15 Best Football Managers In The World Right Now
Football as we see can sometimes be too straightforward to look at. But the real beauty of the game lies in the intricate tactics involved in it. Management in football is arguably more prominent and deciding than in any other sport. Managers govern nearly everything to run a team, not to mention the high risk of getting sacked if no results follow.
The world has witnessed some notable managers in the likes of Johan Cruyff, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Bill Shankly amongst many others, with some having revolutionized the game as we know it today. In this article, we have tried to compile a list of the best football managers in the world right now.
Here are the 15 best football managers in the world right now.
15. Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Atalanta have set the world alight in their logic-defying charge up the Serie A table. Even if they never get around to actually winning it, it’s been an old-fashioned football fairy-tale, and at the core of it is Gasperini and his flagrantly optimistic tactics.
After their unlikely title challenge last season, they sit second and look set for a return to the Champions League. He has earned the right to be called one of the best football managers in the world.
14. Mauricio Pochettino (PSG)
The former Tottenham coach has a difficult start to life in France. PSG are currently struggling to win the league title, something they used to do with ease before. Semifinal elimination in UCL also didn’t help the cause. However, with his quality, we expect him to turn things around. The next 12 months could be very important for him.
13. Julian Nagelsmann (RB Leipzig-Bayern Munich)
Already revered in German football at just 33 years of age, Nagelsmann has shown what he is capable of on the European stage, helping take his exciting RB Leipzig side to this season’s Champions League semi-finals last season. The record-breaker is now the youngest boss in history to win a Champions League knockout tie, and also the youngest coach in the semi-final of the competition. He is, without a doubt, one of the best football managers in the world.
Nagelsmann wasn’t even 30 when he took the Hoffenheim post but his age hasn’t stopped him from rocketing right to the top of German football. Now 33, he will leave RB Leipzig at the end of the season to take over their Bundesliga title rivals, Bayern Munich.
12. Marcelo Bielsa (Leeds United)
Nicknamed “El Loco” or the madman, Bielsa has revolutionized the game given his unique tactics and efficient man-management. He has been regarded as an influence for many notable managers, namely Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. Although he has only won three Argentine league titles, a Championship, and Olympic gold in a career spanning over three decades; Bielsa’s approach and philosophy make him one of the most influential figures in the world of football.
Bielsa has done a great job with Leeds united. He is the man who ended their long spell of being in second-tier English football. The Argentinian knows quite well how to thrive at the top level. He has unique but efficient tactics and good man-management ability. He is an attack-minded manager and his team is among the top-scoring teams in Premier League this season.
11. Brendon Rodgers – Leicester City
Current Leicester boss, Brendan Rodgers, followed up three trophy-laden years at Celtic by turning the Foxes into a sustainable top-four contender. Considering they were staring relegation in the face not so long ago, that’s been some effort. It’s only fair to label him one of the best football managers in the world.
The Foxes finished 5th last season securing a Europa League spot and they now have eyes on Champions League football for the next season. In a league of such high magnitude of competition, Leicester have performed quite astonishingly in the last couple of years. We have to admire the Northern Ireland manager’s masterclass for the 5-2 bashing of Man City at their own backyard this season. They are also in the FA Cup final, where they will lock horns against Chelsea.
10. Joachim Low (Germany NT)
Having started his initial managerial days at FC Frauenfeld where he also served as a player, Joachim Low managed a host of clubs in Germany, Austria, Turkey, and Astana. He worked as the assistant manager of the German national football team from 2004 before he was appointed as the head coach in 2006 following Jürgen Klinsmann’s dismissal.
Along with his assistant Hans-Dieter Flick, Low helped Germany reach new heights with an offensive style of play. Although he failed to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup given Spain’s untouchable form, Germany did manage to finish third. Löw‘s perseverance paid dividends as they finally got their hands on the trophy the next time in Brazil in 2014. Löw’s men defeated the hosts 7-1 in the semifinals which resulted in Brazil’s heaviest defeat in FIFA World Cup history. However, Germany were eliminated from the Group Stage in World Cup 2018, in an embarrassing campaign for the Germans.
9. Jose Mourinho (AS Roma)
People have started to doubt the abilities of the ‘Special One’, following his sacking from Tottenham’s managerial post in April. But he did take Spurs to the League Cup final but was sacked before the game itself. A manager of his quality should not be written off so quickly.
Mourinho made a name for himself when he won the UEFA Champions League along with two consecutive Primeira Liga titles with Porto. He was brought in by Chelsea in 2004 where he won two Premier Leagues and three other domestic cups.
He moved to Inter Milan in 2008 and won the Champions League again, making Inter the first Italian team to do so. In 2013, he joined Real Madrid and won the league with a record points tally making him the fifth manager to win the league in four different countries. He then managed Chelsea, Man Utd & Tottenham in the following years. He has agreed to be AS Roma’s manager from the next season. In our opinion, he is still one of the best football managers in the world.
This is really well written. Great read.
Great one