Name : Aime Jacquet
Date of Birth: 27 November 1941
Birthplace: Sail-sous-Couzan, France
A happy ending for quiet man Jacquet and Les Bleus
[AP] |
After being criticised, lampooned and even insulted before being acclaimed
and eventually adored, Aim¨¦ Jacquet can truly say he traversed the full spectrum
of managerial experiences during his four years in charge of the French national
team. He took up the reins at a time when the position was regarded as something
of a poison chalice, with Les Bleus having spectacularly botched their attempt
to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA.
Once in charge, he soon set his sights on world supremacy and duly
accomplished his mission. And then rather than use his success to tout his
services to the highest bidder, he simply moved upstairs and took control of
France¡¯s national training system. Fitting for a quiet man who sent an entire
nation into ecstasy in 1998 and whose dignified appearance conceals an intense
and studious passion for the game he has made his life.
A natural ability
Long before that unforgettable summer when he guided his country to the top
of the world, Jacquet had already enjoyed the sort of playing career that many
only dream about. A resilient defensive midfielder, he was part of the great
Saint Etienne team of the late 1960s and earned his place in French footballing
lore by helping Les Verts win five league titles and three French Cups in his
eleven years at the fabled club. In 1973, he finally left the Forez and signed
for bitter regional rivals Lyon, with whom he ended his playing career.
Having been heavily influenced by the legendary coaches he worked under at
Saint Etienne - men such as Jean Snella, Albert Batteux and Robert Herbin - it
was only natural that Jacquet sought to turn his hand to management. His first
chance to impose his vision of how football should be played came by the banks
of the Garonne, where he took over at Bordeaux. He promptly guided the Bordelais
to the most successful decade of their history, during which they were crowned
champions three times, picked up the French Cup twice and reached two European
semi-finals and one quarter-final. Unsurprisingly, Jacquet became a highly
respected figure among both players and peers.
Right man for France
After his stint at Bordeaux, Jacquet opted to fine-tune his theories and
training ideas with less illustrious clubs, starting with Montpellier before
moving on to Nancy, where a certain Michel Platini first captured the attention
of the football world. However, as someone who is by nature discreet, he then
decided it was time to withdraw from the limelight and, in 1991, accepted a post
with the National Technical Training Centre (Direction Technique Nationale),
where he worked to develop French football more or less behind the scenes. On 15
July 1992, however, he was appointed assistant to then national team manager
G¨¦rard Houllier.
Les Bleus had just completed a disastrous venture to the European
Championships in Sweden and one year later would embark on a nightmarish run
that saw them blow qualification for USA 94 by capitulating at home to Israel
(2-3) and Bulgaria (1-2). After that disaster, public confidence in the team
fell to almost subterranean levels, and few believed France would achieve
anything of note despite hosting the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. A new manager
was needed, someone who would build afresh and infuse a crestfallen squad with
renewed confidence. A mighty task, one that not many could be expected to
accomplish. The French Football Federation decided the best course of action
would be to hire someone from within their own ranks: Aim¨¦ Jacquet stood head
and shoulders above anyone else.
He took to this sizable challenge with relish, slowly but surely overhauling
the wounded French squad. He showed he knew how to be tough, but also that he
was capable of putting a comforting arm around players when required. Whatever
approach he opted for, the goal was always the same -- to build a better team.
The fruit of the new boss¡¯s labours were discernible as early as his first match
in charge (versus Italy in Naples on 16 February 1994), when a side playing with
new-found heart and verve triumphed 1-0 thanks to a Youri Djorkaeff strike.
Zidane becomes the one
The major foundation of this new French team¡¯s success was, however, laid in
late summer of 1994 when, in the 63rd minute of a friendly match that the French
were losing 2-0 to the Czech Republic, Jacquet gave an international debut to a
22 year-old Bordeaux player by the name of Zin¨¦dine Zidane. Thirty minutes and
two goals later, Zidane had untangled Les Bleus from a decidedly sticky
situation, turning probable defeat into a creditable draw and introducing
himself on the international scene in spectacular fashion.
At that time, the team¡¯s play-making duties were still falling to Eric
Cantona, a gifted maverick but one whose character tried the patience of more
than one boss. On 18 January 1995, Jacquet took a bold decision and, in the face
of much criticism, handed Zidane the place that had hitherto been the preserve
of the man Manchester United fans called ¡®Le Roi.¡¯
At the Euros, building up to 1998
Having topped their qualifying group, France went in to EURO 96 as one of the
favourites for overall glory. Though his side somewhat failed to live up to that
billing - going out on penalties in the semi-final to the tournament's surprise
package, the Czech Republic - Jacquet learned enough from the English expedition
to put out an even stronger side for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
He used the following two years of friendly matches to do just that. His
focus was clear and his moves deliberate, yet a sceptical media poured scorn on
his "tinkering"; some press commentators went even further and rather than
concentrate on his decisions or technical merits preferred to assail the man for
his quiet and introverted personality. Jacquet never sunk to this baiting, and
instead continued to work towards his target, which was not just to perform well
in "France's" FIFA World Cup, but to win it.
