It was 2003 when Ivica Osim came to Japan. JEF United Chiba appointed the highly rated coach who led Yugoslavia to the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals as their manager in order to rebuild the team.
Under the slogan of “Think and Run,” Osim’s team set up Chiba to play aggressive and offensive football. He didn’t hesitate to give opportunities to young talented players such as Yuki Abe, and his mentality transformed struggling Chiba into one of the best clubs in the league.
In the first year under Osim, JEF United finished third, which was the best position in the club’s history. In 2004 they were fourth. Then, in his third year, Osim brought to Chiba their very first trophy, winning the league cup.
Upon receiving high praise for his management skill, he was appointed as Japan national team manager in the middle of 2006. Alas, during the preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Osim had to step down due to illness.
Out of 106 games with him on the bench, Chiba won 49, drew 35 and lost only 22. He also had a high winning rate as Japan manager with 12 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses.
In addition to his charisma and excellent management ability based on experience, his influential comments became popular as “Osim’s Words.” His contribution to Japanese football was immense, leaving a huge heritage not only to the players he managed but also by inspiring many professional and amateur coaches across Japan.
His son, Amar Osim, took over as Chiba manager in 2006 after supporting him as assistant coach, and defended the league cup title that year.
