'This isn't normal in football': Xisco, Malaysia and the new Invincibles
Quick summary
The Guardian profiles Xisco Muñoz's remarkable tenure at Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta'zim, who are on course for a potential unbeaten league season.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceRoyal 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?
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What happened
A long-form Guardian feature exploring how former Watford manager Xisco Muñoz has transformed Malaysian Super League powerhouse Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) into a dominant force. The piece examines JDT's resources, the Malaysian football ecosystem, and whether they can complete an 'Invincibles' campaign. It contextualizes Xisco's journey from a brief and turbulent Premier League stint at Watford to overseeing one of Asian football's most ambitious club projects.
Chance analysis
The story shines a light on the widening gap between Malaysia's leading club and its domestic rivals, and how a coach written off after a difficult Premier League spell has been given the platform to reinvent himself. JDT's financial muscle, recruitment strategy, and professionalization have long set them apart in Malaysian football, and this season's potential unbeaten run would be a defining statement of that project. For readers, it's a reminder that stories of dominance and redemption play out far beyond Europe's top leagues.
JDT's pursuit of an unbeaten Malaysian Super League season reinforces their domestic dominance but has no direct bearing on European or international competition predictions.