Managers are largely responsible for the successes of teams since victories are achieved on the basis of their strategic decisions and tactics. The English Premier League 2019-20 will also have its fair share of acclaimed managers. Here are the top 5 managers to watch out for this season-
- Jurgen Klopp
German footballer Jurgen Klopp retired in 2001, having spent most of his career at Mainz 05. Initially a striker, Klopp later changed into a defender. He served as the club’s manager till resigning from his position in 2008. He was signed as the manager of Liverpool in 2015 after Brendon Rodgers’ resignation. Liverpool transformed under Klopp and the huge impact of the manager on the team cannot be ignored. Klopp tactically gets the best performance out of his players in the field. The Reds, so far, have played excellently in all the matches and their performance is at par with Manchester City.
- Pep Guardiola
Guardiola was a Spanish midfielder who spent most of his career playing for Barcelona and won the European Cup in 1992 along with four Spanish League titles, successively from 1991 to 1994. After retirement, he coached Barcelona B and the team won the Tercera Division title under him. Manchester City signed Guardiola in 2016 and under him, the team won all the ten matches by the end of the year. His ‘Centurions’ made football a form of art, and Manchester city has become indomitable under him. In the last season, City won the title with 100 points and none of the other managers seem to be able to catch up with him.
- Javi Gracia
Javi Gracia is an ex-Spanish footballer who played for Real Valladolid, Real Sociedad, Villarreal CF and Cordoba CF, appearing altogether in 299 games. He coached FC Rubin Kazan in the 2016-17 season and was appointed as the head coach of Watford in January, 2018. For the first time in 35 years, Gracia took the team to the finals of the FA Cup, after defeating the Wolves in the semi-finals. People will be watching what Watford can do under Gracia with his unique 4-2-2-2 formation.
- Nuno Santos
Nuno Santos is a former Portuguese goalkeeper, who played professionally for Spain and Russia as well. He coached Rio Ave, Valencia CF and Porto and was relieved from his duties as the coach of Porto in 2017. Nuno was signed as the new head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 2017 and the club won all the four games subsequently. This season, the Wolves are lying just below the top six in the league table. His competitors are troubled by his 3-4-3 tactics and people are certainly watching out for the Wolves.
- Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino is a former Argentina footballer. In 1992, Pochettino played for Argentina at CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic tournament and won 20 caps over four years. He also participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2009, he was appointed as the third coach of Espanyol and in 2013, he replaced Nigel Adkins as the team manager of Southampton and under him they recorded their highest points tally since the beginning of the League. Tottenham Hotspur signed him in May 2014 and after Manchester City and Liverpool, they are considered the best team currently in the Premier League. Last season, Tottenham defeated City in the Quarters, making Pochettino one of the best managers to contend with in the league.
There are several other managers who will also continue to be in the spotlight, notably Frank Lampard at Chelsea, Ole-Gunner Solksjaer at Manchester United and of course, Arsenal’s Unai Emery.