Who are the best club managers in the world right now? It's not as easy as simply picking the boss at the top of the league, is it?
When we sought out to pick the premier masterminds and motivators in the sport right now, we considered a few aspects. Trophy haul, naturally, but simply how well they've performed in comparison to the expectations laid out for them. History, record and prestige came into the equation, as did tactical ingenuity. Not all achievements are equal – but all deserve to be considered with nuance.
Narrowing down the half-century of best bosses has been tricky enough – but putting them into some kind of ranked list was even more difficult. Still, we'd love to know what you think – get us @FourFourTwo and tell us your thoughts…
Ranked! The 50 best club managers in the world right now
50. Enzo Maresca
Mikel Arteta isn’t the only disciple of Pep Guardiola to flourish since moving away from the Catalan - Maresca is proof of that. Prior to spending last season at Manchester City as Guardiola’s assistant, Maresca spent just 14 games in charge of Parma in 2021. While things didn’t go smoothly for him in his home country, they certainly are in the east midlands.
Storming towards promotion back to the Premier League, Leicester have been imperious as they sweep aside every team - aside from Hull and Leeds - in the Championship. They have made the best start of any Championship side ever under the 43-year-old, with the record points tally firmly in view.
49. Sebastian Hoeness
In a league where surprises are fairly routine and underdogs are expected (check out the fallen giants further down the pyramid), Stuttgart are one of the more pleasant shocks of the Bundesliga this season, pushing up the table to keep pace with the big boys. Sebastian Hoeness – nephew of Bayern Munich legend Uli – has taken a fairly un-noteworthy group of players into the top four in Germany, spearheaded by super Serhou Guirassy, who can't stop scoring. Can they do an Union and qualify for the Champions League?
48. Magne Hoseth
KÍ Klaksvik became the first Faroese club to qualify for the group stages of a European competition this season when they reached the Europa Conference League under Norwegian boss Hoseth, who has only been in his first managerial job since November 2022.
They nearly reached the Champions League group stages, though, after beating Ferencvaros and BK Hacken, but Molde managed to scrape through with a 3-2 aggregate win. Still, Hoseth has clearly stumbled upon something great in the Faroe Islands, where Ki are running away with yet another league title.
47. Peter Bosz
Peter Bosz has been all over Europe now, to mixed acclaim, managing Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and most recently Lyon. While he has a habit of picking difficult gigs (for one reason or another), he's found a stable base at PSV and got them ticking. It will be intriguing to see if they can topple Feyenoord in the absence of Bosz's former employers Ajax, who are languishing in the relegation zone.
46. Christian Streich
Into his 12th season in charge of Freiburg, Streich has, remarkably, only ever managed the German side. Relegation in 2014/15 could've marked the end of his time in charge, but immediately winning 2.Bundesliga highlighted his quality to bounce straight back to the top tier.
Since then, Freiburg have been slowly progressing, finishing sixth and fifth in the last two seasons. Reaching the final of the 2022 DFB-Pokal, which they lost on penalties to RB Leipzig, stands out on the 58-year-old’s CV, too.
45. Will Still
We've all seen the memes, the Football Manager jokes, the fact about Stade de Reims having to pay tens of thousands of Euros for employing a manager who doesn't have correct qualifications and the viral clips of Frenglish training sessions – but have you seen how good Will Still actually is?
The Belgian-born boss has set up the Ligue 1 side fantastically with a solid back three, going unbeaten from October until March last term before a late collapse prevented a top-half finish. Reims have started strong again though this time around – and under the guidance of Still, will be looking to punch above their weight once more.
44. Rafa Benitez
While a long way from his heady days of lifting the Champions League and FA Cup at Liverpool, Rafa is still going strong - now with Celta Vigo in La Liga. Everton seemed a poison chalice for Benitez as soon as he took charge in 2021, and so it proved, but the Spaniard’s acumen as a manager simply cannot be overlooked.
Sure, Celta are struggling at the moment, but Benitez’s trophy haul at clubs such as Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli proves his ability.
43. Gary O'Neil
Gary O'Neil was infamously sacked after managing to keep Bournemouth in the Premier League – and he's so far proven himself to be an excellent hire at Wolves. The former midfielder showed tactical flexibility last term to squeeze points from a relegation battle, defying the odds to keep the Cherries afloat: now he's doing the same in the Midlands, masterminding victory over Manchester City and proving himself to be an excellent galvaniser of a dressing room.
42. Edin Terzic
Borussia Dortmund so nearly managed to break the Bayern Munich stranglehold on the Bundesliga last term, and Terzic had a huge role to play in their resurgence. While they fell at the last hurdle, the German boss had Dortmund playing some excellent football with a vibrant team.
Losing Jude Bellingham in the summer would have hurt any team, but the 41-year-old has seamlessly transitioned his side into another formidable force. The sky's the limit for this young coach.
41. Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is the third-longest-serving Premier League manager behind Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola – and in many ways, he's proven himself as more versatile than either.
Adapting his side to become more physical in the Premier League, he has oscillated between his favoured 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 to batter teams at either end of the table. Brentford have become an established name in the top flight who don't even feel in danger of the drop – and they owe so much of that to the Dane.
40. Gian Piero Gasperini
If ever there’s a manager who doesn’t get the credit they deserve, it’s Atalanta boss Gasperini. Prior to his arrival in 2016, the Bergamo side seemed destined for relegation to Serie B.
Since, however, Atalanta have been consistently challenging for European spots under the Italian, even achieving qualification for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history in 2019. They’ve played in the competition a further two times under Gasperini’s stewardship, such has been his influence on the side.
39. Brendan Rodgers
Things turned sour at Leicester City but Brendan Rodgers is still a reliable pair of hands, as referenced by his return to Celtic to steady the Bhoys post-Postecoglou. It really doesn't get said enough how good a job the Northern Irishman did with the Foxes, either: an FA Cup, two fifth-placed finishes (both confirmed on the final day of the season when Leicester were still in the hunt for top four) and a European semi-final. The relegation was particularly unfortunate but shouldn't take too much away from some of the earlier success.
38. Frank Schmidt
When Frank Schmidt took charge of Heidenheim in 2007, they had just become an independent club and were sat in the fourth tier of German football. Fast forward 16 years, and Heidenheim are competing in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
Currently the longest serving manager in German football, Schmidt has overseen three league titles - the most recent of which came last season in 2.Bundesliga in dramatic fashion, with two stoppage time goals against Jahn Regensburg moving them from play-off bound third to the top of the table.
37. Sergio Conceicao
Sergio Conceicao took the Porto job in 2017 following £100 milion of sales to satisfy Financial Fair Play. Conceicao grabbed the nettle – and beat Benfica to the title.
A reliability in Portuguese football, the Dragons have won three titles, every two years, under their current manager – all while playing a front-footed style of play amid plenty more sales, since Portuguese football is built on quicksand. They're due another title this season, according to schedule.
36. David Moyes
A decade on from a humiliating 10 months at Manchester United, Moyes has turned his reputation around with West Ham United. Consolidating the Hammers in the Premier League, Moyes has helped achieve continental qualification in three consecutive seasons - topped off with their Europa Conference League victory in Prague last June.
While certain sections of the West Ham fanbase are still unconvinced Moyes is the man to help the club progress further, the Scotsman's record ensures he enters into the conversation of being arguably their greatest manager ever.
35. Martin Demichelis
Martin Demichelis was given a tough task, coming into River Plate to replace the iconic Marcelo Gallardo. He ended up winning his first seven in a row without conceding and quickly scooped the league title.
An aggressive defender at Man City and Atletico Madrid among others, Demichelis has proven himself a wise hire. His stint in charge of Bayern Munich II may hold him in stead to return to Europe one day.
34. Maurizio Sarri
Chelsea fans might disagree, but Sarri’s record as manager is simply excellent - especially when considering he’s had to work up from the eighth tier of Italian football over a 30+ year coaching career.
Despite being criticised for his approach at Stamford Bridge, Sarri still managed to win the Europa League - his first major trophy - before earning Juventus their most recent Serie A title in 2020. Now at Lazio, Sarri achieved a second-place finish last term. Not bad for a chain-smoking 64-year-old.
33. Roger Schmidt
Roger Schmidt was the second German to manage Benfica after the legendary Jupp Heynckes. He became the first to win the title, however – doing so in some style.
The Lisbon outfit won their first 13 matches across the Primeira Liga and Champions League in their best start to a season in almost 40 years; they ended a nine-match hoodoo against Porto and they topped a Champions League group with PSG and Juventus before getting to the quarter-finals. All while having lost Darwin Nunez over the summer and Enzo Fernandez midseason: it's been an impressive tenure thus far.
32. Ivan Juric
Previously appointed as Genoa manager on three separate occasions, Juric enjoyed two successful seasons at Hellas Verona, finishing ninth and tenth despite operating with one of the league’s smallest budgets, before being poached by Torino. There, the Croatian has continued his perennial mid-table league finish, coming tenth in the past two campaigns.
His death metal style of football is where he truly stands out, relentlessly encouraging his players to aggressively man-mark opponents with such ferocity that it seems the only defensive word in their vocabulary is ‘press’.
31. Marco Rose
The Borussia Dortmund gig didn’t quite go to plan but Marco Rose is still an exceptionally talented coach, now at RB Leipzig. Like all good Red Bull coaches, he favours a high-intensity style that wins admirers – he led Leipzig to a DFB-Pokal last term – but his work with individual players is excellent, too. Even though BVB struggled at times under Rose, several players improved under his tutelage: just as at Borussia Monchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg.
30. Massimiliano Allegri
Five straight Serie A titles, four consecutive Coppa Italias and two Champions League finals certainly isn’t a record to be sniffed at. And yet, Allegri still faces question marks over his ability as a manager.
His return to Juventus in 2021 hasn’t yielded any trophies yet, true, but off-the-field issues have clouded his second spell in charge. Someone who prefers a slower build-up and more control, Allegri is flexible in his tactics in order to deal with certain opponents.
29. Tite
If you think that England is the impossible job, try managing Brazil. Tite (that’s more like “chi-chi” than “tee-tay, y’know) did admirably, actually – and has moved onto Rio heavyweights, Flamengo.
The 62-year-old has been at Big ‘Mengo for mere weeks and hasn’t yet put his stamp on the side. Like some others on this list, his place here is more for his ability and history than his current club exploits – but Tite is still one of the most highly respected managers in his homeland.
28. Stefano Pioli
Revitalising an ailing Milan side hasn’t proved easy for Pioli, especially because he’s previously managed Inter, but the Italian finally ended Milan’s decade-long wait for a Scudetto in 2022 in what was also the first trophy of his managerial career. A Champions League semi-final last term proved encouraging, too, with his faith in youth and tactical flexibility ensuring Milan’s positive progress on the pitch.
27. Adi Hutter
Adi Hutter first came to attention for some in a way that will adhere them to many German hearts: battering Bayern Munich in their biggest defeat since 1978 with Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Gladbach gig, while steady, was temporary – and now, he’s proving himself a capable pair of hands at Monaco, overseeing Paul Mitchell’s crop of scintillating signings in the principality. It’s high time someone took them back to the top.
26. Ruben Amorim
Whenever a Premier League job becomes available, Amorim is invariably linked - and it’s easy to see why. At 38, the Portuguese has been hugely impressive ever since winning Portugal’s league cup final with Braga in 2020 against Porto, just three weeks into his first senior managerial reign. Sporting quickly came calling, and Amorim hasn’t looked back. A possession-based manager, a league title followed in 2021, and they look the team to beat this time around, too.
25. Franck Haise
Leading Lens to their first Champions League group stage in two decades and doing so with an exhilarating young side, Franck Haise has won hearts in Ligue 1 for his brand of football. This summer dealt them a tough hand, too, as Seko Fofana and Lois Openda jumped ship – and true to Ligue 1 tradition, Haise is having to find answers and evolve after seeing his biggest stars leave.
The Frenchman is doubling down, however, making his side difficult to play against and giving a good fist of Europe. His inexperience hasn’t shown.
24. Michel
While many look towards Barcelona for exciting, attacking football in Catalonia, Girona are impressing many in La Liga through the slick tactics employed by Michel. Overloading with a box-midfield is common, while five attackers pushing defences back is regularly visible, too. Having earned promotion from Spain’s second tier in his first season at Girona, Michel then led them to 10th last term.
They have been one of the surprise packages of the 2023/24 season, challenging at the top of La Liga against the likes of Real Madrid and Barca.
23. Urs Fischer
Urs Fischer is fiercely intelligent and the underdog’s underdog, playing a unique mid-block press to stifle opposition and create transitions for his men to wreak havoc – but the detail pales in comparison to the headlines: he’s already a legend in East Germany.
Fischer led Union Berlin to their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga, let alone their first-ever Europa League and Champions League campaigns – and he’d have earned a point in the Bernabeu, had Jude Bellingham not broken Berliner hearts in stoppage time of their first-ever UCL fixture.
22. Fernando Diniz
Forget Pep, Cruyff and even Herbet Chapman: Diniz is one of the greatest innovators of them all. Generally, managers want their players spread out across the pitch, ready to exploit spaces left by opponents. Not Diniz. The Fluminense gaffer – in interim charge of the national side, too – encourages overloading specific areas to such an extent that positions become obsolete.
There’s method to the madness, too, with the Brazilian leading Fluminense to the Copa Libertadores trophy. Don’t be surprised to see his tactics make their way to Europe sooner rather than later.
21. Vincenzo Italiano
Italian football prides itself on coaching acumen perhaps more than any other, so a man named “Italiano” was always going to be a ‘final boss’ of Serie A’s tactical nous, right?
Fiorentina have been meticulously built in the image of their coach to be well-structured in buildup but ambitious in attack: this is a manager, after all, who continues to push higher and higher with each season, guiding Spezia to promotion, keeping them in the top flight and then improving i Viola.
20. Simone Inzaghi
Five formative seasons at Lazio prepared Inzaghi for the step up to one of Italy’s most prestigious clubs in 2021 - and the Italian hasn’t looked back.
While he has so far failed to lift the Scudetto during his two campaigns at San Siro, Inzaghi has twice won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana with Inter - not to forget a Champions League runners-up spot either. Narrowly losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the final in Istanbul certainly isn’t a blot on the CV, especially when they defeated AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the semis.
Deemed a little too cautious by some naysayers, Inzaghi’s approach to games has been criticised. But given how turbulent the Nerazzurri have been over the last couple years, his calming influence has been most welcome. A title challenge in Serie A is certainly on the cards this term, too, as Inzaghi looks to win his first league title.
19. Imanol Alguacil
Imanol Alguacil took Real Sociedad to the Champions League last season with an exciting brand of play which bucks plenty of the trends of modern football, using players in close proximity to one another to build overloads rather than exploiting space. As a result, La Real have taken the game to plenty – and even re-energised 37-year-old David Silva in the final season of his career.
Having gotten a tune out of Take Kubo when some failed, using Mikel Oyarzabal as a complete forward and building a side on a Mikel Merino/Martin Zubimendi midfield that could rival any in football on its day, Alguacil has turned the Basque outfit into a vibrant attacking unit that attack with directness, despite holding a lot of possession. They’re proving in Europe, too, that they can punch above their weight.
18. Mauricio Pochettino
A year out last season looks to have re-energised Pochettino as he returned to the Premier League with Chelsea, though there have inevitably been plenty of teething problems at Stamford Bridge. Amid a raft of player departures, arrivals and off-field issues, the Argentine has managed to get his side playing some exciting football with promising talent.
Injuries have certainly hampered the team’s progress, however, making it even more difficult for Pochettino to actually figure out his preferred starting XI - once that is nailed down, the Blues could become serious trophy challengers once again.
A coach who will improve Chelsea’s young squad physically, mentally and technically through his man-management skills, Pochettino has proven in the past that he is the perfect boss to be in charge of the Blues as they develop their abundance of talent. What he needs most of all, though, is time.
17. Arne Slot
A Europa Conference League final in his first season was followed by a league title in his second for Arne Slot. Under the Dutchman, the likes of Luis Sinisterra, Tyrell Malacia, Marcos Senesi, Orkun Kokcu, Reiss Nelson and Santiago Gimenez have flourished at Feyenoord, meanwhile – and it’s easy to see why.
Rather like another candidate for the Tottenham job in the summer, Slot favours a back four, inverting full-backs and peppering the goal with wave after wave of pressure. It’s typical Eredivisie to play high-octane and direct, yet Slot is calm and composed from the touchline and already looks cut from the cloth of great Dutch coaches of the past. At 45, his career is just beginning.
16. Ange Postecoglou
Spurs were scrambling for a manager in the summer when they finally landed on Big Ange - but what an appointment it has so far proven to be. Initially doubted - not for the first time, following his previous start at Celtic and spells at sides in Australia - Postecoglou has won his critics over with a high-octane, exciting, possession style football.
Don’t get it twisted, either, the Aussie had an extremely difficult test on his hands walking into Spurs over the summer. Antonio Conte had upset just about every single person at the club and the ownership and chairman were coming under serious pressure from the fans.
Oh, and club record goalscorer and talisman Harry Kane had just departed for Bayern Munich. Not bad for Postecoglou - long may the feelgood factor continue.
15. Jose Mourinho
Egotist. Anarchist. Rebel. Sinner. Winner. Just some of the words that FourFourTwo used on its 2020 cover of then-Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho. So have one more: inevitable.
Not until the River Tiber has run dry and the Colosseum has crumbled to dust will the Special One not be battling for honours – two European finals in a row with Roma, by the way. He moves to a quieter league and he’s still blockbuster (waiting in the car park for a ref, even wearing a wire to talk to one). After leading a tactical wave in the noughties, he’s seemingly behind the crest now – yet no one can out-think him on the night.
At 60, he should be settling down, perhaps with a nice, sunny international job and a timeshare to match. No chance. And we love him for it. Viva Jose.
14. Abel Ferreira
Ferreira has transformed Brazilian football since arriving in 2020, and has quickly become the foreign manager with the most trophies in the country. Three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles were only stopped by a penalty shootout defeat to Boca Juniors in the semi-finals this term, but that would’ve just been greedy anyway.
“The greatest evolution of Palmeiras after Abel’s arrival [was] a feeling of appreciation and a sense of belonging among all the club’s workers, from the cook to the youth squads, to the professional team and the board,” Mateus Augustine, an analyst in Brazil.
He’s box-office, too: he's dedicated wins to his "annoying neighbour", he has the energy of a Duracell bunny on the sidelines and he's transformed the mentality of his Palmeiras side into serial winners. Ferreira is precisely the feel-good factor of Brazilian football and already a legend in South America for his achievements.
13. Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique showed all the hallmarks of a club coach while coaching the Spanish national side: doing very well in league-formatted group stages, implementing perhaps the most cohesive style of play in international football but ultimately being done over by bad luck and Giorgio Chiellini’s mind games.
PSG is an impossible job – but Enrique’s approach has thus far been intriguing, leaning on teenager Warren Zaire-Emery, implementing a one-fit 4-3-3 and trying to ‘Barca-ise’ this side from a mess of Galacticos into a group defined by their culture. It’s a long slog – but Enrique has the background and the trophy cabinet to back his biggest decisions.
12. Erik ten Hag
It’s been topsy-turvy for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, to say the least. 2022/23 ended largely as a success, with a trophy and Champions League qualification, but the new term has started under trying circumstances.
Issues around Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Antony have all tested the Dutchman’s resolve off the pitch - not to mention those pesky owners - and on it his players are unreliable. Ten Hag’s quality as a manager, however, has been proven before.
A Champions League semi-final at Ajax was phenomenal with a young side, and his faith in youth has transferred to Old Trafford. While 2023/24 started with plenty of question marks, his tactical nous truly is undeniable. When he realised David De Gea couldn’t play out from the back, he turned the Red Devils onto scratching after long balls. When his players struggled with games every few days, he switched to a more conservative pressing style.
It’s only a matter of time until Ten Hag turns things around at United.
11. Xabi Alonso
Playing for Guardiola, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Benitez and Del Bosque in your career provides you with a solid education to take into the dugout. Xabi Alonso was perhaps the most obvious management candidate from that Spanish golden generation – and boy has he proved it in a short space of time.
After getting Real Sociedad B to the Segunda Division for the first time in five decades, the former midfield metronome swerved a shot at the Borussia Monchengladbach job to take over Bayer Leverkusen, with the club second-bottom in the Bundesliga. Now, they’re fighting Bayern Munich for the title having qualified for Europe, playing a compact, intelligent 3-4-3 that has ripped apart the rest of Germany. His mentors would be proud.
10. Diego Simeone
He entered your consciousness when he trapped David Beckham in a web of his own making. He’s played the supervillain ever since. The only man capable of taking down Real Madrid and Barcelona yet without the resources of either… and he's still top 10.
For longevity alone, it’s impressive what Simeone has achieved, especially coming up against the might of Barça and Real. But to not only have competed, but won, against them in two separate seasons is testament to the sublime management skills of Simeone. Players would undoubtedly run through brick walls for the Argentine.
Every season it feels like this might be the one that Diego Simeone runs out of petrol. Star players have come and gone, but the determined culture in the squad is ever-present while Simeone remains. Though Atleti don't strike the fear of god into rivals anymore, they play the numbers game, Simeone having morphed his once-indestructible 4-4-2 into a three-at-the-back iteration.
El Cholo and Atleti is the perfect fit. The club is in his image, and unimaginable without him at the helm.
9. Unai Emery
Unai Emery has been one of the most remarkably consistent managers in world football over a decade, the Arsenal debacle aside. He won three Europa League titles at Sevilla, one at Villarreal and has consistently dragged midtable sides up the table with well-executed midblocks and devastating transitions.
At Villarreal, his success hinged on turning forgotten men of bigger sides into a unit stronger than just one star player: at Aston Villa, he has some of the most exciting players in the league supplemented in his squad.
Conference League glory is the aim – and Villa fans haven’t felt this positive for a generation.
8. Roberto De Zerbi
Arriving at Brighton in September 2022, many were questioning the Italian’s appointment. A largely unknown quantity, the 44-year-old seemed a choice completely out of left-field. Inevitably, the Seagulls were right once again.
Under De Zerbi, Brighton qualified for European football for the first time in their history, as they finished sixth in the Premier League in 2022/23. But it’s not just the results that makes De Zerbi so impressive, it’s his tactical courage that sets him apart from the rest. Brighton have been encouraged to deliberately invite pressure, drawing in the opposition before exploiting the space left behind.
But don’t just take our word for it - Pep Guardiola has been hugely impressed.
“There is no team playing the way they play - it’s unique,” Guardiola said. “I had the feeling when he arrived the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great - but I didn’t expect him to do it in this short space of time.
“He creates 20 or 25 chances per game, better by far than most opponents. He monopolises the ball in a way it hasn’t been for a long time. They deserve completely the success they have.”
7. Xavi
In three years at Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez has turned a crisis club into champions, re-instilled the style of football that the club aspires to and overseen the integration of a new generation primed to lead this club out of the dark.
His big game game record is still questionable – with unheard-of back-to-back group stage exits in the Champions League, Clasico collapses and disappointing losses in the Europa – but as a young manager, he has the aura of authority and the tactical understanding that we all expected he’d have when we watched him slicing open defences with pinpoint precision.
Time will tell how his management career progresses: but if he wins half the trophies he did on the pitch, it’ll make him an all-time great.
6. Eddie Howe
Once the forgotten manager in English football, Eddie Howe has since announced himself as one of the best in his own right. Agreeing to become the boss at a Newcastle United side destined for relegation in 2021 seemed a strange choice - two years on, though, it’s proved anything but. The Magpies reached their first cup final in over 20 years when they faced Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last February, before qualifying for the Champions League with an exceptional fourth-placed finish.
But that’s almost a disservice to Howe. Players such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Sean Longstaff - heck, even Jacob Murphy - have all flourished under Howe’s guidance, and are all players who were at the club prior to his arrival. Changes to the squad’s mentality has resulted in a winning mindset, while their front-foot approach often blows teams away. The only way is up, and Eddie Howe has been a huge part of that.
5. Thomas Tuchel
The Bayern Munich job has been tough for Thomas Tuchel – almost losing the title on the final day of the season – but the German still dines from the very top table when it comes to the club game.
Over the years, Tuchel has shown all sides of his psyche; a rebel taking on the establishment at Borussia Dortmund, crossing that threshold at Paris Saint-Germain and attempting to keep peace in a warring dressing room. An exciting attack-minded tactician who later turned Chelsea into a watertight cruiseliner, his career is becoming one of reinvention.
Now might see his biggest challenge yet: taking on the brave, new thinkerman in Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen, as the estabished man in Bavaria. Once more, he's crossed the line from one era of his career to the next. The Thin White Duke of Bavaria can never be second-guessed: he’s ruthless, razor-sharp and it wouldn’t be wise to write him off at the Allianz just yet.
4. Mikel Arteta
Pep Guardiola didn’t know it, but he was slowly creating a monster. Working at Manchester City as assistant manager for three years, Arteta slowly learned what it took to reach the elite level. He loved it, and he’s since taken that desire and ran with it.
It takes some courage to dismantle an Arsenal side in your first couple of seasons in charge. It takes even more courage to do so having just won an FA Cup trophy with a number of players you want to ship out. But that’s exactly what the Spaniard oversaw with the Gunners, and he hasn’t looked back.
Implementing a devastating style of play with a youthfully exuberant squad has come with its costs - not least their failing to manage games better towards the tail end of the 2022/23 Premier League season - but many didn’t even expect Arsenal to make the top four, let alone challenge for the title. The squad is versatile, it’s physically imposing, it’s technically sublime.
It's been a managerial masterclass. Arteta’s philosophy is rock solid, his principles strong and the Gunners are beginning to reap the benefits.
3. Carlo Ancelotti
Such is his lack of ego, Carlo Ancelotti seemingly waltzes into clubs with the best players in the world assembled and asks them how they want to play. The eternal Italian is a by-word for man-management, reshaping his principles depending on the mood in the room – and at 64, he’s showing no signs of losing his touch.
Don Carlo is all about the team: he will do what needs to be done to get the best from the collective and ensures the group are content. But his knack for improving individuals is, by now, legendary. Pirlo, Kaka, Lampard, Bale, James, Vinicius, Benzema and now Bellingham, have all ascended to superstar status under the gaze of his perma-raised eyebrow.
He will go down as one of the greatest of all time – and perhaps the most beloved manager by dressing room vote.
2. Jurgen Klopp
Liverpoo's notorious heavy metal football under Klopp has become slightly more refined and measured in recent seasons, but no less effective.
While 2022/23 quickly became a season to forget, the consistent challenge against Manchester City has largely been down to Klopp’s ability to motivate his squad, finding innovative ways to get the best out of Mohamed Salah while developing the talents of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai. Formulating a system to allow Trent Alexander-Arnold more time on the ball has proved a masterstroke, too, while ensuring each member of the squad stays happy and hungry is arguably his greatest asset.
Indeed, do as the German boss wants and you’ll be rewarded with a bear hug of insurmountable proportions - as many in the Liverpool squad will testify. His faith in his players’ abilities is unwavering, while his trust in the team cannot be downplayed. The Reds will face a real issue when he eventually decides to depart Anfield.
1. Pep Guardiola
Who else?
When Pep Guardiola first arrived on the scene, he was doubted by some; an underdog picked ahead of Jose Mourinho for the biggest job in Catalonia, armed not with experience but philosophy. One of his first big decisions at Camp Nou was to go to war with a board who didn't want a young Lionel Messi to go to the Olympic Games. Pep argued for the good it did him at Barcelona '92 – and sent the Flea to Beijing against his bosses' wishes.
Some 15 years later, no one questions with him: football’s heartbeat is in time with Josep Guardiola's. The world plays this game in the Catalan's image, aiming to replicate the Juego de Pocision he brought to modern football and subsequently reinvented time and again. But it’s not just the trophies he’s won, the dominance or the thrilling style of play that still makes him the best: it’s that he continues to rework his sides, take principles of old and make them new and unbeatable.
It's in the recruitment, which has rarely misstepped, as Manchester City churn out superstar after superstar. It's in the big-game galaxy brain moments in which he seems able to out-think his opponent. He is always one, two, three steps ahead. He sees football differently to anyone: the Sherlock Holmes of the dugout, spotting devils in details.
He never ages, he never waivers – and he's always right. Messi won gold in 2008, of course. Football, quite simply, belongs to him.
