Marseille against Monaco and Portsmouth versus Southampton are among the fierce derby games that Alain Perrin has experienced first hand, but on Thursday, his coaching journey will take him to a whole new level when his China side host Hong Kong in an AFC World Cup qualifier.
The match will take place at the Bao’an Stadium in Shenzhen, less than 20 kilometres from Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.
Only 2,200 tickets have been allocated in the 40,000 capacity stadium for visiting fans, who have been urged by local officials to follow Fifa rules by showing their respect when the Chinese national anthem is played.
But Perrin is focusing only on the challenge on the pitch against an improving Hong Kong side who top Group C after two victories.
“It will be a difficult game because Hong Kong have started very well,” Perrin told ESPN FC.
“The next games will be very important for us. We have to continue to improve.”
The Chinese have played just one AFC second round qualifier so far, brushing aside minnows Bhutan 6-0 on June 16. But wins against Hong Kong and Maldives (away on Sept 8) would set them up nicely for October’s crucial trip to Qatar.
Just one nation is guaranteed progress to the third round of qualification, a step closer to Russia 2018.
Eighteen months into the job of coaching the football team of the world’s most populous nation, Perrin — the former Marseille, Lyon and Portsmouth boss — is relatively satisfied with what he’s achieved.
January’s AFC Asian Cup was the breakthrough — China defeated Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and North Korea before losing a tight quarter-final to hosts and ultimate champions, Australia.
Perrin’s side more than matched Ange Postecoglou’s side in the first half in Brisbane until two wonder goals from Tim Cahill — now playing for Shanghai Shenhua — turned the game.
The match on Jan 22 was the most watched in the history of Chinese football, with a peak audience of 32 million.
Coming home to Beijing, 58-year-old Perrin noticed that awareness of the national team had markedly increased.
“At the beginning when I walked in the streets in Beijing it was OK because I was very safe,” he said. “Now it’s more difficult because some people recognise me. I am very happy because they like what I did with the team.”
Perrin is probably more loved in China than in his native France where he had remarkable success with his local club, Troyes, but mixed results elsewhere.
Replicating the rise of Wimbledon FC in England more than a decade earlier, he took Troyes from the French fourth division to Ligue 1 in six seasons and helped them qualify for the Uefa Cup in 2001.
Moving to Marseille in 2002, he paid a record fee for a young Ivorian striker named Didier Drogba, but was sacked in January 2004 after some poor results. Taking over from Gerard Houllier at Lyon, he won the 2008 League and Cup double, yet left at the end of the season.
In 2005, he was in charge of English Premier League side, Portsmouth, for just eight months.
“Alain is a genius when it comes to tactics and one of the best coaches in world football in so many ways,” said former Troyes defender Benoit Croissant. “But the perception in France, true or not, is that his man management skills aren’t as good, especially when it comes to dealing with superstars.”
Perrin’s China record is impressive, with just three defeats in 23 matches, including a 13-match unbeaten run leading up to their Asian Cup quarterfinal exit. Their Fifa ranking, which was as low as 109 two years ago, is now up to 79th after hitting a peak of 77 earlier this year.
“Football in China has improved and we have more and more people coming to the stadiums to follow the national team, so now I have a big responsibility for the future to continue to improve the level,” he said.
“I think the most important thing is what the players are doing on the pitch. They showed good fighting spirit, which Chinese people like. We have a good atmosphere between the players and I expect that we can continue in this way.”
Above anything, Perrin’s most important task is to oversee Chinese qualification for a second World Cup finals — and their first in 16 years.
If he can do that, Perrin would most certainly join Serbian Bora Milutinovic — China’s 2002 World Cup coach — as well as Guus Hiddink with South Korea and Philippe Troussier in Japan as European coaches turned Asian heroes.
The highly-charged game against Hong Kong — held on the 70th anniversary of when China marked the end of World War II — is a small, yet important next step.
Jason Dasey is senior editor of football website ESPN FC (formerly ESPN Soccernet) which now has a Southeast Asia edition.