Dragan Stojkovic worked miracles leading Nagoya Grampus into the Asian Champions League in his first season as a manager, but he is now learning that achieving success and keeping hold of it are two very different things.
Stojkovic last year returned to the club where he made his mark as one of the J. League's greatest-ever players, and his leadership on the field and experience from spells as president of the Yugoslav F.A. and Red Star Belgrade meant it was not long before his transition to the dugout bore fruit.
Nagoya flew out of the blocks with six wins and a draw from its opening seven games, and although there were a few hiccups along the way, a third-place finish was no mean feat for a club that had limped home in 11th the season before with largely the same group of players.