10 Greatest Man-Managers in the World Right Now [Ranked]

There are plenty of different factors that go into making a great manager. Especially in the modern game, being tactically astute is of utmost importance, as successful systems are what make the football world go round in the current landscape. You also have to be cutthroat in your decision-making to ensure that everything serves your team in the best way possible.

Perhaps above all else, though, is that you have to have great man-management skills. When you are dealing with a squad consisting of more numbers than you can take with you to a matchday squad, keeping everyone happy and on side is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Even managers like Erik ten Hag have failed to do that in recent times.

However, these 10 coaches have had no such difficulties, and their ability to keep team cohesion at a high is what has helped them reach the levels they currently find themselves at.

10 Nuno Espirito Santo

Nottingham Forest

What a rollercoaster journey the last few years have been for Nuno Espirito Santo. The ex-goalkeeper first rose to prominence on the sidelines at Wolves, where he oversaw promotion to the Premier League and was a beloved figure at Molineux. Some tricky spells at Tottenham and Saudi Arabia followed, with it being reported that the Portuguese did not see eye to eye with Karim Benzema.

However, since returning to England with Nottingham Forest, Santo has his mojo back and is clearly well received by his players. And why wouldn’t he be? He has transformed fortunes at the City Ground and has turned a relatively average squad into contenders for Champions League qualification. And without him, Chris Wood certainly wouldn’t have become one of the best strikers in the division.

9 Andoni Iraola

Bournemouth

Much of what has been said about Santo rings true for Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard was an unknown quantity when he was chosen to replace Gary O’Neil – a man that many people wanted to stay at Bournemouth after he helped keep them up. However, the decision to go with Iraola proved to be a masterstroke.

There haven’t been too many major incomings, and the Cherries started the season losing their star striker in Dominic Solanke. However, the intensity with which they play clearly shows how respected their manager is, with most of those on the pitch looking like they would run through a brick wall in his honour. It has helped push them to European contention while other big clubs around them flounder.

8 Jose Mourinho

Fenerbahce

On the surface, it may seem strange to have Jose Mourinho on this list, since the list of players the ‘Special One’ has fallen out with over the years continues to grow after each role in management he takes. For all the relationships that blow up in the most cataclysmic way, there are also bonds forged between the former Chelsea boss and players that will last a lifetime.

Particularly during his first stint at Stamford Bridge and at Inter Milan, where he would win the treble, Mourinho was able to turn his squad into prodigal sons who would go out and give every last bit of themselves they had in the tank. Those players testify that he was like a father figure to them, so it is impossible to ignore the angelic side of the 62-year-old, as well as the wreckage-seeking devil.

7 Xabi Alonso

Bayer Leverkusen

In the grand scheme of things, Xabi Alonso hasn’t been in the managerial game for very long. Yet, the former Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool midfielder has already cultivated an incredible reputation as a coach, and what he achieved with his unbeaten Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen was nothing short of spectacular.

While he did recruit well when he dipped into the market, a large part of his squad that he turned into title winners were struggling towards the bottom end of the table before Alonso arrived. The spirit he was able to instil in his side from that point on shows just how strong a connection he was able to build with every single member of his squad.

6 Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the first to tell you that if you get on Mikel Arteta’s bad side, it is incredibly difficult to recover from. However, in the case of the Gabonese striker, the reason why Arteta was able to cast him aside how and when he did was because he was showing faith in a talented young core that he was ready to build around.

The confidence that would have given to the likes of Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka is immeasurable. And they have returned the favour by becoming some of the best players in the Premier League. Even when his side aren’t at their best, the manager is always defending them, and very rarely do you see the Spaniard criticise anyone individually, emphasising that success and failure are always defined by togetherness.

5 Arne Slot

Liverpool

Arne Slot had a very difficult task when he arrived at Anfield. He was replacing a truly beloved figure at the football club and also one of the best man-managers in modern times (spoiler). It could’ve been so easy for things to go wrong, yet he has cultivated a belief and an atmosphere that looks set to land Liverpool their first league title in five years.

Of course, the Dutchman’s approach and personality are incredibly contrasting to his predecessor. There can be no denying that. But, in his own unique way, Slot has won over a squad that appeared to be quite a difficult one to appease towards the end of the previous reign, and he is reaping the rewards.

4 Pep Guardiola

Manchester City

Everyone knows that tactically, there is no one greater than Pep Guardiola. The Catalan native has created, or in some eyes modified from Johan Cruyff, a style of football that has become so impactful that it has created this notion that every team needs to be able to play out from the back. While his methods have been successful beyond belief, he wouldn’t have been able to implement them if he didn’t get his players on his side.

The relationships Guardiola built with superstars like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi helped change the party-boy culture that existed at Barcelona when he first took the senior hotseat. The rest was history, and Guardiola has continued to find ways to form strong bonds with his stars to the point where, at their best, they form a machine that their manager has crafted to perfection.

3 Diego Simeone

Atletico Madrid

To be at a club for well over a decade means that you’re not only able to bring success to the table, but you must have built strong relationships with those you have worked with over that period. There can be no denying that is the case with Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, as he has managed to turn the big two in Spain into the big three.

While the former Inter Milan midfielder is certainly an intimidating presence, his bond with his players is undeniable. While Atleti don’t have the same pulling power as Real Madrid or Barcelona, Simeone, on more than one occasion, has built a team that can reign supreme domestically, even with players that, on paper, might be inferior to their rivals.

2 Jurgen Klopp

Unemployed

There’s not much to be said about Jurgen Klopp‘s impact at both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool that cannot be understated, and the energy that his teams play with means that his players have to fully buy into the methods he is laying out. In order to do that, the German has to gain the trust of his squad, and his charisma goes a long way in doing that.

Klopp is known to have welcomed the families of players on training camps in order to keep everyone feeling positive, and several of his players have spoken out about how brilliant he was/is in one-to-one scenarios. Should he ever make a return to the sidelines, there will no doubt be plenty of other budding stars who will benefit from a tight bond with him.

1 Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid

When you’re handed the nickname ‘Don Ancelotti’ by your players, it shows you command respect and have built a relationship that will stand the test of time. What is so impressive about the Italian, though, is that he has been able to do this for decades, managing the biggest players on the biggest teams.

For some managers, making the jump to the elite level is one step too far, as they cannot relate to the superstars working under them. However, time and again, Ancelotti has proven he can do this, and it is a large part of why he is the most successful coach in European competitions.