Familiar Michel back with Olympiakos to haunt Juventus

Olympiacos' head coach Michel, whose full name is Jose Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo, gestures during the Group A Uefa Champions League match against Juventus at the Karaiskaki stadium in Athens' Piraeus district on October 22, 2014. AFP / ARIS MESSINISShow less

In Italy, fans of a certain generation will instantly recognise Michel Gonzalez del Campo.

The Spaniard is head coach of Olympiakos, who take on Italian champions Juventus at Turin on Tuesday night, and was once a midfield player Serie A clubs coveted – a crosser of the ball par excellence.

Many of his finest performances came in jousts against Italian sides.

Vivid in the memory are the duels between Michel, as he is known, and Paolo Maldini, the great Italy and AC Milan left-back, through the 1980s and ­beyond.

At the World Cup in Italy, in 1990, Michel shone for Spain; for Real Madrid, his name remains a shorthand for passing elegance and class.

Michel turned 50 last year and it looks as if, with that milestone, he has taken the decisive step forward in a managerial career that always seemed his vocation.

Even as a player, Michel was noted for being intelligent and articulate. He was eminently presentable and sought after as an analyst by the media.

He is also strikingly well-preserved. Italians will have no problem identifying the man in the tailored suit patrolling the technical area of the Juventus stadium. Michel’s face and dark hair have barely altered since he was making his incisive runs down the right flank.

Not so long ago, Michel was being primed as an ideal future coach of Madrid, the club he represented for 14 years.

He had a stint in charge of Real Madrid’s B team, Castilla, though with limited success.

Michel’s subsequent jobs in Spain’s top flight, with Getafe and Sevilla, had their highlights but were not the launch pad he might have hoped for.

In February last year, Olympiakos offered him an exciting, but challenging gig.

He has scarcely looked back.

The national Super League was promptly won and then retained last May at a canter, along with the Greek Cup.

Those prizes might be regarded as mere par for Greece’s most successful modern club but, as Michel is careful to point out, the Greek top flight is not the waltz outsiders sometimes take it for.

“Bayern Munich won the last Bundesliga more comfortably than we won the last Super League,” he said. “There are six or seven strong teams here.”

Nor do Bayern Munich have the large annual turnover of staff that Olympiakos have to deal with. Success means predatory swoops from clubs in wealthier leagues, with, typically, 12 players having left last summer and a half dozen coming in.

In those circumstances, some hiccups were inevitable.

Domestically, Olympiakos have had setbacks. They are second in the table and, at the weekend, were held 0-0 by Ateras Tripolis.

But in Europe, Michel has maintained the special touch of his year-and-a-half in charge.

He plots tonight’s contest with Juventus emboldened by the 1-0 defeat Olympiakos inflicted on the Italian champions in Piraeus two weeks ago, knowing that if he can come away from Italy with their three-point advantage over Juve intact, his team, second in the group, are significantly closer to progressing to the knockout stage.

In a tough Group A, Atletico Madrid have already been beaten, which added to a distinguished list of conquered opponents in the Michel era.

Benfica lost in Piraeus last season, so did Manchester United. Paris Saint-Germain only won at Olympiakos in the 2013/14 group phase thanks to a 90th minute goal.

By reaching the last 16 last season, Olympiakos crossed a stubborn barrier. They have long had a formidable reputation at home and almost always qualify for the group phase of Europe’s principal competition. Far more often that not, they exit it before January. A repeat of last year’s run – ended by United’s stirring comeback, 3-0 at Old Trafford – will happen either at the expense of the Italian or Spanish champions. It is a big ask.

Roberto, the Spanish goalkeeper who was superb against Juve last month and heroic in last season’s campaign, can expect a busy night in Turin and at Atletico on matchday five.

On the touchline, Michel must anticipate some long, anxious spells. He may very well look agitated at times, but if the night ages him, it will not show in too many grey hairs or wrinkles.

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