Top 10 Managers
It has been a while since I did one of managers and, with the (so far at least) retirement of Jurgen Klopp, it seemed a good time to do another one. The landscape changes so repaidly in management, new tactics can see old school managers left behind. Then there is always the debate about how much is down to the manager’s ability and how much simply the quality of the players handed to him. These days, I think I will have to remove recruitment from my equation for deciding, so few now are in charge of the recruitment that it seems unfair to judge them on it any more. Also, I only considered managers in employment at the time I compiled this list.
10. Luis Enrique – Paris Saint-Germain
If it had not been for the sad illness and death of his young daughter to cancer, I think Enrique would have been amongst the top echelons without doubt. That necessitated a step back for Enrique just at a time when he was building himself up to be among the top 3 managers of this era. I have no doubt that he will be back up there once more given time. I do think he probably deserves to be higher in the list, he is already back winning things, but he is doing it at PSG. Unless he leads them to a Champions League trophy, it is difficult to really give much value to the trophies he wins in France.
9. Ruben Amorim – Sporting Clube de Portugal
There is a good reason so many clubs have been trying to poach him from Sporting in recent years. However, unless he wins European trophies, it is almost impossible for him to rise higher up the list while managing in Portugese football. To be the best, you have to beat the best. You have to test yourself in one of the top 5 leagues to really compare at the top end.
8. Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid
I am not the biggest fan of his style of play, which is basically Sam Allardyce but with even more cheating and aggression, but there is no arguing with his results. He has spent a lot of money to achieve those results though, at times matching the big two for spending. What you cannot take away is that he has kept Atleti competitive over an extremely lengthy period and that longevity is a huge feather in his cap.
7. Xabi Alonso – Bayer Leverkusen
There are very few top class players who can make the step up to management, but Alonso has, so far at least, made it look as effortless as he made a 40-yard pass look in his playing days. If he continues his current trajectory, he will right up at the top end by the end of this season. What has impressed me is that he has shown so many qualities already. Improving players via coaching? Check. Tactical vision? Check. Inspiring players to continue right to the final whistle? Check. And to win with the perennial losers of Neverkusen is almost miraculous, akin to Postecoglou winning everything with Tottenham Hotspur.
6. Unai Emery – Aston Villa
Emery does brilliantly with lesser teams under less pressure, enough to put him higher in the list, but never seems to get the same level of results at teams with higher expectations. There are very few managers who can get an underdog punching above their weight like he can and he has proved it once again last season with Villa gaining entry to the Champions League – and fully deserving it – over the course of a Premier League season by finishing higher up the table than anyone expected before the season began.
5. Antonio Conte – Napoli
Again, another manager who is not my cup of tea in terms of playing styles, but there is no arguing with his results. If only he was not so volatile and eager to fight with everyone, as that costs him badly and stops him being able to ever build consistent success. His big weakness being that he is never able to get a lengthy spell anywhere, successful or otherwise, due to falling out with those above him.
4. Jose Mourinho – Fenerbahce
This is more based on his past accomplishments, rather than his present level, as his tactical style has run its course. Not all his fault, the kind of players that he can build his kind of team around are no longer commonplace. The modern player tends to be more of a tidy ball player, rather than a powerhouse who will run through brick walls for their team. It must be pointed out that, while it is not the sole reason for his success, a large part of his success was being willing to push the boundaries further than other managers. Not just his mind games and off the pitch shenanigans but also in the way he encourages his players to dive and play act at every opportunity. That was balanced out by his charm and charisma with the media, but he has lost the public backing that Mourinho used to enjoy in the press and that has meant the fans have much less patience with him and his style of play than once was the case. Right now, he is a fading star but he keeps a place so high in the list simply because no one has really stepped up to replace him yet.
3. Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid
In terms solely of trophies won, Ancelotti would be top two, but he really should have won so much more with the teams he has been handed over the years. His laidback attitude works to a degree, but it fails to lift the players in the difficult months of a league season and so he often fails to win leagues and cups, despite almost always having the best team and squad. Xavi’s first season at Barcelona is a prime case, Madrid’s team was light years ahead of Barca’s, but they struggled to raise their game against lesser teams. Ancelotti is good at keeping big names happy, but he does lack that Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola ability to drive a team on relentlessly.
2. Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta
I have chosen him in second for a number of reasons. Firstly, despite not being in charge of a ‘big’ club, his football has always been exquisite to watch. His Atalanta team is one of the most watchable teams in Europe. Secondly, his longevity. He has continued to overperform for many years now (in football management terms). Thirdly, his ability to build for the long term and still continue to achieve results. Gasperini has turned Atalanta from a Serie B team into a European regular. Last year, he managed to take the next step and win a European trophy with a club that, before his arrival, could only dream of even qualifying.
1. Pep Guardiola – Manchester City
Without Jurgen Klopp, there is no real contest to Guardiola being the top of the tree. Yes, he may well be destroying the game due to everyone copying his style so badly, but that is not his fault. Without taking recruitment into the equation, which is his biggest weakness, he is miles clear of anyone else in coaching right now. The big question, which will remain over his career until he settles the argument one way or the other, is whether he could do it without having been handed the best team and huge sums of money to buy players. At least he seems to have lessened his tendency to overthink big games and change his tactics specifically for them, usually costing him the match.
I had to miss out so many that I really did not want to leave out. Arne Slot is, obviously with me being a Liverpool fan, the stand out, but it was close. Arsenal fans will no doubt question the exclusion of Mikel Arteta, but he has spent so much to win almost nothing. If you are going to be among the biggest spenders every season, throw out the youth academy, sack off the cups, all to aim at the league, and still not win it, then you cannot possibly be in the top 10. Yet, anyway. I also really like Thiago Motta, now at Juventus, but it is too early to put him in there.
Written by Tris Burke September 12 2024 05:49:43
