Hours after India host the first of their three friendlies against top-50 teams, Zinedine Zidane will end a long wait to be helm France. “Now he’s my national team coach. It’s like a film, but it’s amazing. It’s real,” said Kylian Mbappe. The season’s first international window, reshaped to a fortnight where countries can play a maximum of four matches, will also see Lionel Messi’s last dance – on the day India host Uruguay.
There’s more: Juergen Klopp returns refreshed after a break to revive Germany’s fortunes. First up, the Champions League, Bundesliga and Premier League winner will run into one who has lifted the World Cup and two European championship trophies: Xavi. Will the Spaniard’s first gig as Netherlands head coach also be about the three-time World Cup finalists adding some charisma to caution? For many followers of the Oranje that was the biggest disappointment from the World Cup.
New cycle
Like after every World Cup, a new cycle will begin as teams rebuild. So, enter 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan. The Philadelphia Union’s starlet is among eight teenagers in the USA squad. Or Jeremy Jacquet, who has made the France shortlist. It could also be about good teams getting better as world champions Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente has promised. After signing a new deal till 2032, de la Fuente has said that the world has not seen Spain’s best yet. England will be the first to find out what the sexagenarian means.
If 54 teams in Europe are participating in the Nations League, Africa will start the qualifications for the Cup of Nations in this window with 48 teams split into 12 groups. The winners of the last edition though remain undecided. That’s because Senegal are pleading their case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Like many teams, Senegal will start afresh under Patrick Vieira and without Sadio Mane. For new Belgium coach and former Dutch international Mark van Bommel, the window was made memorable by Xavi including his son Ruben. On 979 career goals and with the aim to score 1000, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo though continues to feature in Portugal’s plans as does Kevin de Bruyne for Belgium. And talking about golden oldies, Sardar Azmoun’s back.
Azmoun’s back
Depending on whom you believe, Azmoun was omitted from Iran’s World Cup plans either because he was injured or had upset the country’s government after posting a picture with a royal from UAE. It’s not the first time Azmoun had taken a political stance at odds with the establishment. Remember his support for those protesting at Masha Amini’s death?
But all that’s water under the bridge for Iran’s top scorer (57 goals in 91 matches). “Maybe after all these years and all these games, getting called up to the national team should be routine for me. But it isn’t. Today when I found out I was called up again, my happiness was just like the first time,” said the 31-year old.
Palestine and Yemen will be among the participants in the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia at a time of strife in the region. Geopolitics and football will also be in lockstep when Ireland play Israel with Ireland’s prime minister Micheal Martin backing his coach Heimir Hallgrimsson for saying they were against genocide.
Thomas Tuchel and Roberto Mancini will try to win back fans, the former after letting Argentina close out the World Cup semi-final with England barely having the ball and the latter for leaving the Italy post for a more lucrative, but shortlived, stint in Saudi Arabia.
“I think that when a fan feels betrayed, he has the right to be upset, and you have to accept it. I think to win them back, we must do things well and bring the national team back to where it belongs so things will settle,” said Mancini. Being European champions on his watch feels a like a false dawn given Italy’s continued failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Jamil’s test
In all this, enter India. For the first time the attention of former world champions will be on the team ranked 138th in the world. Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Forlan will be in Kolkata hoping to take the first steps to remedy a poor World Cup for Brazil and Uruguay. For Khalid Jamil it will be a test like no other, one that the India head coach told HT he was looking forward to.
It will also be the biggest match in the city that has adopted Sunil Chhetri as one of its own with the former India captain playing no part in it. It’s been nearly one year since he retired from international football but Chhetri said he is still not used to the idea of being just an India fan. So, yes it will be about beginnings and endings but also a lot more than that.