15 Best Football Managers In The World Right Now
3. Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich)
It’s all good and well having a team of superstars, but knowing where to put them and how to play them is another matter entirely. Flick was only supposed to be a temporary solution when he took over from Niko Kovac in November 2019 with the club sitting fourth in the table, but he instead led the club to a sextuple, including the UCL.
He has won the league again this year. He will be leaving the managerial position of Bayern at the end of the season, to become Germany’s manager.
2. Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Jurgen Klopp ended the Premier League drought for Liverpool. He also won the UCL with the club in 2019. He started his managerial career in 2001 at Mainz and then moved to Dortmund in 2008. Klopp led them to two German titles before leaving for Liverpool in 2015.
Famously known for his ‘Gegenpressing’ where a team attempts to win back the ball immediately after the loss of possession, his playing style was hugely influenced by former Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi and his coach at Mainz, Wolfgang Frank. He was named the LMA Manager of the year in 2020.
With a mutual adoration between Klopp and his players, and indeed between the German and the Liverpool fans, it truly is a match made in heaven.
1. Josep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Current Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, is one of the most influential managers in the world. He has been a serial winner since his Barcelona days. Influenced by the great Cruyff, Pep’s idea of possession-based total football is evident by the fact that Barcelona lifted all 6 cups in the 2008-09 season, his first season as a top-flight manager.
Guardiola recently won his 30th trophy as a manager. He could get to 32 by the end of the season should Man City win the Premier League and Champions League. That’s an astonishing tally for someone who isn’t even 50 years old yet.
He left Barcelona in 2012 before taking a sabbatical in New York. He then joined Bayern Munich as their head coach in 2013 and led them to three consecutive Bundesliga titles. In 2016, Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City and won back-to-back league titles including a domestic treble in the 2018-19 season. He has already won nine trophies in England and has guided City to their first-ever UCL final.
This is really well written. Great read.
Great one