Former Chile No. 2 wants Singapore football coaching job
Ricardo Lunari is eager to embark on a fresh challenge: Lifting the Singapore national football team out of its doldrums.
SINGAPORE — He enjoyed a successful career as a midfielder before hanging up his boots, and subsequently spent years studying and working with world-renowned football guru Marcelo Bielsa, who has been dubbed the “best manager in the world” by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.
Now, Ricardo Lunari is eager to embark on a fresh challenge: Lifting the Singapore national football team out of its doldrums.
The 48-year-old Argentine, who was assistant to Bielsa with the Chile national team in 2007, told TODAY that he submitted his application for the Lions coaching job to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) earlier this month.
The job was previously held by V Sundramoorthy, who stepped down as head coach in April after two years at the helm. Last week, Fandi Ahmad was appointed interim coach until after the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup campaign in November.
A midfielder who won the Argentina league with Club Atletico Newell’s Old Boys in 1992, Lunari returned to the club as its head coach in 2014, where he managed star players such as David Trezeguet, Ever Banega, Gabriel Heinze and Maxi Rodriguez.
Lunari’s playing and coaching career has taken him to countries such as Bolivia, Chile, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Venezuela, but he has never worked in Asia. Despite his lack of experience in Asian football, Lunari is confident that he can make a difference.
“I believe I have the expertise and experience to be the head coach of the Singapore national team, and I’m confident I can make a big difference and turn the Lions into a team that all Singaporeans can be fiercely proud of,” said the father of two in an interview with TODAY.
“I have yet to visit Singapore, but I know it is a beautiful and developed football-mad nation.
“This is a great opportunity to take my football philosophy to a new country, experience a whole new culture, build something from scratch, and try and make football history. This is the kind of project that excites me.”
‘HIGH INTENSITY’ FOOTBALL
According to Lunari, his submission to the FAS laid out a four-year plan that promised to deliver a style of high intensity football, a conveyor belt of young players feeding into the senior team, and overseas opportunities that would open doors for local players.
“In these four years, I’ll work to lead Singapore up the Fifa rankings and put up a good showing during World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022,” said Lunari.
“For a start, my main objective would be to enhance and improve the players, step by step, and get them accustomed to playing high intensity football – which is a trademark of great teams like Chile.”
Lunari was the assistant coach of Chile in 2007 before he left Bielsa’s backroom team to strike out on his own. He went on to coach club sides in Bolivia, Chile and Columbia, and he was last employed in a brief stint with Bolivian league team Club Blooming.
His mentor Bielsa is regarded as a coaching inspiration for many of the world’s top coaches. The 62-year-old’s influence on his Newell’s Old Boys title-winning team of 1992 saw several of his players becoming distinguished coaches, including Tottenham Hotspur’s Mauricio Pochettino, former Barcelona and Argentina head coach Gerado Martino, and former Sevilla coach Eduardo Berrizo.
Lunari wants to make the same impact on international football with Singapore.
“I won the league with Bielsa at Newell’s Old Boys and worked as a coach under him, so he’s a big influence,” said Lunari.
“The Bielsa way of training is methodical and customised for each player, with an emphasis on high work rate and youth.”
Currently No 172 on the Fifa rankings, Singapore endured a wretched international record during Sundram’s two-year tenure. The Lions won just three out of 23 "A" international matches, with 15 defeats and five draws. Winless for the entire 2017 season, the team scored a paltry 14 goals.
Former head coach Sundram was also criticised for his overly cautious approach on the field. Lunari vowed that fans would see a different side of the Lions if he gets the job.
“I want to turn the Singapore national team into an offensive, aggressive, and balanced team that have no fear when looking for the goal.
“This approach may be rather different from what the Singapore national team had experienced the past few years. But if we don’t take risk on the pitch, be enterprising and entertain, it would be against the very spirit of the game.”
WHAT HE SEES AS THE PROBLEM
After hearing about the Lions’ vacancy from a Singaporean contact, Lunari did some research on the team before sending in his application. While admitting that he is yet to possess encyclopedic knowledge of Singapore’s football landscape, Lunari said he has learnt enough to know that “there are a lot of urgent issues to address”.
“Not enough young, quality local players coming through the system, that’s one of your major problems,” said the Argentine.
“My suggestion is to create a strong Under-20 League, with at least three Under-23 players playing in the Singapore Premier League in every match.”
Earlier this year, the FAS decided to scrap the long-running Prime League, which was a competition for Under-21 players.
Currently, the Singapore Premier League already requires each local club to recruit at least six Under-23 footballers for its squad, with a minimum of three Under-23 players to feature in the starting 11 for each match.
Lunari is one of several applicants for the head coach job. The FAS confirmed that it had received applications from former England players Terry Butcher and Tony Adams.
Other names reportedly keen are former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen, ex-Bradford City defender Ashley Westwood, and former Thailand coach Kiatisuk Senamuang.
For now, Lunari will be at next month’s Russia World Cup working as a technical analyst for Chile. He told TODAY that he has rejected club offers from Argentina, Bolivia, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Spain – in hope of getting a call from FAS.
He said: “If the FAS needs me, I am ready to take the job immediately.”
