Saudi Arabia have beaten Argentina at the World Cup under one-time Cambridge United coach Herve Renard. HITC Football has taken a look at the Green Falcon manager’s career.
Coaching in the Middle East is a far shout from his days in League Two almost two decades ago. But it is where Renard calls home since The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) hired the 54-year-old in 2019. The Green Falcon bid on him repeating his Morocco success.
So far its decision has paid off with Renard guiding Saudi Arabia into the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Arabian Peninsula country pipped Japan by a point to win Group B and book their place. They won seven and lost one of 10 third-round Asian Football Confederation games.
Saudi Arabia’s reward for reaching a sixth World Cup was a place in Group C in Qatar. And they have now beaten Lionel Messi and Argentina at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in their first fixture. Poland follows for the Green Falcon on the 26th before facing Mexico on the 30th.
Saudi Arabia stun Argentina to win their first game at 2022 World Cup under Renard
Saudi Arabia arrived in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup under Renard to face the #3-ranked nation in Argentina. FIFA only ranked the Green Falcon in 51st before the tournament. Yet it was the Arabian Peninsula nation that emerged triumphant over the South Americans.
Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead after only 10 minutes when the iconic attacker sent his penalty into the back of the net. La Albiceleste continued to create chances over the first-half, too. Yet the assistant ruled out Messi and Lautaro Martinez’s (twice) goals for offside.
Saleh Al-Shehri drew the Green Falcon level just first three minutes into the second period from an acute angle. Firas Al-Buraikan fed the ball through to the forward, who seized on Cristiano Romero’s indecision to drill the ball home. Salem Al Dawsari then got the winner.
Al Dawsari rewarded Saudi Arabia for their defensive work to secure a shock win over one of the pre-tournament favourites. He brought the ball down before beating two defenders to score a superb solo effort. Mohammed Al Owais was also in inspired form in their goal.
The SAFF will hope Renard can now lead its national side out of the group stage having not reached the knockout rounds since 1994. Saudi Arabia have crashed out at the first hurdle in all four of their appearances on the global stage since a last 16 tie on debut in the USA.
Who is the Saudi Arabia manager at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Herve Renard?
Saudi Arabia marked Renard’s 13th position as a manager since first standing in the dugout at SC Draguignan in 1999. The French club handed the tactician his debut in coaching after just a year out of the game following his retirement in 1998. He only ever played in France.
It was at Draguignan that Renard brought the curtain down on his playing days, as well. He joined the club from Stade de Vallauris in 1997 and enjoyed a season in the southeastern corner of his home nation. Before that, the former centre-back had six years with Vallauris.
Another lengthy spell also marked Renard’s career before joining Vallauris after five years at AS Cannes. But his coaching career has not featured as many lengthy tenures at any team. The average length of Renard’s time in any position has only been one-and-a-half seasons.
Renard enjoyed instant success in coaching, though, after guiding Draguignan to back-to-back promotions. His attractive brand of football and management style caught the eye of Claude LeRoy, who lured the Frenchman with him to China as his assistant at SH COSCO.
LeRoy – AC Milan’s director of football in 1996 and at Paris Saint-Germain from 1997-98 – left his job at RC Strasbourg Alsace to take over the club now known as Beijing Chengfeng. But just two years later and Renard was back in Europe, rocking up at Cambridge United.
Cambridge United brought Herve Renard back to Europe in 2003
Cambridge United offered Renard and LeRoy a way back to Europe in 2003 after SH COCO sacked the pair. Yet LeRoy would only stand in the dugout until the Christmas celebrations were over. Renard took over the reins in the New Year and his style once again impressed.
Results were not there for Renard as he lost 14 and won five of 26 games in the fourth-tier at Cambridge United. But his coaching left a lasting impression and saw the U’s earn £250k when John Ruddy joined Everton in 2005 following a trial period with Manchester United.
“Herve was a massive part of my career because I don’t think many managers would have given a 17-year-old the opportunity – especially as I had only started going in goal at 14,” Ruddy recalled to The Guardian in 2018.
“Not only was I inexperienced at first-team level but also in goalkeeping terms in general. The first 15 minutes of my debut I could hardly take a goal-kick I was that nervous. But Herve was very good at making you feel like you were good enough.”
Renard’s ideas could now be described as being ahead of their time over his spell in charge of Cambridge United. Ruddy added in 2018 how pre-season under the Frenchman was still ‘the hardest one I have ever done’.
“[Renard was] very determined to make sure people knew exactly what was expected of them,” Ruddy added. “I think the way he wanted to play at the time was very different to what was ever tried in League Two and would probably be more suited to today’s styles.”
Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard was ahead of his time at Cambridge United
It was not just his style of play that set Renard apart from the rest of the managers around in the English fourth-tier in the early 2000s. He also put a great amount of focus on his player’s diets and put an emphasis on sports science with sauces banned to limit fat percentages.
Ultimately, though, the bulk of the squad was not up to the standards he required for his approach. Renard’s transfers – mostly French imports – also struggled to get to grips with the fourth-tier of English football. Some, like Sully Seychelles, did not play in a single game.
In the end, Cambridge United and Renard parted ways in May 2004 after just half a season in charge. And then started the nomadic journey the Aix-les-Bains native – born to a Polish mum and grandparents – endured before Renard took over the Saudi Arabia national side.
A short stint at Nam Dinh FC in Vietnam followed later in 2004 before joining AS Cherbourg in France from 2005 to 2007. Then the international stage and Le Roy came calling again as he became an assistant coach for Ghana. Yet he only stayed in the position for 10 months.
Renard jumped shipped to take over the Zambia side from 2008 to 2010 before landing in the Angola hot seat. He briefly returned to club management at USM Alger in 2011 before another stint as Zambia’s head coach until 2013. Then came seven months at FC Sochaux.
Herve Renard showed the method in his madness with Zambia and Ivory Coast
Renard showed there was method in his madness with Zambia as the Chipolopolo reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in 2010. The Frenchman’s later return to the helm also preceded the southern African nation beating Ivory Coast to win the 2012 AFCON final.
It was Zambia’s first – and so far only – AFCON title after an 8-7 victory on penalties. But it would not prove enough to prevent the Chipolopolo sacking Renard in 2013 after Zambia crashed out of the 2013 AFCON in the group stage. They had failed to win a single fixture.
Renard would yet again return to Africa to coach on the international stage between 2014 and 2015 with Ivory Coast. And in doing so, he made Zambia regret sacking the 54-year-old as the Frenchman led Les Elephants to AFCON glory in 2015. Their second and last title yet.
Victory at the 2015 AFCON also saw Renard become the first manager to win the title with two different nations. It is a record he still holds alone. But then came six months and just 14 games for Renard at LOSC Lille. He only managed to take three wins in all competitions.
Failing to take his AFCON heroics to Ligue 1 saw Renard head to North Africa in 2016 and take over Morocco. His tenure would last through to 2019 and taking the Saudi Arabia job after 45 games. He also proved a hit with the Atlas Lions following 25 wins and nine draws.
Morocco climbed 34 spots in the FIFA world rankings under Herve Renard
Morocco climbed 34 spots in the FIFA world rankings during Renard’s tenure from 81st to 47th. He also took the Atlas Lions to a World Cup for the first time in 20 years by qualifying for Russia 2018. But the Frenchman resigned in 2019 after exiting AFCON after the last 16.
A 5-2 defeat in the first knockout stage game to Benin stunned Morocco, an early favourite for the 2019 title. Renard also only managed to take a point at the 2018 World Cup in a 2-2 draw with Spain. Morocco lost 1-0 to Iran and to Portugal in Russia to finish last in Group B.
Renard has now returned to a FIFA World Cup at Qatar 2022 as Saudi Arabia manager. The Green Falcon had won 16 and drawn 10 of their 31 matches under him in all competitions before the tournament. One of the stalemates was a 0-0 draw with the USA in September.
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