Five World Cup coaches to watch

Soccer Betting Lines

05/26/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is no grander stage on which to make a name for yourself than the World Cup, whether it is as a player or a coach.

A successful campaign can lead to a lucrative job offer, or it can cement a reputation for coming up big when it matters most.

On the flip side, underachieving in the World Cup will cost a coach his job, and likely lead to a number of lower-profile offers for years to come - just ask former France head coach Roger Lemerre.

With that in mind, here are five men who have a chance to either enhance their legacy, or do irreparable damage to it in the coming weeks.

JAVIER AGUIRRE (MEXICO):

Aguirre has been down this road before. Back in 2002 he was handed the job of rescuing Mexico's faltering qualifying bid, and came through. He then led El Tri to the top of a tough group that included Italy, Croatia and Ecuador before they bowed out in the second round to the United States.

The USA loss obviously wasn't well-received, but after a few successful stints in Spain on the club level with Osasuna and Atletico Madrid, the Mexican federation once again summoned Aguirre to save their sagging World Cup hopes.

Aguirre's team proceeded to win five of its last six games in qualifying, and with as strong a team as Mexico has seen in years, he will be expected to improve upon his last World Cup result.

Mexico is one of only four teams to qualify for the knockout round in each of the past four World Cups, but they haven't been able to get past that next hurdle.

France looms as the biggest threat to Mexico in Group A, but a failure to win the group will likely mean a second-round match with Argentina, which could spell the end of Mexico's tournament at the same spot as the previous four World Cups.

DIEGO MARADONA (ARGENTINA):

Even to this day, the name Maradona is synonymous with greatness. He was one of the best players the world has ever seen, and despite numerous off-the-field transgressions, which include drug addiction and tax trouble, he is still the most beloved figure in Argentina.

Blessed with a loaded roster that includes all-world talents Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, among others, Argentina is expected to make a deep run in this summer's competition. But what happens to the legend of Maradona if he fails miserably?

Argentina had quite a tough time just getting to South Africa as they finished fourth in the CONMEBOL region, and while Maradona knows what it is like to reach the final of the World Cup as a player, it is another thing entirely to lead a team there as a coach.

He may have helped the country win its last World Cup in 1986, but he sorely lacks big-time coaching experience and you wouldn't favor him trying to match tactics with the likes of Fabio Capello at England or Italy's Marcello Lippi.

Great players don't often make great coaches, and if Maradona fails to produce the kind of results this roster says he should, his god-like status may be in jeopardy.

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON (IVORY COAST):

Eriksson will be taking part in his third consecutive World Cup as a manager, but after leading England to successive quarterfinal appearances he endured a brief and disastrous stint in charge of Mexico before joining the Ivory Coast just a few months ago.

The Swede brings plenty of experience to the position after coaching on the club level in England, Italy and Portugal and claiming the 1982 UEFA Cup title with Swedish side Goteborg in the early part of his career.

But Eriksson received criticism in England for failing to take the Three Lions further than the last eight, while he was sacked after less than a year in charge of Mexico as his team struggled early in qualifying.

Now, Eriksson will be trying to restore a reputation for underachieving on the national team level with a talented Ivory Coast team that was the trendy pick of many to become the first African side to reach the semifinals.

The team has plenty of talent with players like Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Yaya Toure, but a tough group that includes Brazil and Portugal as well as the fact that Eriksson has had precious little time to make his mark on the team could spell an early exit.

And another disappointing campaign from an Eriksson-led team.

MARCELO BIELSA (CHILE):

It has been eight years since Bielsa was in charge of the Argentina side that failed to escape the group stage in the 2002 World Cup, and this summer's tournament will offer him a chance at redemption.

The 54-year-old has developed a reputation for being a great tactical manager based on his intensive film study, and he will be trying to enhance his already sizeable popularity by helping Chile reach the second round in its first World Cup appearance in 12 years.

Bielsa's side played an attractive attacking style in qualifying, scoring 32 goals in 18 matches, and outside of group favorite Spain, Chile will be competing with Switzerland and Honduras for a spot in the next round.

Chile has reached the knockout round twice in seven previous World Cup appearances and if they are to get to their third, Bielsa's tactics and leadership will be a big reason why.

The team does not possess an overabundance of talent, but they do have an incredibly dedicated coach who is determined to erase the memory of 2002.

RADOMIR ANTIC (SERBIA):

After leading Serbia to its first-ever appearance in the World Cup, Antic is in position to make more history by taking the team past the group stage.

Serbia is in one of the toughest groups in the tournament with Germany, Australia and Ghana, but it has proven to be a side that is capable of competing with the world's best after finishing ahead of France in qualifying.

Antic has gotten the best out of his players since taking the job in 2008, posting a 15-4-1 mark, and his team will be tested every step of the way with three tough games in the group stage.

His resume is impressive with stints at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid among others, including a league and cup double with Atletico in 1996.

Those high-profile jobs should prepare him for the pressure of the World Cup, but his lack of recent experience is a big question mark.

Since a brief two-month spell in charge of Celta Vigo in 2004, Antic took the next four years off before taking over Serbia.

His ability to coach is not in doubt, but he must be on top of his game if he wants to avoid a short stay in South Africa.

Wwgbrowser Soccer Betting News

<< World Cup 2010 Preview: Familiar face leading Algeria
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Algeria is gearing up for its third-ever World Cup with a familiar face leading the way. Coach Rabah Saadane, who also coached the team 24 years ago in its last World Cup appearance in Mexico, is at t

<< Ladies Classic to be night race in 2010
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The bright lights of Louisville will be the scene for this year's running of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on Friday, November 5. The concluding racing of the first day of the 2010 Breeder

<< World Cup 2010 Preview: Chile a dark horse in South Africa
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chile qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, as former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa transformed the country into a dark horse in this summer's tournament in South Africa. Bielsa, nick

<< Magic's Rashard Lewis playing with viral infection
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis says he has been playing with a viral infection during the Eastern Conference finals.Lewis said after the Magic's shootaround Wednesday that he's been sick the ``whole series'' against the Bost

<< Super Bowl may get name for Giants-Jets stadium
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Being chosen to host the Super Bowl in 2014 may help the Giants and Jets finally get a new name for their $1.6 billion stadium.Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, the owners of the teams say the selection of the stad

Senators re-sign G Mike Brodeur >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators re-signed goaltender Mike Brodeur to a one-year, two-way contract Wednesday. Brodeur appeared in three games for Ottawa last season, his first time seeing action in the NHL. In those ga

Rangers sign Norwegian forward >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with forward Mats Zuccarello Aasen, a native of Norway who played in both the 2010 Winter Olympics and World Hockey Championship. Zuccarello Aasen has also played for

Mihajlovic in line for Inter post >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Catania manager Sinisa Mihajlovic handed in his resignation at the Stadio Angelo Massimino-based club on Tuesday. The former Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter Milan defender guided the unfashionable Sicilian outf

U.S. names final 23 man roster >>
Bristol, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States national soccer team coach Bob Bradley announced his final 23-man roster for the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa on Wednesday afternoon. There were few surprises in the selections af

Guidolin confirmed as new Udinese boss >>
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese have confirmed that Francesco Guidolin has penned a two-year deal to become the club's new coach following the departure of Pasquale Marino. Guidolin, who was at the helm of the Udine-based

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.