Ottmar Hitzfeld

Bayern Munich are a notoriously difficult club to manage.

Coaches come and go, rarely lasting more than two seasons, and it speaks volumes of Ottmar Hitzfeld that he remained at the helm for the best part of six seasons in his first spell.

Hitzfeld's Borussia Dortmund team pulled off one of the biggest shocks in Champions League history when they defeated Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final. He repeated that success with Bayern in 2001, seeing off Valencia after a penalty shoot-out.

The coach prides himself on keeping a tight ship, with player discipline of uppermost importance. Those who step out of line generally pay the penalty, with Mario Basler even shown the door at Bayern after one extracurricular activity too far.

It is not just his man-management skills that have won him admiration, Hitzfeld is also a canny tactician capable of changing the shape of his team if a match isn't going their way.

The seven Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues Hitzfeld has won means his CV compares with those of the very best German coaches including Hennes Weisweiler, Udo Lattek and Ernst Happel.

His Switzerland side were the only team to defeat Spain on the way to their 2010 World Cup victory.

Hitzfeld sends his side into battle with all the calculation one would expect of a former maths teacher and his triumphs down the years owe to his thorough preparation and player briefing.

• Name: Ottmar Hitzeld
• Nationality: French
• Date and Place of Birth: January 12, 1949 in Setúbal, Lörrach, Baden, West Germany
• Current Team: Switzerland
• Previous Teams: SC Zug (1983-1984), FC Aarau (1984-1988), Grasshopper Club Zürich (1988-1991), Borussia Dortmund (1991-1997), Bayern Munich (1998-2004), Bayern Munich (2007-2008)