Dalić Faces the Biggest Challenge of His Career
Former coach Srećko Juričić, who spent years working in the Middle East, warns that expectations are enormous and that the history of Croatian coaches there offers important lessons.
Former coach Srećko Juričić, who spent years working in the Middle East, warns that expectations are enormous and that the history of Croatian coaches there offers important lessons.
Zlatko Dalić is expected to officially take over the United Arab Emirates national team soon, bringing with him an entire Croatian coaching staff. While awaiting formal confirmation, the football public is already analyzing the challenges facing the former Croatian coach. Particularly interesting insight comes from Srećko Juričić (71), a man who spent nearly two decades working in that part of the world.
Juričić, now head of professional affairs at Rijeka, recalled his own experience from 1995 when the legendary Tomislav Ivić became the coach of the Emirates. "Tomislav Ivić became the coach of the United Arab Emirates in 1995 and called me to join as his assistant. The staff also included Rizah Mešković, a former Hajduk goalkeeper, and Željko Mijač," Juričić told Sportske novosti.
The parallels with today's situation are inevitable. "Reading that Dalić is bringing Dražen Ladić, Branko Ivanković, Igor Bišćan for the youth team, and others, I remembered the first such project that the Emiratis entrusted to Croats about thirty years ago," he added. Juričić himself later became the head coach of the UAE senior team in 1999, and he worked in the region until 2012, also leading the national teams of Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen, as well as numerous clubs.
Juričić openly discusses the pressure awaiting Dalić. He emphasizes that the Emiratis have three key competitions where they demand results. "They have three main competitions, the Gulf Cup, the Asian Cup, and the World Cup. All three are very important to them. The ultimate goal is the World Cup, but they will certainly also look at results in the other two," he explained.
The UAE have appeared at the World Cup only once, back in 1990, and have won the Gulf Cup in 2007 and 2013. "In every country there, the Gulf Cup is important. They expect to be winners. Then there's the Asian Cup, where they haven't achieved anything significant for about ten years; they will expect that now, with a proper coach, things will be better than usual, and the ultimate dream is to go to the World Cup," Juričić said.
Although he believes Dalić will receive all necessary support, Juričić warns about a key characteristic of the environment he will be working in. "I believe Dalić will get everything that can be provided. The program he offers will secure him everything, but in the end, they will look at results. In one of those three tournaments, they want to be dominant," he said.
What is particularly concerning is the well-known temperament of the employers. "Even here, a coach can get fired quickly, but they are known for losing patience fast and can change the coach in an instant," Juričić emphasized. Nevertheless, he believes that Dalić's reputation and the respect he enjoys in the Emirates could extend his tenure. "I believe our team, led by Dalić, will stay longer, knowing their work and how much people in the Emirates appreciate them. They will believe in them. Of course, up to a certain point."
Dalić's great advantage, Juričić believes, is his experience working in the region and the innate adaptability of Croatian coaches. "His advantage is that he has experience working in those areas. He can lead the Emirates national team the same way he led Croatia. He can adapt while maintaining discipline in his own way," he said.
Juričić points out that working conditions differ drastically from European ones. "Besides that, training is done in the evening due to the heat, and during the holy month of Ramadan, there's a special regime; they fast, and you have to get used to when they can eat and when to train. There are quite a few differences," he noted. Despite everything, he is confident that Dalić will manage, just as he did with the Croatian national team.
Juričić is aware of the magnitude of the task ahead of Dalić. "If you ask whether this is a coaching challenge, yes, it's a big coaching challenge. Why? Because he was very successful with the Croatian national team, and they expect him to repeat that with the Emirates. Not to reach the World Cup final, but to qualify. It will be difficult for him because many coaches have tried to achieve great results in those regions, and not many have succeeded," concluded the former coach.
