Dan Petrescu – the name still haunts me now – he skinned Graeme Le Socks to smash home the winner for Romania against England at the 1998 World Cup – meaning we had to face Argentina.
Since then Petrescu, after an affectionate love affair with Chelsea (a club that remained so much in his heart that he named his daughter after his beloved Blues), has gone on to become a widely respected coach.
His Unirea Urziceni came from behind and smashed Rangers 4-1, and it was his masterful tinkering, along with some dreadful own goals, that earned him the win. After Rangers went one up Petrescu, after just 17 minutes, took off a defender and went three up front – a brave decision away at Ibrox. It paid off and Unirea stand a good chance of reaching the next round, especially if their play on the pitch mirrors the attitude of their fearless coach.
He’s a no-nonsense manager – unafraid to ring the changes. Since he joined Unirea, the 41 year old has sold 24 players and bought 22 – only Epaminonda Nicu has survived Petrescu’s overhaul. He admits that the inspiration for his brutal tactics comes from Chelsea’s rivals – Manchester United – a club model based on “the manager, not the board, has the last word on who comes and goes”.
This tough approach has seen Petrescu guide his team, from a town of just seventeen thousand, to promotion from Romania’s second division to the Liga 1 title and Champions League football in just three years.
Okay I admit the Romanian League might not be the toughest in Europe but his ruthless tactics are just what some British teams need, with managers all too afraid to admit that they got it wrong from the offset. Look at Walter Smith on Tuesday night, a game that Ranges surely had to win at home and he started with one striker. Whilst he let it play out, his counterpart Petrescu realised that Rangers were there for the taking and bravely rung the changes.
Gareth Southgate is the latest conservative English manager to join the unemployed list, whilst Rafa Benitez’s policy of “never make a change before 60 minutes” has him with his back up against the wall.
Maybe its selfishness on my behalf – wanting to see more exciting, attacking football – but the gung-ho approach from managers is one that quite often pays off. After all fortune favours the brave – does it not?
Greats like Ferguson and Mourinho have never been afraid to change something if it’s not working. Ian Holloway has overhauled Blackpool into a play-off position, he has them playing attractive, attacking football. Since joining them this summer he has made drastic changes to the club – including moving from the training ground as he deemed it unfit.
But too often managers are afraid or too stubborn to admit they got it wrong and make a change – Petrescu’s fresh, no-nonsense approach could be exactly what teams such as Middlesbrough need. But don’t expect Petrescu to swap Champions League football for the Riverside any time soon – I have the feeling a bigger club awaits.
By Harry Hesp
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Attacking football is definitely what’s needed. I don’t want to see teams defending 1-0 leads, I want to see them trying to turn the 1-0 into a 2-0. I remember Arsenal playing 4-5-1 at home against Man United, scraping a 2-2 draw with a freak goal in the last minute, and then celebrating like they’d won the league, not got a 2-2 draw at home.
Could see him going to Chelsea in some kind of coaching role-perhaps similar to that Solskjaer has at Man United, he’d definitely have the respect of the players.