HeartOfFootball

Heart of Football: Coaches pick the team but players win matches

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At last, we have evidence that it is players and not coaches who win matches.

Following the hysteria over the Spanish federation doing the right and proper thing by sacking the national coach who went behind its back to sign for Real Madrid and break a two-year contract extension penned less than a month ago, it was reported as if the players had been rendered orphans.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 17, 2018, with the headline Coaches pick the team but players win matches. Subscribe