Ranking the "big six" managers

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Jun 27, 2013
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I know everyone will say I'm bias but I truly believe that Klopp is the best manager in the world right now.
It's a fair shout now, only really Pep can rival him imo with the current changing manager dynamic across Europe.

So unlucky not to do a League/CL double last season, like seriously, who comes second with 97 points?

If you said that at the start of last season then you would be laughed at though, but now it's a fair shout. If he wins the league this season then yep, happy with that opinion.


I'd probably say from abroad Conte and Zidane are closest to Klopp/Pep.
 

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wobblypunt

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On recent and current form (except 5), i think:

1. Klopp - Champions League winner and finalist last two seasons, amazing last season in prem despite losing to City and hot favourites to clinch their maiden EPL title. Plays good football, buys well, is loved by fans and is just an all around world class manager.
2. Fraudiola - kidding of course. City still play the best attacking football in the world at their best in my opinion. Despite not doing well in Europe recently he still has pedigree as a game changing manager that was in the thick of the Barca dynasty and currently the EPL dynasty of City. His spot is at two could drop dramatically based on how City do this season, however.
3. Erik Ten Hag - Hottest prospect in world football for managing for me. Ajax dominating Real Madrid last season and others and getting excruciatingly close to a CL final on a shoestring budget (relatively) is nothing short of remarkable.
4. Diego Simeone - the fact that Atletico are even a factor in La Liga every year is almost a miracle. Barcelona and Real Madrid have the best resources and pulling power in Spain and it's not even close. Yet year after year Atletico upset the apple cart and have even won La Liga and been a whisker from CL glory. Plays good dogged football and is almost a 12th player for Atletico such is his influence, in my opinion.
5. Mauricio Pohettino - Seems strange at 5th right? But he got Spurs to a CL final and built a team that played football no other Spurs side had come close to. Agonizingly close to tangible glory and this will be held against him, rightly. But want can't be discounted is his managing ability and football IQ. Will be snapped up by a super club (Madrid, Bayern, Man U) before long.
6. Conte - Despite recent years not providing European glory he has been taken over an already strong Juventus and kept them that way, which is not always easy to do. Naglesmann is a shout for this spot to and is another up and comer with bright ideas and has Leipzig looking like the next big threat. Favre also deserves an honorable mention.
 

Flameboy

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I wouldn't have Lampard in the top 5 or 6 but I'd have him at number 1 for Chelsea right now. If that makes sense.
 

Steven Gerrard

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I rate Klopp the best and I rate Pochetino right up there too. I rate Mourinho for his crash and grab style philosophy. Emery, yea nah. Ole, still needs time before I can comment but I know what he is trying to do.

Pep though, still a question mark over him. There is a place in the football world where you have that well refined manager who can take a big club, which is well resourced and quite frankly capable of winning trophies no matter who is in charge, and seeing them through to the promised land. That man is Pep. But my question mark over Pep is that he has not proved himself at a club which keeps an eye on its pennies. Mourinho has at Porto, Klopp did it in Germany and whilst Poch hasn't won silverware, what he did at Spurs was impressive.

Pep on the other hand, Barca with Messi, Bayern which pretty much has a monopoly over the Bundesliga and now City. Please, turn it up, these 3 clubs would pretty much be in title contention no matter who was manager.

If Pep went to the Serie A, Juventus. if Pep went to he Greek Super League, Olympiacos, or at the moment, Paok. France, PSG. If Pep ever decided to go into NFL management, it would be the Patriots. If he chose tennis coaching, he'd only coach Nadal, and even then, only at the French Open. If he wanted to coach a basketball team, he'd insist on coaching the USA dream team, and even then, only when they are allowed to use NBA players. if Pep decided netball was more his thing, you can bet your life on it being Australia or NZ. If Pep could choose one athlete in any sport at any time in history to coach, it would be Phelps. Pep only coaches the crem de la crème elite.

Klopp on the other hand, I have no doubt he could walk into any of the clubs Pep managed at the time Pep managed them and win them what Pep won them. But I have extreme doubts Pep could achieve at Liverpool what Klopp has. The tikki takka wouldn't do s**t with the list Klopp inherited at Liverpool and Pep would not have the oil money to buy the players he would have wanted.

klopp has proven himself at all levels. He walks in and rolls up his sleeves. Pep hasn't, he walks into the elite club and rolls out that club's cash.

When Pep can manage a low resourced club anchored to the second division and lead it to the top flight, on a shoe string budget, then tell me about how good Pep is. But until then, he will always be that manager that leads already successful teams of well resourced clubs to more success. Nothing more, nothing less.
 

WealstoneRaider

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To be fair Pellegrini does kind of prove the theory that it doesn’t matter who is in charge of City these days they are going to bag big trophies
 
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It seems like questioning Guardiola has become the new way to prove just how much football knowledge you have. Has he worked at the biggest clubs in the world? Sure. But strangely enough the reason he gets these jobs is because he’s the best manager in the world. The achievements don’t suddenly become meaningless.

It would be like saying Ronaldo hasn’t actually done that much because the trophies he won are with United, Real and Juve. For them to really mean something he’d need to win them with Burnley, Eibar and Parma.

The funny thing is if he’d joined United instead of City they’d almost certainly be in a similar position to what City are now, and people would be saying the same things about how he took a job at a big club where he couldn’t fail.
 
Sep 5, 2014
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It seems like questioning Guardiola has become the new way to prove just how much football knowledge you have. Has he worked at the biggest clubs in the world? Sure. But strangely enough the reason he gets these jobs is because he’s the best manager in the world. The achievements don’t suddenly become meaningless.

It would be like saying Ronaldo hasn’t actually done that much because the trophies he won are with United, Real and Juve. For them to really mean something he’d need to win them with Burnley, Eibar and Parma.

The funny thing is if he’d joined United instead of City they’d almost certainly be in a similar position to what City are now, and people would be saying the same things about how he took a job at a big club where he couldn’t fail.
Not with Woodward. He thinks he knows best.
 
Jun 18, 2014
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Be interesting to get everyones take on this now.

For me:

1 Klopp
2 Guardiola
3 Mourinho
4 Arteta
5 Solskjaer
6 Lampard

I think Mourinho is finished as a top tier manager but I can’t really justify having him below any of the three rookie managers. After that it’s really tricky as there’s not much to go off but my gut feel is that Arteta will end up being the best manager of the three.
 

Thistle

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Be interesting to get everyones take on this now.

For me:

1 Klopp
2 Guardiola
3 Mourinho
4 Arteta
5 Solskjaer
6 Lampard

I think Mourinho is finished as a top tier manager but I can’t really justify having him below any of the three rookie managers. After that it’s really tricky as there’s not much to go off but my gut feel is that Arteta will end up being the best manager of the three.
Don't think Ole can be classified as a rookie manager given he's been leading first teams since 2011. I also think it's too early to make a call on Arteta so I'll go:

1. Klopp
2. Pep
3. Mourinho
4. Lampard
5. Ole
 

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