12AUG
The 2016/17 English Premier league season is set to commence and it promises to be a clash of the titans as far as the managerial duels will be concerned. In the past, three or four big coaches in the EPL are enough to lit up the league and create enough competition that made the EPL a big talking point. In the new season, there could be as many as six or even more! The role of a manager in winning a match is very important as its widely known that they do not play the game themselves; but depend on the players to carry out their instructions. The EPL will have an array of some of the world’s finest and most renowned managers in the new season. We therefore take a look at the top 7 tacticians that will be at the dugouts when the 2016/17 season gets underway..
1. JOSE MOURINHO (Manchester United)
The former Chelsea boss will be looking to steer United from waters of mediocrity since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. United won the FA Cup under Louis Van Gaal but the Dutchman was criticized before being sacked for being too dour and lacked the charisma, style and authority shown to the Old Trafford faithfuls over the years by Sir Alex. Jose Mourinho with his charisma, guile, temperament and charm is widely regarded as one of the best in his generation after relatively huge successes recorded during stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He is known for the physical & combative abilities of his team’s defenders and midfielders. Applying pressure from offensive lines and force opponents to either concede the ball or try longer, uncertain passes. With his old nemesis Pep Guardiola bossing the blue side of Manchester, the local derby promises to be mind-blowing and we’ll have a feel of the El Clasico in Manchester. Expect Arsene Wenger to be at the receiving end of some nasty comments too. Jose had labelled the Frenchman “a voyeur & specialist in failure” in the past. He’ll be looking forward to shame his critics & the chance to restore his reputation after the manner of his dismissal at Stamford Bridge. Jose was sacked by Chelsea after a poor defense to their EPL crown won in the 2014/15 season.
The former Chelsea boss will be looking to steer United from waters of mediocrity since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. United won the FA Cup under Louis Van Gaal but the Dutchman was criticized before being sacked for being too dour and lacked the charisma, style and authority shown to the Old Trafford faithfuls over the years by Sir Alex. Jose Mourinho with his charisma, guile, temperament and charm is widely regarded as one of the best in his generation after relatively huge successes recorded during stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He is known for the physical & combative abilities of his team’s defenders and midfielders. Applying pressure from offensive lines and force opponents to either concede the ball or try longer, uncertain passes. With his old nemesis Pep Guardiola bossing the blue side of Manchester, the local derby promises to be mind-blowing and we’ll have a feel of the El Clasico in Manchester. Expect Arsene Wenger to be at the receiving end of some nasty comments too. Jose had labelled the Frenchman “a voyeur & specialist in failure” in the past. He’ll be looking forward to shame his critics & the chance to restore his reputation after the manner of his dismissal at Stamford Bridge. Jose was sacked by Chelsea after a poor defense to their EPL crown won in the 2014/15 season.
2. PEP GUARDIOLA (Manchester City)
Managing Manchester City will be Pep’s biggest test yet as a manager. The Catalan has coached Barcelona & Bayern Munich in the past and Manchester City is neither as rich nor as popular as these two teams. He has inherited a team that lost steam last season under Manuel Pellegrini; the team lost 10 times in the league and finished fourth. Guardiola’s teams are known to keep possession of the ball for large spells during the game, fast paced attacks & winning the ball back as quickly a as possible once possession is lost. He imprinted the tiki-taka style of passing at Barcelona and also did the same during his time with Bayern Munich. Pep has been hugely successful as a manager in the game with trophy-laden achievements both with Barca and Bayern. He is also regarded by many as one of the best football managers in the world. The English game is totally different from the tactically savvy Spanish game and technically clinical German football he has worked with. Manchester derbies now promises to be mouth-watering and expect the battle of supremacy in the city to be fierce & keenly contested, especially with Jose Mourinho on the other side. Their confrontations will be epic!
New Chelsea Coach, Antonio Conte
3. ANTONIO CONTE (Chelsea)
Conte returned to club football management after leading his native Italy to the quarter finals at Euro 2016. He resigned at Juventus after winning major accolades before taking the role of the coach of the Italian national team. The former Juventus boss; like Guardiola will be having a feel of English football for the first time. Conte led Juventus to 3 successive Serie A triumphs and the Turin club went throughout the 2011/12 season unbeaten creating a record in Italian football. Chelsea went into the EPL records last season as the team with the poorest defense of their EPL crown. Reports of dressing room crises last season under Mourinho and the team’s bad form on the pitch led to Jose’s dismissal. Guus Hiddink was brought in as caretaker manager & the team finished 10th on the log. Chelsea won’t be competing in Europe in the coming season, meaning the team will play fewer matches compared to other rivals. The team should be fully focused on domestic games and many has seen this as a opportunity for Chelsea to reclaim their reputation as a top team in England. Antonio Conte sets up his sides to play short passes possession game, ball played out from the back, high defensive solidity, direct attacking play & aggressive pressing to win the ball back. Juve were fallen giants of Italian football after demotion to Serie B due to match fixing scandal before Conte took over; he left the team after repositioning them as a major force in Italy and on the European continent. Chelsea needs the magic wand used in Turin and to their advantage, and they have Antonio in the right place at the right time.
Conte returned to club football management after leading his native Italy to the quarter finals at Euro 2016. He resigned at Juventus after winning major accolades before taking the role of the coach of the Italian national team. The former Juventus boss; like Guardiola will be having a feel of English football for the first time. Conte led Juventus to 3 successive Serie A triumphs and the Turin club went throughout the 2011/12 season unbeaten creating a record in Italian football. Chelsea went into the EPL records last season as the team with the poorest defense of their EPL crown. Reports of dressing room crises last season under Mourinho and the team’s bad form on the pitch led to Jose’s dismissal. Guus Hiddink was brought in as caretaker manager & the team finished 10th on the log. Chelsea won’t be competing in Europe in the coming season, meaning the team will play fewer matches compared to other rivals. The team should be fully focused on domestic games and many has seen this as a opportunity for Chelsea to reclaim their reputation as a top team in England. Antonio Conte sets up his sides to play short passes possession game, ball played out from the back, high defensive solidity, direct attacking play & aggressive pressing to win the ball back. Juve were fallen giants of Italian football after demotion to Serie B due to match fixing scandal before Conte took over; he left the team after repositioning them as a major force in Italy and on the European continent. Chelsea needs the magic wand used in Turin and to their advantage, and they have Antonio in the right place at the right time.
4. ARSENE WENGER (Arsenal)
The longest serving manager in English football having being at the helm in North London since 1996. Wenger has won only 3 EPL titles since 1996 with the last victory coming at the 2003/04 season. The 2015/16 season was seen as the season for Arsenal to win the league with all major contenders falling like pack of cards. The team finished second with surprise but well deserved winners Leicester City amassing 10 more points than Arsenal. The team last won the title in 2004 and without the threat of loosing is job to challenge him, he is wallowing in his past glory and loosing the wits, hunger and winning edge required to become EPL champions. Arsene Wenger has never won an EPL match against Jose Mourinho & their rivalry looks set to reach new heights. Fists were thrown between these men during Chelsea’s 6-0 mauling of Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in October 2014. Arsene organizes his team to keep compact lines of zones of quick and coordinated movements with great techniques. Will Arsenal provide a lasting challenge for the title this time? Time will tell..
The longest serving manager in English football having being at the helm in North London since 1996. Wenger has won only 3 EPL titles since 1996 with the last victory coming at the 2003/04 season. The 2015/16 season was seen as the season for Arsenal to win the league with all major contenders falling like pack of cards. The team finished second with surprise but well deserved winners Leicester City amassing 10 more points than Arsenal. The team last won the title in 2004 and without the threat of loosing is job to challenge him, he is wallowing in his past glory and loosing the wits, hunger and winning edge required to become EPL champions. Arsene Wenger has never won an EPL match against Jose Mourinho & their rivalry looks set to reach new heights. Fists were thrown between these men during Chelsea’s 6-0 mauling of Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in October 2014. Arsene organizes his team to keep compact lines of zones of quick and coordinated movements with great techniques. Will Arsenal provide a lasting challenge for the title this time? Time will tell..
5. JURGEN KLOPP (Liverpool)
He led Borrusia Dortmund to 2 successive Bundesliga titles against all odds. Bayern Munich was the team that dominated football in Germany but the former Mainz 05 player & manager snatched two titles against the force of the Bavarian giants with his Dortmund team. He quickly earned a deserved reputation as one of the finest coaches of the game in Europe. Klopp joined Liverpool halfway through last season but led the Kops to the Carling cup and Europa League finals. He’ll be hoping to inspire confidence into a disjointed Liverpool side back to title contenders following the disappointing Brendan Rodgers era. He will surely continue to add his enthusiasm to the excitement of the EPL and Liverpool fans will hope he brings back the glory days to Merseyside.
He led Borrusia Dortmund to 2 successive Bundesliga titles against all odds. Bayern Munich was the team that dominated football in Germany but the former Mainz 05 player & manager snatched two titles against the force of the Bavarian giants with his Dortmund team. He quickly earned a deserved reputation as one of the finest coaches of the game in Europe. Klopp joined Liverpool halfway through last season but led the Kops to the Carling cup and Europa League finals. He’ll be hoping to inspire confidence into a disjointed Liverpool side back to title contenders following the disappointing Brendan Rodgers era. He will surely continue to add his enthusiasm to the excitement of the EPL and Liverpool fans will hope he brings back the glory days to Merseyside.
Leicester City and Chelsea’s former Boss Claudio Ranieri
6. CLAUDIO RANIEIRI (Leicester City)
Yes! Coming out of nowhere to win the league last season has given Ranieiri the right to be on this list. The highly experienced & widely traveled Italian defied all odds to create the shock of the century by leading Leicester City to the EPL glory last season. The former Chelsea boss guided the Foxes to the title losing just 3 matches out of 38 and finishing 10 points above their nearest challengers, Arsenal. Keeping hold of the team’s top performers and recruiting good players will be key if they are to show that last season’s triumph is not one off. The Foxes will be competing for the first time in the Champions League and many are eagerly waiting to see if Leicester would be able to meet the demands and rigours of playing in Europe as well as participating in domestic football.
Yes! Coming out of nowhere to win the league last season has given Ranieiri the right to be on this list. The highly experienced & widely traveled Italian defied all odds to create the shock of the century by leading Leicester City to the EPL glory last season. The former Chelsea boss guided the Foxes to the title losing just 3 matches out of 38 and finishing 10 points above their nearest challengers, Arsenal. Keeping hold of the team’s top performers and recruiting good players will be key if they are to show that last season’s triumph is not one off. The Foxes will be competing for the first time in the Champions League and many are eagerly waiting to see if Leicester would be able to meet the demands and rigours of playing in Europe as well as participating in domestic football.
7. MAURICIO POCHETTINO (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Spurs gaffer is the youngest and most dynamic of all top coaches in the 2016/17 EPL season. The former Espanyol and Southampton manager has been identified as a star in the making. With a flair for attacking football & genuine passion for the game, he led Tottenham to their highest premier league finish of 3rd position at the evnd of last season. Spurs looked like the only team to challenge Leicester for long parts of the 2015/16 season, only for their title dreams to fade away at the dying stages of the season. Mauricio have a young, hungry and immensely talented team at his disposal. What he has been able to bring into his team is inspiring them to play fearless football, very high pressing and attacking style of play. He instructs them to build from the back, intimidate and unsettle opponents with quick pressing game. Pochettino will come against coaches with bigger achievements in their career, but with how we saw his team perform last season, he should surely be able to hold his own & give his counterparts a good run for the EPL crown.
The Spurs gaffer is the youngest and most dynamic of all top coaches in the 2016/17 EPL season. The former Espanyol and Southampton manager has been identified as a star in the making. With a flair for attacking football & genuine passion for the game, he led Tottenham to their highest premier league finish of 3rd position at the evnd of last season. Spurs looked like the only team to challenge Leicester for long parts of the 2015/16 season, only for their title dreams to fade away at the dying stages of the season. Mauricio have a young, hungry and immensely talented team at his disposal. What he has been able to bring into his team is inspiring them to play fearless football, very high pressing and attacking style of play. He instructs them to build from the back, intimidate and unsettle opponents with quick pressing game. Pochettino will come against coaches with bigger achievements in their career, but with how we saw his team perform last season, he should surely be able to hold his own & give his counterparts a good run for the EPL crown.
What is very sure is that the coming EPL season will be one of the most captivating in the Premier League history. There will be series of mind games, few touchline drama, spicy pre & post match comments with reignited rivalries and feuds. It won’t be an exaggeration to think we’ll have UEFA Champions League match standards in the EPL during the 2016/17 season. We definitely can’t wait….!
Comments
Post a Comment