Premier League analysis: Ranking England’s top managers

Leon edges scrappy FC Juarez to secure spot in playoffs </a> </li><li> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://playingfor90.com/2023/11/12/megan-rapinoe-career-defined-more-farewell-match-injury/"> Megan Rapinoe’s career defined by more than farewell match injury </a> </li><li> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://playingfor90.com/2023/11/12/barcelona-manage-comeback-alaves/"> Lewandowski scores twice as Barcelona come back to beat Alaves 2-1 </a> </li><li> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://playingfor90.com/2023/11/12/liga-mx-leon-puebla-finales/"> León chasing play-in spot; Puebla aims for higher seeding </a> </li><li> <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://playingfor90.com/2023/11/12/tigres-goalie-america/"> Carlos Rodríguez emerges with clean sheet vs league leaders </a> </li></ul> </div> <p>Dyche has Burnley playing some of the most organized and strong British football in the Premier League.  They fight for every blade of grass and are fantastic at home.</p> <p>If Dyche had more talent in his squad it is curious to wonder what exactly their ceiling would be.  Dyche does seem to have gotten as far as he can go with Burnley which isn’t an insult to either side.</p> <p>The fact that Burnley have sold players for upwards of 20 million in each of the past couple of big windows is important.  It means that the larger clubs are showing just how much what Dyche is teaching is worth at the top-level.</p> <p>Rumor has it that it is Dyche who will be replacing the unjustly fired Koeman sooner rather than later.  Burnley should do whatever it is they can to prevent that from happening.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 10. Arsene Wenger </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-443405" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_560,w_850/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F09%2F850289770-arsenal-v-doncaster-rovers-carabao-cup-third-round.jpg.jpg" alt=""></p> <h3>Arsene Wenger</h3> <p>There are people who will be outraged by this but let’s be honest.  Wenger is at this point a man out of time.  When he arrived in England there’s a chance that he was number 1 on this list.  When Arsenal were invincible he was absolutely number 1 on this list.</p> <p>He started off his time at Arsenal as one of the most innovative managers in football.  It was he who had people doing yoga and taking creatine to recover from injuries.  He since then hasn’t done anything of note.</p> <p>Arsenal are a fantastic football club and Arsene Wenger is probably holding them back.  They have world-class talent and an ability to spend money that for some reason he apparently chooses not to do.  He’s stuck in a different era.  The truth is Wenger continues to stain his resume with every further year he manages.  Arsenal won’t fire him because they’re a class organization but it’s been time to go for too long.</p> <p>The things that Arsene Wenger introduced to football in England now everybody does.  He’s a historic figure in the evolution of British football into a more continental game but these days everyone works out, eats right and does yoga.  He needs to do more than that.  He appears entirely unwilling to coach defense or simply grind out results.  His inability to adapt is what has kept him in place while everybody learned from him and moved up the list.</p> <p>The truth is what made Sir Alex such a fantastic manager is that he was willing to not only change but admit when he was wrong.  Wenger has had his back against the wall for so long he can’t seemingly get off it. It’s been time to leave for too long.  Every year another superior manager joins the league and pushes Wenger further down this list.  He should leave with dignity rather than dragging himself through the mud like this.</p> <p>He limits Arsenal not the other way around anymore.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 9. David Wagner </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443613" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443613" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F864651872-huddersfield-town-v-manchester-united-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: David Wagner, manager of Huddersfield Town looks on during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Manchester United at John Smith’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Huddersfield, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>David Wagner</h3> <p>David Wagner is a phenomenal manager.  What he has done for Huddersfield Town since leaving Borussia Dortmund II is nothing short of amazing.  Since 2015 he has taken Huddersfield Town from the Championship to mid-table in the Premier League with a shoestring budget and playing fantastic football.  It is nothing short of fantastic that his side just beat one of the most expensively assembled sides ever in their 2-1 victory over Manchester United.</p> <p>It will be no time surely before major clubs like Bayern Munich and others come calling for the fantastic manager.  Wagner has worked miracles at Huddersfield Town and could very well be higher up this list if given more resources with which to compete at the top-level.  The fact that he has even gotten this far is a remarkable thing.</p> <p>As rumors have it Huddersfield should be doing all that they can to keep him from the USA managers spot.  He’s one of the favorites for the job and it would be nearly impossible for Huddersfield to find someone of his quality quickly.  With the USA out of the World Cup there’s an argument to be had that there’s no reason to leave now but Huddersfield should tie him down to a thoroughly good contract as soon as possible.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 8. Eddie Howe </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443615" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443615" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F864715654-stoke-city-v-afc-bournemouth-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Manager of AFC Bournemouth Eddie Howe during the Premier League match between Stoke City and AFC Bournemouth at Bet365 Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Eddie Howe</h3> <p>Bournemouth have had an almost peculiarly difficult schedule for the beginning of the season.  They have already played Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and are due against Chelsea in two weeks time.  They’ll have played 4 of the big six in quick succession.  So the fact that Bournemouth are currently pretty low in the table should not carry too much weight.</p> <div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/tipZaYBpI5g?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <p>Howe has turned Bournemouth into a fantastic side in his time at the club so far.  They play good football with heart and they score goals.  The fact that they are from a tiny town in South England and manage to make the most of it against the giants week in and week out is something to be marveled at.</p> <p>Bournemouth are a good side and Howe has them punching way above their weight.  The fact that they were in competition for European football at one point last season is phenomenal.  Their current place is not reflective of Howe’s quality as a manager at all.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 7. Rafael Benitez </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443616" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443616" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F864326106-newcastle-united-v-crystal-palace-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Rafael Benitez, Manager of Newcastle United looks on during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace at St. James Park on October 21, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Rafael Benitez</h3> <p>Benitez suffers from a level of disrespect that makes truly no sense.  People forget that this man was one of the originals to outmaneuver Barcelona and Real Madrid when he won La Liga with Valencia all those years ago.  He then managed to take Liverpool to the Champions League final and win it despite being down 3-0 because of a fantastic half time tweaking of his tactics.  Is it forgotten that side by the way possessed several of the greatest players of all time in Maldini, Pirlo, Shevchenko and Seedorf.  Meanwhile Benitez had at his disposal Milan Baros and Dietmar Hamman?</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia"> <div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_443600" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/Playingfor90/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet") .addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet"); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>Newcastle United should know that they can pretty much never fire Benitez.  The fact that he stuck with the club through relegation, kept his word to get them promoted and now has them punching above their weight in the Premier League despite the fact they didn’t make any signings is spectacular.</p> <p>Honestly disliking Benitez is a sign that someone has a personal feud with him or frankly is just a bully.  He’s a phenomenal manager and has done nothing but prove it beyond a doubt at every stop he’s had.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 6. Marco Silva </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443628" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443628" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F855873732-west-bromwich-albion-v-watford-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Marco Silva, Manager of Watford reacts during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Watford at The Hawthorns on September 30, 2017 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2>Marco Silva</h2> <p>His track record is strong and he’s shown a willingness to take on real challenges.  The attempt to save Hull from relegation last season was perhaps a little too bold and a challenge that he did eventually fail.  The fact that he almost succeeded in what would have been seen by everyone else in the coaching community as a lost cause is something of note.</p> <p>He’s taken over at Watford now and currently has them 6th in the table.  A fantastic place for Watford.  He has done a great job improving each of his players individually and that’s what really measures the skill of a coach.  Anybody can do reasonably well buying 200 million pounds worth of international talent and throwing them out on a pitch. Silva hasn’t had that option and has sought to improve each of his players individually with strong coaching.</p> <p>His philosophy is one based on improvement of each of his charges and through that the team.  In a time when it feels like each young coach is a soulless clone preaching possession and pressing Silva is different.  He focuses on spacing, structure and counter-attacking.  He did a fantastic job at Olympiakos and has shown that he’s willing to fight the fight in England.  Silva will improve Watford substantially and have them punching far above their weight for some time.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 5. Jurgen Klopp </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_441895" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-441895" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F09%2F847892640-liverpool-v-burnley-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Burnley at Anfield on September 16, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Jurgen Klopp</h3> <p>The charismatic German is one of the best managers in world football.  In pretty much any other league he would be regarded as the best manager in the division.  The issue is in England he has one of the toughest tasks around.</p> <p>Liverpool are a sleeping giant.  By sleeping I mean hibernating, frozen like Han Solo in carbonite, or even possibly and sadly dead.  They have a group of supporters who expect far beyond what they should at the moment and a team that simply aren’t as good as the others in the top areas of the division.</p> <p>Liverpool don’t seem to recruit very well and Klopp is having to build his side seemingly one player at a time.  Manchester City and United think nothing of spending 200 million in a single window.  Klopp will turn things around at Liverpool but it took him 8 years at Mainz and 8 years at Dortmund.</p> <p>Things aren’t looking too good for the Liverpool manager at the moment but he is quality to the bone and if Liverpool ever part ways with him it will put them further back than could probably be recovered for the next decade.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. Jose Mourinho </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_442916" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-442916" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F846180478-manchester-united-v-fc-basel-uefa-champions-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 12: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United looks on after the UEFA Champions League Group A match between Manchester United and FC Basel at Old Trafford on September 12, 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Jose Mourinho</h3> <p>Some of the shine has rubbed off Mourinho in recent years.  He can say whatever he likes about it but it’s true.  Between his firing from Chelsea and his failure to immediately resurrect Manchester United he doesn’t seem as much like “The Special One” as before.  That said he’s still without a doubt one of the best tacticians in world football.</p> <p>Both of the Manchester clubs have started the season in sparkling form and that only adds more drama to the ever interesting Guardiola-Mourinho dynamic.  Mourinho tends to win the title in his second season so it will be interesting to see how he handles this year.  He may have been too conservative against an ultimately weak Liverpool team in the first Northwestern Derby of the year and that could cost him.  Manchester United also slipped up against Huddersfield.  It will be interesting to see how this season goes but if Mourinho does not succeed in returning Manchester United to the pinnacle of British football despite the amount of money that he has spent then he has absolutely no chance of maintaining the same level of reputation he currently enjoys.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. Pep Guardiola </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443633" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443633" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F864610708-manchester-city-v-burnley-premier-league.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City points during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley at Etihad Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Pep Guardiola</h3> <p>There are those who would think it mad to place Guardiola only third on this list.  But those are people who drank the cool-aid long ago.  If Guardiola wins the league and turns Manchester City into the most beautiful and dominant football side ever created then he will without a doubt be on the top of this list.</p> <p>As of now though he happened to be the coach in residence when the greatest team of all time came of age at Barcelona.  They had all been at La Masia since they were 10 and at Barcelona they teach tiki-taka from the earliest age groups.  So he didn’t invent it, stop anointing the man king yet.  He then went to Bayern Munich and managed at a team that had won an unprecedented quadruple without him literally the year before.</p> <p>As of now Pep Guardiola has been in the literal best situations of any manager in history.  He’s picked his clubs with incredible timing.  That said…</p> <p>IF he can turn Manchester City into the side they look like being in the early stages of this season he will prove that he’s been the missing factor.  It’s simply hard to give too much credit to a manager who has had Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Thomas Muller, Franck Ribery and Manuel Neuer in his squads.  Every team he’s had so far would have been phenomenal without him.</p> <p>The reason City is different is because though the funds are entirely unlimited but the squad also needed a lot of work.  Pep has had the opportunity to make the squad entirely in his own image not that of the club before him.</p> <p>He might be the best manager in the world but he has yet to prove it.  Don’t make your praise so pedestrian and cheap. Jeeze.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Mauricio Pochettino </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_443637" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-443637" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F862000660-tottenham-hotspur-training-session.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">MADRID, SPAIN – OCTOBER 16: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur speaks to the media during the Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 16, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h3>Mauricio Pochettino</h3> <p>The Tottenham manager is without a doubt one of the best managers in world football bar none.  He has managed to make Spurs more than just a fiscally well run club with a good youth team.  He’s turned them into a genuine power and destroyed the balance of power in North London.  He could very well have turned Spurs into the best club in London.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia"> <div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_443600" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/Playingfor90/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet") .addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet"); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>What puts Pochettino in that top-level of managers is that he has made a fantastic impression on the players he has.  He’s improved them remarkably.  Harry Kane was a skinny average striker.  Now people are regarding him as a future Ballon D’Or winner and Real Madrid are preparing a 170 million pound bid for the striker.  Of the last 15 England debutantes 12 of them have been coached by Pochettino. He’s a phenomenal manager.</p> <p>There was a time when Spurs were very obviously a stepping stone club.  You moved to Spurs because other clubs in England would see you play more and the exposure was good.  Then a proper financial powerhouse would bid for you.  Spurs don’t need to claim to be that sort of club anymore and a large part of that is down to Pochettino (Daniel Levy’s brilliant chairmanship as well).</p> <p>Hopefully in the years to come Pochettino is able to secure a major title for Spurs to cement his status as a genius.  He deserves it.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Antonio Conte </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_442371" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-442371" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F09%2F855523040-chelsea-training-and-press-conference.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">COBHAM, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 29: Chelsea Head Coach Antonio Conte talks to the media at Chelsea Training Ground on September 29, 2017 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p> </p> <h3>Antonio Conte</h3> <p>Conte barely edges this one over Pochettino.  The reason for that is simple however.  No club in world football works against its own manager in the way Chelsea FC does.  To succeed at Chelsea is to be constantly undermined, strangled and kicked in the bollocks by your own directors and then blamed for their failings in talent evaluation and recruitment.</p> <p>No club in the world asks the manager which players he would like and then so blatantly ignores them like Chelsea.  No club in the world spoils its players and feeds their idiotic undeserved egos and bad habits like Chelsea. No club in the world stabs its managers in the back with such prolific evidence as Chelsea FC and yet somehow, someway Conte managed to win the title and do it with grace last season.</p> <p>Conte will probably be fired for his trouble and for wanting the club to behave in a semblance of a logical manner.  Conte managed to take a group of players who finished 10th the year before and were on the verge of a riot and somehow win the title with the only three additions to his squad being players he did not request.</p> <p>The fact that the Chelsea manager is essentially asked every single day to fly straight into a storm and not given an ounce of organizational support is what makes him so special.  Conte is on an island every day and entirely unsupported like nobody else in the sport of football.  His success is due to his own character not only as a coach but as a man and human being.</p> <div class="next-post amp-get-next-post lg"><a class="location" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-post-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/30/the-top-20-managers-in-the-premier-league/"https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/28/chelsea-fc-real-reason-carlo-ancelotti-wont-take-job-stamford-bridge/">