Originally Posted by Bilbo

I'm not so sure about that. If a very good coach takes charge of an inexperienced football nation, such as Korea, there is huge scope for him to make a dramatic improvement. With a leading country, you have maybe 10-15% max to gain from the players.

Hiddink performed wonders with Korea, but in a home world cup. I cant imagine that they would have reached a semi-final in Europe. With Russia, he was fortunate to qualify for the Euros.

Not a slant on Hiddink at all, but the best Int'l teams are the ones with the best players, not the best coach IMO.