In conclusion, developing relationships with players is just as important to football management as having excellent tactical skills.
Some coaches have succeeded because they are excellent people managers.
Managers that are able to create enduring relationships with their stars, such as Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp, stand out.
The qualities of a successful manager are influenced by many things. Being tactically smart is crucial, especially in the modern game, since effective systems are what keep football going in the modern world. To make sure that everything works best for your team, you must also be ruthless in your decision-making.
But maybe more importantly, you need to be an excellent manager of people. Maintaining everyone’s satisfaction and support is extremely challenging when you are working with a group that has more players than you can carry to a matchday roster. In recent years, even managers like Erik ten Hag have failed to do it.
These ten coaches, on the other hand, have not faced similar challenges, and their success at the current levels can be attributed to their ability to maintain a high level of team cohesion.
10 Nottingham Forest Santo Nuno Espirito
Nuno Espirito Santo has experienced a wild ride over the past few years. The former goalie first gained notoriety when coaching Wolves, where he guided the team’s progress to the Premier League and was a popular personality at Molineux. Following that came some difficult stints at Saudi Arabia and Tottenham, when it was rumoured that the Portuguese did not get along with Karim Benzema.
Santo has regained his magic since joining Nottingham Forest back in England, though, and his players are obviously enjoying him. Why wouldn’t he be, anyway? He has changed the City Ground’s fortunes and elevated a mediocre team to the verge of qualifying for the Champions League. Chris Wood would not have emerged as one of the division’s top attackers without him.
9 London’s Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola agrees with a lot of what has been said about Santo. When the Spaniard was picked to take Gary O’Neil’s place, he was a little-known. O’Neil had helped Bournemouth stay afloat, so many wanted him to continue. Nonetheless, choosing Iraola turned out to be a brilliant move.
There haven’t been many significant additions, and the Cherries lost their standout striker, Dominic Solanke, at the beginning of the season. Nonetheless, the ferocity of their play amply demonstrates the respect their manager enjoys, as the majority of players on the pitch appear as though they would run through a brick wall in his name. While other major clubs around them struggle, it has helped propel them into European contention.
Joe Mourinho Fenerbahce, number eight
Jose Mourinho’s inclusion on this list may initially appear odd given the growing list of players with whom the “Special One” has had falling out over the years following each managerial position he has held. In addition to the connections that end in the most devastating ways, the former Chelsea manager also created lifelong bonds with the players.
Mourinho was able to transform his team into prodigal sons who would go out and give it their all, especially during his first stay at Stamford Bridge and at Inter Milan, where he would win the treble. It is impossible to overlook the 62-year-old’s angelic side and his devil-seeking tendencies, since those athletes attest that he was like a father figure to them.
7Xabi Alonso
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso hasn’t been a manager for very long, considering the big picture. However, the former midfielder for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool has already established an amazing coaching reputation, and his undefeated Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen was nothing short of fantastic.
A significant portion of his team, which he transformed into champions, was suffering around the bottom of the table before to Alonso’s arrival, despite the fact that he did a good job of recruiting when he ventured out into the market. He was able to establish a close bond with each member of his squad, as seen by the spirit he was able to instill in him from that moment on.
6Mikel Arteta
Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the first to tell you that it is very hard to get over being on Mikel Arteta’s bad side. But in the instance of the Gabonese striker, Arteta was able to dismiss him in the manner and at the time that he did so because he was demonstrating his faith in a young, gifted core that he was prepared to develop.
It is incalculable how much confidence that would have given people like Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard. They have reciprocated by emerging as some of the Premier League’s top players. The Spaniard emphasises that success and failure are always determined by unity, and you hardly ever see him attack someone individually, even when his team isn’t playing at their best.
5Arne Slot
Liverpool
When Arne Slot arrived at Anfield, he was faced with an extremely challenging task. He was taking the place of one of the most adored members of the football team and one of the greatest man-managers of our time (spoiler alert). Even though it was very simple for things to go wrong, he has created an environment and a belief system that should help Liverpool win their first league trophy in five years.
Naturally, the Dutchman’s demeanour and mannerisms are very different from those of his predecessor. That cannot be disputed. However, Slot is benefiting from his own special method of winning over a team that seemed to be quite hard to please at the end of the previous era.
4Pep Guardiola
Manchester City
Everyone is aware that Pep Guardiola is the best tactician in the world. The Catalan native has developed—or, in some respects, modified—a football style that has gained such traction that it has given rise to the idea that every team must be able to play out from the back. Even if his strategies have been incredibly effective, he couldn’t have put them into practice if he hadn’t won over his players.
When Guardiola first took over as senior manager, Barcelona’s party-boy culture was altered by the connections he made with superstars like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi. The rest is history. Guardiola has persisted in finding methods to build close relationships with his players to the point that, at their best, they create a flawless machine that their manager has meticulously created.
3. Diego Simeone of Real Madrid
Being at a club for more than ten years indicates that you have developed close bonds with the people you have worked with throughout that time in addition to being able to contribute success to the table. With Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, it is undeniable that he has succeeded in transforming Spain’s top two into the country’s top three.
The former Inter Milan midfielder has an unmistakable bond with his players despite his intimidating presence. Even if Atleti has the same recruiting strength as Real Madrid or Barcelona, Simeone has repeatedly assembled a team capable of winning domestically, even with players who may not be as good as their opponents on paper.
2Jurgen Klopp
Unemployed
Few things about Jurgen Klopp’s influence at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool can be overstated, and his clubs’ intense play requires his players to completely embrace the strategies he is implementing. The German must win the confidence of his team in order to accomplish that, and he does so in large part by being charismatic.
In one-on-one situations, a number of Klopp’s players have praised him for his brilliance, and he is renowned for welcoming the families of players on training camps to keep everyone feeling upbeat. Many other rising players would undoubtedly gain from a close relationship with him if he ever returns to the sidelines.
1Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid
The fact that your players call you “Don Ancelotti” indicates that you are respected and have established a lasting bond. The Italian’s ability to manage the best players on the best clubs for decades is what makes him so amazing.
Making the leap to the top is too much for some managers because they can’t relate to the superstars they oversee. But Ancelotti has repeatedly shown that he is capable of doing so, which is largely the reason he is the most successful coach in European competitions.
