How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football’s Top Managers

“There are plenty of pieces that need to fall perfectly into place for a nation to be on top of the world,” asserts sportswriter Evans in his debut, an incisive analysis of “the beautiful game” at its highest levels. Drawing on scores of interviews with managers and players, he explores the stresses and difficulties surrounding the World Cup, from the anxieties of qualification to managing the egos of a team of superstars while also navigating geopolitical rivalries. He begins with a chapter on the “Minnows”—or the managers for teams unlikely to even make it to the quadrennial World Cup—then proceeds to describe how elite managers for the sport’s powerhouse national teams face unyielding pressure to overperform upon reaching the finals. Throughout, Evans provides a thorough appraisal and ethnography of the game, noting how the World Cup “can empty usually busy roads as locals gravitate towards television screens to watch their national heroes in a crunch match.” In closing chapters, he turns to the burdens of winning and the lure of repeating as champions, interviewing the likes of Carlos Alberto Parreira, Brazil’s manager during its 1994 triumph, who, following the victory, “experienced the pressure of taking Brazil to two World Cups.” With the 2022 World Cup fast approaching, this is a must-read for soccer fans. (Sept.)