Aragones brushes off move talk

13 April 2012

Just when Spain was beginning to finally appreciate the virtues of Luis Aragones, its grumpiest of grumpy old men has once again found himself at the centre of unwanted drama at the moment the nation faces its biggest match for nearly quarter of a century in Vienna tonight.

To be fair to the fractious 69-year-old godfather of the Spanish game, he wasn't behind the unhelpful timing of the revelation that as soon as Euro 2008 is over he's off to become the new boss of Fenerbahce. Indeed, he ended up responding defensively yesterday: "I haven't signed anything for anybody."

Except everybody now believes it's a done deal, with most in Spain apparently seeing the Istanbul club's announcement more as part of a Turkish plot to destabilise them before Sunday's final - a pointless one in light of last night's other semi-final result.

Yet as Arsene Wenger noted when asked whether news of Chelsea's capture of Luiz Felipe Scolari might have contributed to Portugal's downfall: "News like that can't give something to a team, it can only take something away."

Aragones boomed "it won't affect my team whatsoever". Others aren't so sure. Unbeaten in 20 games and having already smashed tonight's opponents, Russia, 4-1 in their group encounter, it's all been going far too smoothly for regular watchers of Spanish self-destruction at major championships.

Even more surprisingly, the coaching of Aragones, 70 next month and the oldest man ever to lead a team into the last four, has suddenly become the subject of the sort of unstinting praise that his opponent tonight, Guus Hiddink, has long been accustomed to.

"Given that Luis had been heavily criticised in Spain's worst moments, it's only fair now to recognise his courage and how he's responsible for the team's success," said his compatriot, Tottenham boss Juande Ramos. Fair enough, considering that, previously, Aragones's four-year reign has been more notable for its ugliness - from the racially abusive comments about Thierry Henry to his embarrassing public rows with supporters - than for any success.

Yet the one thing which links him inextricably with Hiddink is that he commands not just respect but affection from his players. Andriy Arshavin said: "Guus gave us more freedom, he believes in us, he trusts us and that's why we play better."

Yet if the man who's arguably the world's best coach manages after just two years to overcome outright hostility from Russian coaches and steer a directionless team with no self-belief to the final of the European Championships, then it will top any of his previous outlandish feats.

Hiddink is cautious, though. "It's the first time our players have had to face three really tough games in a row; Spain are used to this but I wonder if we can maintain this level of quality and intensity," he said. If they can, Euro 2008 is in for yet another special treat.

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