THE TOP 20 MANAGERS IN EUROPE 20) Frank de Boer (Ajax) An exciting young coach, Frank de Boer has continued where he left off after a superb playing career to make the step up into management. Currently in charge of Dutch giants Ajax, with whom he has won four Eredivisie titles in a row - a first in Dutch football history, the 44-year-old has been linked with a number of other top clubs in recent times after his fine work in Amsterdam. 19) Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur) After doing superb work in charge of Southampton, Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino has now been given the job at Tottenham Hotspur. The 42-year-old has already earned a great.reputation for his tactical methods, introducing a stylish brand of attacking football during his time at the St Marys Stadium, and he will surely go down as one of the more exciting managerial appointments at White Hart Lane in recent history, having also been linked with bigger clubs in recent times. 18) Roberto Martinez (Everton) After a slightly mixed time with Wigan Athletic, who were both relegated but FA Cup winners.under Roberto Martinez, the Spaniard has made the step up brilliantly at Everton, taking the club to a new level after David Moyes long tenure at Goodison Park. The 41-year-old was already well respected for the fine football Wigan played under his guidance, and he has taken that with him to the Toffees as well, who did brilliantly to finish 5th in the Premier League last season, doing the double over their old boss Moyes at Manchester United. 17) Andre Villas-Boas (Zenit St Petersburg) A manager who perhaps divides opinion, but Andre Villas-Boas should not just be judged on his somewhat unfortunate time in the Premier League. The Portuguese coach won an historic treble with Porto during his time at the club, and has since tried to impose his sophisticated tactical philosophy on both Chelsea and Tottenham, though he was arguably not given enough time at either club to truly allow his work to flourish. Now with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg, it will be interesting to see how AVB can progress from here. 16) Rudi Garcia (Roma) A Ligue 1 title winner during his time with Lille, French tactician Rudi Garcia has just enjoyed a superb first season in Serie A with Roma, taking the struggling club all the way up to second place despite having to sell a number of key players. The 50-year-old is known for making his teams rock-solid defensively, and Roma finished with the best goals-against record in the Italian top flight last season as they ran Juventus close for the title. 15) Rafael Benitez (Napoli) Another former Premier League manager who seems to divide opinion in England, there can be no doubting Rafael Benitezs record at almost every club he has worked with. The Spaniard has a highly impressive trophy haul, winning two La Liga titles with Valencia, as well as the UEFA Cup, as it was then known. His work in Spain then saw him snapped up by Liverpool, and he marked his first season in charge with a memorable Champions League win, which was followed up by the FA Cup the year after..A difficult spell at Inter Milan followed, but he won the Europa League during a short stint as caretaker manager of Chelsea, and also brought home the Coppa Italia last season in his first year in charge of current side Napoli. 14) Laurent Blanc (Paris Saint-Germain) Perhaps a coach who could afford to be more adventurous in his teams playing style, but one who has had a successful career so far. Former Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc has made a good start to life in management, winning the Ligue 1 title with Bordeaux before taking charge of the French national team and helping bring through a new generation of players. Now with Paris Saint-Germain, Blanc is a title winner again in France and will be hoping to deliver the Champions League to this exciting crop of players at the Parc des Princes. 13) Guus Hiddink (Netherlands) A vastly experienced and intelligent coach, Guus Hiddink has had a highly distinguished career and will now be embarking upon another spell in charge of the Dutch national side following Louis van Gaals move to Manchester United. Known in England for his short, FA Cup-winning spell with Chelsea, the 67-year-old is also a six- time title winner in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, whilst also spending time with Real Madrid and impressing at international tournaments with minnows such as South Korea, Australia and Russia. 12) Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool) So nearly a surprise title winner with Liverpool last season, there is no doubt that Brendan Rodgers is fast emerging as one of the most exciting young coaches in the game. The 41-year-old has introduced a highly impressive brand of attacking football at Anfield, with the Reds scoring an incredible 101 goals in the league last season as they finished just two points behind Manchester City. Rodgers will have a big job on his hands now after losing star player Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but this innovative coach gives Liverpool fans plenty of reason to be optimistic. 11) Antonio Conte (Unattached) After recently quitting as manager of Juventus, Antonio Conte can already boast an impressive managerial career with three title wins in a row in Serie A, including an unbeaten season in 2011/12 with the Turin giants. The 44-year-old will surely be set for another top managerial job in the near future, and has been tipped to take over the Italian national team following the resignation of Cesare Prandelli. 10) Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City) Already widely respected throughout Europe for his remarkable work in the rise of small clubs such as Villarreal and Malaga in Spain, Manuel Pellegrini now has the silverware to show for his troubles after winning both the Premier League and Capital One Cup in his first season in charge of Manchester City. The Chilean has made the City squad a happier group after the strict regime of previous manager Roberto Mancini, and has his side playing some superb attacking football, leading to some big victories throughout the campaign. 9) Joachim Low (Germany) A World Cup winner with Germany this summer, success has been a long time coming for Joachim Low, who has been in charge of his country since 2006, building a great long-term project with some exciting young players seamlessly making the step up to senior level under his guidance. It remains to be seen if the 54-year-old will soon choose to try his luck at club level, but it wouldnt be surprising if some big offers came along after his fine work with Germany. 8) Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund) A popular figure for his big personality, Jurgen.Klopp is also an exciting manager after his superb work with Borussia Dortmund over the years. The 47-year-old has helped guide the club from being a struggling mid-table side to two consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, before also leading his side to a thrilling run to the Champions League final last season, where they beat Real Madrid 4-1 in the semi-finals before a narrow defeat to Bayern Munich at Wembley. 7) Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) Despite a long run without any silverware, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger looks back in business now after the big-money signing of Mesut Ozil helped inspire an FA Cup win and improved title challenge last season. More exciting purchases have been made in this transfer window as well, while his patience with players like Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott has really paid off as the pair have become among the best midfield players in the Premier League. After a long career with the Gunners, Wenger also has his three Premier League titles, including an unbeaten season, to look back on as well. 6) Louis van Gaal (Manchester United) An exciting new appointment for Manchester United this summer, the vastly experienced and controversial Louis van Gaal will be taking the reins at Old Trafford after a disastrous campaign under David Moyes last year. The Dutchman has won trophies wherever he has been, with the highlight undoubtedly being the Champions League with Ajax all the way back in 1995. The 62-year-old also guided an exciting Netherlands side to third place in this summers World Cup, with a memorable 5-1 win over holders Spain along the way. 5) Vicente del Bosque (Spain) Despite something of a horror show with Spain at this summers World Cup, Vicente del Bosque has overseen one of the most dominant periods of any national side in the history of the game, winning the World Cup and European Championship to follow up an initial triumph under Luis Aragones at Euro 2008. The 63-year-old is also a Champions League winner from his time with Real Madrid, lifting the trophy twice, along with two La Liga titles at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. There are few more decorated coaches in the game, and he looks set to continue in charge of La Roja despite this summers disappointment. 4) Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) After some truly miraculous work with Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone deserves to be recognised as one of the top managers in the world at the moment. In a short space of time, the 44-year-old Argentine has taken Atletico from being a mid- table side to La Liga champions, despite having nowhere near the kind of spending power available to rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. Simeone has also guided Atletico to glory in the Copa del Rey, Europa League and to a runners-up spot in the Champions League final last season. 3) Jose Mourinho (Chelsea) Undoubtedly one of the best managers in the modern game, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is still up there with the best in the world despite a recent dry spell. The Portuguese coach has gone trophyless for the first time in his career with two seasons empty- handed with Real Madrid and Chelsea, but his record speaks for itself. The 51-year-old has won the Champions League twice with FC Porto and Inter Milan, as well as league titles in every country he has worked in. Known for his tactical brilliance, the Portuguese coach is not always popular for his defensive style of play, but it is certainly effective, and has seen some of the best attacking sides in the world struggle to break his sides down. 2) Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) A three-time Champions League winner, Carlo Ancelotti is another modern great after his work with the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint- Germain and now Real Madrid. The Italian tactician always seems to get his sides playing exciting attacking football, and is seen as being very harshly sacked by Chelsea after just two years, when hed won the double in his first season in charge. Surprisingly, the 55-year-old only has three league titles to his name, and will be hoping to improve in that department to accompany his superb success on the European stage. 1) Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich) In a career spanning only six years so far, Pep Guardiola has made a breathtaking start to his career in management, collecting eighteen trophies already. The Spaniard memorably won the treble in his first season in charge of Barcelona, and has picked up two more La Liga titles and one more Champions League trophy since. The 43-year-old also won the double in his first season in charge of current club Bayern Munich, and has had his sides playing some of the most incredible attacking football ever seen in the game, with his tiki-taka style proving almost impossible to combat as the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta have taken their games to whole new levels under his guidance. -FANATIX
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:33:52 +0000
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