Arne Slot (Liverpool)
By winning the league, the Dutchman surprised pretty much everyone. He faced the daunting task of succeeding Jürgen Klopp and inherited the German’s squad, adding only Federico Chiesa, who barely kicked a ball in anger. Not much changed from the previous year, except Ryan Gravenberch became the designated defensive midfielder as Slot’s Liverpool looked to get on the ball as much as possible. Slot was never going to be a personality who generated headlines like Klopp did, keeping his cards close to his chest, but he always comes across as someone who is very personable and has brought the players closer together. Slot made Liverpool an efficient winning machine – rarely thrashing teams, often winning by the odd goal or two – and that allowed them to race to a second Premier League title. No one could compete with the Reds, which was partly down to rivals dropping their standards but most of it can be attributed to the fact Slot made his team superior.
Vítor Pereira (Wolves)
It was always Pereira’s dream to manage in the Premier League and he was linked with numerous jobs down the years, but when it became a reality, he was taking over a team bottom of the table in the week before Christmas, with a trip to a relegation rival first up. Wolves won that match at Leicester and have rarely been concerned with finishing in the drop zone since. It’s been an incredible transformation at Molineux, where Pereira implemented a back three and got Jørgen Strand Larsen scoring. Between late March and the end of April, Wolves won six matches in a row, as they stormed up the league to mid-table safety. Away from the pitch, Pereira has become a firm favourite in the Black Country, heading to the pub after matches, joining supporters for a pint in the city centre as part of his “first the points, then the pints” mantra, which has turned him into a cult figure. He offers honesty in interviews and press conferences, endearing him to the media and public alike, while doing the most important aspect of his job: winning matches.
Nuno Espírito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
Portuguese coaches have certainly had a decent year, except at Old Trafford, and Nuno has excelled at the City Ground. Forest finished 17th a year ago and any improvement on that would have been seen as a success. Somehow, Forest have enjoyed a season of battling for a Champions League place, even though they ultimately came up just short. They inflicted the first defeat of Slot’s Liverpool reign, more impressively doing it at Anfield – it was an indication of what was to come. Forest are not the most exciting team, happy to absorb pressure and hit teams on the counterattack, almost going against every other modern coach eyeing a European spot. Everyone loves Nuno at Forest, where he has built something very special, making people forget about the chaos that came before him. One of his great skills is to get his players to work for one another and he gets the best out of the individual and collective. His programme notes are almost comically short, rarely stretching beyond a sentence or two as he has more pressing things to focus on. He is a man of few words, saving those for his players, whom he regularly inspires.
David Moyes (Everton)
“Never go back” was the general warning when Moyes was approached about a return to Goodison Park, 11 years after leaving. The 62-year-old Scot was without a job and had maintained strong links to the north-west even when managing West Ham, which made the reunion tempting. Sean Dyche was removed with the team playing unwatchable football, leaving them in 16th place – a hero was required to turn things around. There were fears that the men’s team’s final season at Goodison Park would end in a desperate relegation to the Championship but Moyes showed why he has been a top-flight manager for so many years. Everton had won three times all season before his arrival but that was doubled within four matches. The standard of football improved rapidly and there was positivity around Stanley Park as Everton were able to play for a first campaign at Bramley-Moore Dock knowing it would be in the Premier League. In a three-month period from mid-January to mid-April, Everton lost only once in the league as Moyes proved the squad was more than capable of competing at this level, something that was not apparent under Dyche.
Eddie Howe (Newcastle)
A first major trophy since Adam was a lad has made Howe the talk of the Toon but their season should not be summed up by one remarkable day at Wembley. The Champions League is calling for Newcastle, who possess a formidable midfield three, which is what a lot of their success has been built on. Howe moulded Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton into an aggressive trio who have caused problems for every single opponent this season. Reincorporating Tonali after his ban for breaching gambling rules has been a masterstroke, putting him at the base of the midfield, allowing all three to thrive. The achievements are all the more impressive considering Howe was at one point in hospital with pneumonia. But the Newcastle machine kept going, confirming that Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall have engineered something that can seemingly operate on automatic. Form has been erratic but two winning runs – six from mid-December and five from early March – have made the difference.
