Royal family-backed Johor Darul Ta’zim are on the verge of a world-record 109 league games unbeaten and their former Watford manager is aiming higher
Many Watford fans felt Xisco Muñoz was dismissed too soon after leading them into the Premier League as Championship runners-up in 2021, only to be ousted less than two months into the new season. He is remembered fondly at Vicarage Road, an emblem of the churn-and-burn of the Gino Pozzo era.
But unless you continued to follow the Spaniard’s career closely, you would struggle to guess where he manages now. The life of a football manager is varied and unpredictable, but how has the former Watford head coach ended up in charge of a club 6,500 miles away and on the verge of an extraordinary world record?
Not one averse to adventure – since moving into coaching Xisco has taken jobs in Georgia, Cyprus and Slovakia – the former Valencia and Betis midfielder agreed last summer to take over at the Malaysian Super League side Johor Darul Ta’zim, based just across the border from Singapore.
A remarkable amount of pressure rests on their opening game of the Malaysian Super League season against Kuching on Friday. Avoid defeat and they will set the world record for unbeaten league matches, 109, surpassing the benchmark set by the Ivorian side Asec Mimosas that has stood for 32 years.
Xisco likes the idea that, in a football world dominated by the financial clout of European clubs, this is a record none of the household names are ever likely to surpass.
But he stresses that while JDT are backed by the resources of the Malaysian royal family – ever since His Royal Highness Major General Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, known more aptly as the Crown Prince, bought the club in 2013 and turned them into a sort of Manchester City of Malaysia – it is by no means easy.
“It’s difficult to not lose one game,” Xisco says from his office in their 40,000-seater Sultan Ibrahim Stadium. “Something might happen – one day someone is sleeping, or after 10 minutes the whole team is sleeping, or maybe you don’t 100% concentrate in the first minutes and you concede two goals and it’s difficult to change the game.”
He credits “the work of the boss in the last 13 years” for putting them in this position. Their 108-game unbeaten streak started in April 2021. “Now it’s only one game. The line is very close between success or frustration. This is important. We are so close to making history for unbeaten games in a row. This isn’t normal in football.”
When Xisco was first approached by the Crown Prince, he was sold on “the project” – not only winning trophies in Malaysia but raising the standards of the country’s football and its standing on the global stage. There has been a deliberate effort to follow the European model. JDT’s chief executive is Luis García, the former Champions League winner with Liverpool. The academy director, Javier Ribera, arrived from Valencia. Xisco says JDT’s facilities are comparable to those in the Premier League.
In Europe finances have created a rigidity that is hard to break, with the best players ending up at a handful of clubs. By contrast Xisco believes Asian football is filled with growth potential. He points to the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Paris Saint- Germain in France, a clutch of clubs in England. “Every day it’s more difficult to find good players. It’s totally different here. Asia is a place for the future. Europe has problems with their economies. They are in one place and it’s difficult to progress.”
Xisco finds it refreshing to work for an owner who demands the highest standards and supports them financially. If he or his staff need something – a new piece of gym or medical equipment, anything they believe could raise their level – the Crown Prince provides it. “Sometimes you are in some jobs, every time trying to cut some things because you have problems. Here, no. Always try to give the best to reach a high level,” Xisco says.
The Crown Prince is relentlessly ambitious, signs off on everything and even attends many training sessions, arriving with scores of security staff, either in supercars or lengthy motorcades.
“I like everything about him. It’s true. I don’t know how long I will be here. I never know, because football is about results. But right now I’m happy. I feel well with him. He’s a positive voice. He pushes us. He helps me a lot.”
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
