Lyon: Chris Coleman has ruled out ever managing England or any other national team and believes that he will again have to work abroad to realise an ambition of leading a Champions League club.
Wales’s achievement at Euro 2016 means that Coleman has joined Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables as only the fourth British manager to reach the semi-final of an international -tournament, but he is still quite pessimistic about his future club opportunities in the United Kingdom.
The Football Association has begun the process of searching for Roy Hodgson’s successor as England manager but Coleman is adamant that it is a job he could never contemplate accepting. “It’s something that would never, ever enter my thinking,” he said. “I’m a Welshman through and through. It would only ever be Wales.”
Coleman has extended his contract with Wales until the end of the 2018 World Cup campaign but, after spells as a club manager with Fulham, Real Sociedad, Coventry City and Larissa, he does not expect to go back into the Premier League.
“I quite fancy the chance of going abroad again, because I think that’s my best chance of managing Champions League football,” he said.
“If we’re being honest, Champions League football in the Premier League, you’re talking about the top, big, massive clubs and it’s not something I think I’d get linked with. So, my best chance of managing Champions League football would be abroad and it’s an ambition of mine. To manage another country? No, I wouldn’t. That’s not something I would consider.” Coleman’s repeated message on Sunday was that his focus must only be the challenge of Portugal in the semi-final of Euro 2016 on Wednesday.
He warned his players that they would have no chance of reaching the final if they were in any way -satisfied simply with their achievement so far.
“If we go into the next one and think ‘this tournament is so nice and haven’t we done so well’, his lot [looking at a Portuguese journalist] will turn us over,” he said.
“It would be over before we kick a ball. We have a huge chance here. It is not easy to take the emotion out of the situation. We can’t let it control us. If it does we are dead in the water. It is new territory for us. You can either be blinded by the lights, shrink, and crawl back into the -corner to wherever we came from. Or you can have a bit of belief in yourself and prepare to stand up for your identity.” Coleman was also dismissive of any suggestion that his players might be inhibited or frightened by the occasion. “What is the fear?” said Coleman.
“Fear, to me, is put into people from outside influences and you can spend so much time concentrating on what you don’t want to happen rather than on exactly what you want to do.
“Believe in it, and go and do it. If mistakes come, they come. We’ll go into it as the underdogs, no problem at all. The future for us can be even better. You gain confidence every match. You get game hardened the longer you’re here. It’s incredibly tough and intense, but your body and mind gets used to it.” One big concern for Wednesday is the suspensions of both Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies following two soft bookings apiece in the five matches before the semi-final. Coleman believes that not only is the rule “harsh” given the intensity of the games but that Ramsey was unfairly penalised.
“Eden Hazard picked the ball up and started bouncing it with his hand and didn’t get a yellow card,” he said.
“It is what it is. We just want to make sure Ben and Aaron are proud of the team.” James Collins is expected to replace Davies in central defence, while Jonny Williams, Andy King or Dave Edwards could occupy Ramsey’s midfield position. Coleman will not change his 3-4-2-1 system and admitted that he already knew his starting XI.
“Aaron and Ben would be a loss to any team,” he said. “The other guys have worked hard and it’s not a bad one to get a start in a semi-final of major tournament. I have no worries about whoever steps in.”
