MANAGING EXPECTATIONSThe awesome thing about a World Cup is that – unlike the Premier League where almost every elite-grade head coach comes from the same scenic Spanish town – we get to enjoy some wonderfully varied managerial match-ups. Where else can we see grizzled international specialists against Big Cup-winning club gurus? Or retired national team legends opposite some bloke who got sacked by Everton? Or Ronald Koeman, who is both?England, Brazil and USA USA USA are the obvious examples of teams who’ve splashed the cash on a gun-for-hire super-coach with no previous international managerial experience. And you can only imagine the relief if “The Professor” Tuchel, “The Eyebrow” Ancelotti or “The Hair” Pochettino are, at some stage, sent packing by a gritty Carlos Queiroz type, who will have protected his patch from these club-class dilettantes.The Geopolitics World Cup delivers some fascinating face-offs in the coming days including Lionel Scaloni, who worked his way up the levels with Argentina before achieving glory, against Ralf Rangnick, gegenpress egghead and Manchester United legend [citation needed] who’d strictly managed clubs before taking over Austria at age 63. Or Didier Deschamps – mega-successful France legend who still gets grief from Les Bleus fans for refusing to release le handbrake – versus Graham Arnold, who spent 90% of his career enjoying success with/in Australia before thinking: where else next but Iraq?Didier Deschamps with handbrake out of shot. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty ImagesPortugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.We could go on. But as fun as the random encounters are, there’s an intriguing subplot. It’s often said that club and international management require different skill sets. If the likes of Tuchel, Ancelotti and Pochettino thrive, that theory starts to look outdated. And maybe when a job comes up, federations will hire an up-and-coming club coach rather than going for a patriotic icon or pressing the big button marked Queiroz, Renard or Advocaat. Either the old order holds firm, or the GWC becomes the tournament that changes international management for ever. No pressure, chaps.LIVE ON BIG WEBSITEJohn Brewin comes out firing with minute-by-minute coverage of Spain 2-0 Saudi Arabia from 5pm BST (midday EDT), followed swiftly by Daniel Harris in the hot seat for Belgium 2-1 Iran at 8pm BST (3pm EDT). Beau Dure then brings you Cape Verde 1-3 Uruguay at 11pm BST (6pm EDT) before we go late/early/somewhere nearer the middle with Jonathan Howcroft for New Zealand 1-2 Egypt at 2am BST on Monday (9pm Sunday EDT).QUOTE OF THE DAY“I’m completely exhausted myself, it was absolutely amazing. ​She did so well, ‌there wasn’t much ‌I could say, I just had to help her work ‌and get him out. I’m proud, amazing. When I saw him for the first time, I was blown away. It’s absolutely insane. I’m ‌so happy and proud. It’s definitely the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced” – we’re sure Leo Østigård’s partner Aurora Eidmann is pretty exhausted herself, having given birth to their first child, with the Norway defender following from long distance over SnapTime. Congratulations!Leo Østigård scored in Norway’s GWC opener against Iraq. Photograph: Jon Olav Nesvold/Bildbyrån/ShutterstockON THE BALLBig Website’s app now features a special edition of On the Ball for the GWC. On the Ball: World Stage invites you to guess the World Cup player in five attempts – and it’s pretty tricky. You can have a go right now – and there are loads of other good puzzles to take up your time, too. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS