After watching the painful demise of David Moyes and the questionable dismissal of Chris Hughton, I think it is fair to surmise that football is a fickle business; a club is only ever as good as their last resort. Ultimately, albeit cruelly, the manager is the first to experience the microscopic glare of the media if results take a turn for the negative. But this beautiful game has also given rise to the next generation of football pioneers, men who have swapped their boots for an Armani suit and tie. In this short piece we will evaluate some of the best young football managers, men who, in the not so distant future, could very well be taking charge of the very best teams in world football.
Vitor Pereira: Al-Ahli
Before enlisting the services of Roberto Martinez, Everton reportedly courted the man who was instrumental in Porto retaining the Primeira Liga in 2012. In Portugal, undoubtedly, Pereira was much more than just André Villas-Boas’ second in command, he was and still is an exceptional tactician, showing himself to be arguably more astute than AVB himself. With all these admirable qualities, why did Pereira opt for a move to Saudi Arabia? Perhaps a lucrative contract played a major role. After all, as clichéd as it may sound, money talks!
Thomas Tuchel: Mainz
Jurgen Klopp is an enormous character in every aspect, so when Borussia Dortmund came calling, predictably, the director of football at Mainz realized he had a mammoth replacement task on his hands. However, as gigantic as this mission was, Mainz managed to find someone who could rival the charisma of Klopp, step forward Thomas Tuchel.
Much like Brendan Rodgers, another manager I will discuss a little later, Tuchel saw his playing career callously cut short. Upon entering the world of management, rather vociferously, the German stated that he felt it was his duty to promote the minnows who occupied the vast waters of the Bundesliga. In his first role, a position that saw him occupy the reins at the Coface Arena, Tuchel led the team to some remarkable victories, most notably an away victory at the Allianz Arena, home of the mighty Bayern Munich.
It is very easy to christen Tuchel the new Jürgen Klopp, yet it seems ever so appropriate. At 40 years of age, the enigmatic German is doing an arguably better job at the club Klopp left for Borussia Dortmund. In 2010, let’s not forget this, Tuchel became the first manager ever to win the opening seven games of a Bundesliga campaign.
Vincenzo Montella: Fiorentina
At 40 years of age, impressively, Montella possesses quite the CV. After plying his trade at Roma for over a decade, to most fans delight, Montella became the club’s manager, albeit in a caretaker capacity. This experience helped lay the foundation for full-time roles at Catania and La Viola, the club more commonly known as Fiorentina. At the latter, many would agree, Montella was responsible for forging an indomitable attacking line up. Much like his style as a player, Montella is a staunch advocate of attacking play. The man credited with introducing talents as Alberto Aquilani and David Pizarro into the squad, Montella did receive some criticism for allowing Stevan Jovetic to join City, however, what is a coach supposed to do when a player voices his desire to leave? I wonder if Jovetic regrets the move now, especially when you consider he has rarely started a game for City.
Roberto Martinez: Everton
After securing European football in his very first season, the Spaniard is enjoying the best spell of his managerial career. After two impressive years at Swansea, Matinez moved onto Wigan, a club he managed for four years. His final year at The KC Stadium was bittersweet, as Wigan won the FA Cup but experienced a cruel blow in the form of relegation. Famous for his belief in harmonious living, Martinez is renowned for fining any player that does not get at least eight hours rest each night. It does make you wonder how exactly Martinez can prove a player did or did not get adequate sleep. Perhaps he has cameras in the players’ bedrooms. If so, he should be thankful that he does not have John Terry in his squad.
At 40 years of age, Roberto found himself arriving at Goodison, replacing a man supposedly destined for greatness. No one could have fully envisaged the seasons experienced by Martinez and Moyes, especially that experienced by the latter. Both men were charged with tough tasks, both were asked (perhaps instructed) to capitalize upon already remarkable legacies. But, without doubt, similarities in the fortunes of each manager are very difficult to note.
Evertonians have revelled in the salient style of play employed by Martinez, a style that was synonymous with the man during his spells at Swansea and Wigan. Largely thanks to his predecessor, Martinez inherited an unyielding and unified defence, something he never had when managing the Latics. His biggest coup, without doubt, was successfully retaining the services of Manchester United target Leighton Baines. In addition, allowing Fellaini to leave was either a genius move or a lucky break, either way, no one can really argue with the fact that the Belgian wouldn’t come close to making Roberto’s starting XI.
Frank De Boer: Ajax
Successfully managing to rescue Ajax after Martin Jol’s disastrous spell, the 43 year old has navigated the club to its fourth consecutive title, a feat never achieved by any previous manager. After Louis van Gaal, De Boer is arguably the best manager ever at Ajax, so it is no surprise that he is strongly linked with replacing Tim Sherwood at Tottenham Hotspur. Since taking over from Martin Jol, Holland’s answer to Santa Claus, De Boer has introduced a tactical revolution of sorts. Under the aforementioned Jol, the playing style of Ajax was as one dimensional as the artistic merit of Billy Ray Cyrus. Jol depended solely on key players to win most games, living by a mantra that went something like this; What are you doing? Just pass the ball to Luis Suarez, we have worked on this all week in training.
In 2010, fans rejoiced, as De Boer’s arrival saw the reintroduction of total football, a style fundamental to the success of the classic Ajax teams, those sides that gave rise to talented players like Dennis Bergkamp and Marco Van Basten.
The Champions League winning formation of yesteryears was yanked from the proverbial storage room, the tactical style strongly favoured by Louis van Gaal . The philosophy is simple; Create triangles on the field of play, ensure a numerical advantage in midfield, and generate an attack from this very advantage.
In addition, De Boer’s flirtation with the idea of a false-nine was paramount in discovering the true talent of Christian Eriksen, a player now performing admirably for Spurs, a club that could very well be De Boer’s next employer.
Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool
The man credited with crafting the Anfield renaissance, Brendan Rodgers is one cool customer. However, his ascent to the top of the managerial mountain has been a testing, rather tedious one. In 2009, after six months at the helm, Brendan left Reading by mutual consent. A successful, almost fairytale like role at Swansea catapulted Rodgers into the media’s limelight. The football world sat up and took notice; many wondered if the Irishman possessed the tactical nous to manage a top tier club? The answer, as we all know, is a categorical yes. Had it not been for a defence as leaky as Ozzy Osborne’s bladder, Liverpool would most definitely be finishing top of the EPL. Nevertheless, it’s been a great year for Merseyside, especially the red half, and next season will see Anfield host Champions League football for the first time since 2010.
Diego Simeone: Atletico Madrid
The 43 year old Argentine has experienced amazing success at Atlético Madrid. This is by no means a fluke or lucky coincidence; this is simply because Simeone has forcefully introduced a combination of psychological reinforcement and unyielding tactical demands. A over of two things, hair gel and football, Simeone is a club legend. Famed for his playing style, Diego left everything on the field of play, a powerful force that chased down every ball. And it is this very fact that assisted ‘El Cholo’ in commanding instant respect from the dressing room. Having somehow built a powerful squad with limited funds, especially when compared with their city rivals, Simeone has managed to assemble a closely-knit group of disciples. As he has previously stated, anybody who has a problem with the rigid system, well, they know where the door is. Diego’s men are till in with every chance of being crowned the kings of Europe and Spain, could we be witnessing the rise of THE SPECIAL ONE (Part 2)?
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