Coach Harry Kewell: Famous on the field, struggling as a coach

(Dan Tri) - Harry Kewell is one of the greatest talents that Australian football has ever produced. During his playing career, he won the UEFA Champions League. But his coaching career has been quite bumpy.

A flourishing football career

In 2005, midfielder Harry Kewell and Liverpool FC (England) created one of the greatest comebacks in UEFA Champions League history. The English team was 3-0 down in the first half of the final against AC Milan (Italy), but they equalized 3-3 in the second half, then won in the penalty shootout.

In that season, Harry Kewell suffered from persistent injuries, but he still contributed to a few important matches for Liverpool and was a member of the "Red Brigade" that won the European Championship.

Harry Kewell was introduced as the coach of Hanoi FC from the afternoon of October 4 (Photo: Hanoi FC).

In 2007, Harry Kewell and Liverpool once again reached the UEFA Champions League final. They met AC Milan again in the championship match. This time, the English team from the Port City lost 1-2.

Still, with a UEFA Champions League trophy and a runner-up finish, Harry Kewell remains one of the most successful Australian players in European competition history.

For his national team, Harry Kewell made 58 appearances for the Socceroos (the nickname of the Australian team), between 1996 and 2012, scoring 17 goals.

Also playing for the national team, this midfielder and the kangaroo team reached the round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup, only to lose 0-1 to Italy in this stage. Italy later won the World Cup. This was also one of two times the Socceroos reached the knockout stage of the World Cup (the other time in 2022).

A bumpy coaching career

Despite his great success as a player, Harry Kewell has had a difficult time transitioning to coaching. The former Australian football star has been a professional coach since 2017 (3 years after his retirement from playing), mainly leading lower-league clubs in England.

In 2023, Harry Kewell decided to go to Asia to find a new challenge with Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan). This is also the most famous team he has ever coached.

Harry Kewell has had a difficult career as a coach (Photo: AFP).

Harry Kewell led the Japanese team to the final of the AFC Champions League. However, Yokohama F. Marinos did not play well in the domestic league. After 23 matches under the Australian coach, Yokohama F. Marinos won only 8, drew 5 and lost 10. They were 20 points behind the top team.

This poor performance for an ambitious team like Yokohama F. Marinos led to Harry Kewell being sacked last July, after only about 7 months in charge.

After leaving the Japanese team, Harry Kewell did not lead any other professional team, until he was announced as the coach of Hanoi FC this afternoon (October 4).

Hanoi FC's appointment of Harry Kewell can be seen as a gamble by the most successful team in V-League, after the struggles of the Australian football star himself in recent years.

However, at 47, Harry Kewell is still considered "young" by professional coaches. He still has a lot of time to improve his own performance.

In addition to his reputation, Harry Kewell’s coaching philosophy may be suitable for Hanoi FC. The Australian coach once said: “I am used to being under pressure, since I played professional football in England. I learned that coaching is not only about tactics but also about managing people.”

Mr. Harry Kewell will have about two weeks to "breathe his soul" into Hanoi FC, before V-League returns in round 7 on October 18.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-harry-kewell-noi-danh-tren-san-co-lan-dan-nghe-huan-luyen-vien-20251004191939638.htm