Managers are arguably the most important part of a football team. They can turn once mediocre players into some of the best in the league, and superstars into flops. Their tactics can often band together a group of average players and create a team capable of competing with the best. Here are five managers who had a permanent impact on football.
Five Managers Who Had a Permanent Impact on Football
Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger won three league titles, seven FA Cups, and is the only manager to have coached a Premier League team to an unbeaten season. However, his influence extends far beyond that, on English football in particular.
He was one of the first foreign managers in the English top flight – certainly the first to achieve major success – and was a pioneer in bringing foreign players to the league. Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, and Cesc Fabregas are just a few examples of the many European talents that he utilised. Previously, managers had largely relied on British players, but it is clear now that the Premier League is dependent on foreign signings. Referred to as Le Professeur, he has always been a student of the game. As with most students who use Edubirdie, Wenger was at the top for so long at Arsenal.
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Furthermore, he revolutionised conditioning. A heavy focus was put on aspects of the players’ lives off the pitch, such as diet and muscle recovery. In the modern game, it would be ridiculous to neglect or even ignore these areas of the sport, but that was exactly what was happening before Wenger’s influence.
Sir Alex Ferguson
A part of the Premier League died when Sir Alex Ferguson left. He was at Manchester United from 1986 to 2013 and was a staple of English and European football. He essentially made one of, if not the, greatest clubs in world football, along with some of the best players ever.
Manchester United were “plucky underdogs” before SAF, a “cup team”. They are now arguably the biggest club in the world, certainly in England. He was there for 27 years, winning 13 Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, and two Champions Leagues. The history of football simply wouldn’t be the same without Manchester United’s history, and therefore without Ferguson.
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Ferguson also arguably created one of the two best players ever. He brought Cristiano Ronaldo to England from Sporting CP in 2003, when he had just three goals and 25 appearances to his name. Ronaldo became, at one point, the best player in the world under SAF, winning the Ballon d’Or. He went on to become one of the best players ever. Like Manchester United, football wouldn’t be the same without Ronaldo, and therefore Ferguson.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has defined modern football. His tiki-taka style is now employed all around the world. Playing out from the back is now used both in very young age groups and at very low steps in the football pyramid, even down to grassroots. Where football used to be about kicking it long, it has now completely changed to build-up play.
He had a lasting impact in Spain, Germany, and now England. Manchester City are on their way to becoming one of the biggest clubs in football, and like Ferguson, Guardiola also crafted one of the best players ever: Lionel Messi.
Johan Cruyff
Like Guardiola, Cruyff also revolutionised a tactic: Total Football. It is an unorthodox system in which all the outfield players are capable of playing in all the outfield positions, with players switching and roaming across the pitch. This exact system is not used much anymore, but high-intensity pressing is still used, arguably more than ever, in modern football.
Ralf Rangnick
Similar to Cruyff, Ralf Rangnick also pioneered a pressing tactic: the Gegenpress. Whilst he did not invent it, he popularised it massively, nicknamed “The Godfather of the Gegenpress”. He, too, is part of the reason that managers all over the world are focusing on pressing systems. Teams like Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth are challenging the Premier League hierarchy thanks to a fundamental high press. Rangnick is not the most decorated manager in footballing history, though he has had his successes, but coaches like Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have been inspired by the gegenpress, winning many major honours.
