Almost instantly, the Czechs equalised.
They would go on to score another to seal a deserved triumph a triumph though that might never have happened had it not been for Advocaats incredible substitution!
#9 Liverpool surrender their advantage to Michael Ballack and Bayer Leverkusen
Who? Gerard Houllier – Liverpool manager
When? 9 April 2002 – Champions League quarter-final (second leg)
Where? BayArena, Leverkusen
What Happened?
2002 was supposed to be their year; it was supposed to be the year that Liverpool finally made it back up to the top of the dogpile. By April, they were within touching distance of the Premiership and had one foot into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
“Hopefully we are ten games from greatness…” Gerard Houllier, the man in charge of the Reds, had said before the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen (they led the Germans 1-0 from Anfield). With 60 minutes gone, and the score tied at one apiece (2-1 on aggregate), the Frenchman and his team were well on the way to indelibly etching their names into the golden history books of the Merseyside club.
Which is when Houllier made one of the great tactical errors of the Champions League era by taking off Dietmar Hamann and replacing him with Vladimir Smicer in a bid to inject more urgency slightly farther up the field (when they needed none). Almost immediately, the magisterial Mikael Ballack powered in a header to put Bayer ahead.
Without Hamann to hold their midfield together, Liverpool crumbled and they were completely overrun by the Ballack-inspired Germans. The game ended 4-2 after Dimitar Berbatov and Lucio scored wither side of a Jari Litmanen beauty.
That loss derailed the Merseysiders’ momentum in the league as well. And as has been the case for some time now, the season ended being another one to be filed in the rather large cabinet labelled “what if” in the Liverpudians’ office.
Greatness would have to wait for a lot longer than ten games.
#10 West ham reject a teenager named Kenny Dalglish
Who? Ron Greenwood – West Ham United manager
When? 1967 English League Pre-season
Where? Chadwell Heath, London
What Happened?
A lot of young, wispy thin boys come to trials at major football clubs. Ron Greenwood saw the young Scottish lad who had made the journey all the way from Glasgow to London to give a trial with the great West Ham United as one of those boys – not very special on the ball, and too lightweight to make it into the top grade.
The lad had also been rejected earlier by Liverpool – so why are we singling out Greenwood and the Hammers in this piece?
Well, that is because, after he had gotten his chance with his hometown club, Celtic – where he banged in goals for fun – the young Scot would be bought by Liverpool in a widely unpopular move at the time to replace club legend Kevin Keegan. He would go on to wear the no.7 with distinction – his incredible footballing ability kick starting the golden era of arguably the greatest English club side ever assembled.
We now know Kenny Dalglish – the West Ham reject – as King Kenny.
#11 Honourable mentions - The weird world of Football Chairmen
Who, When and Where? The Internazionale board (70s), Jack Walker of Blackburn Rovers (mid 90s), The Sheffield United board (78)
What Happened?
Take your pick from:-
Inter Milan Signed Giuseppe, the elder of two brothers while stating that the younger one should come back when he was older (and bigger). Their crosstown neighbors did no such thing however. Franco Baresi would grow to be one of the greatest defenders of all time.
Blackburn Rovers - Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?Oh Jack Walker, you arrogant fool. Sherwood would become a cult figure at Ewood park, but he was no Zizou now, was he?
Sheffield United - Refused to fund a 600,000 move for a young kid from Argentinos Juniors named Diego Armando Maradona. Maradona at Sheffield United. You should probably gohave a lie downnow.
