5 of the best managerial appointments of the 2016/17 season
Managers are the traditional fall guys of football, and managerial appointments can go one of two ways. They can galvanise a team to play beyond their means or they can sink them into a pit of oblivion.
Luckily for the following five teams, they did a lot more than what was expected of them in the season. They managed to land someone who has gone above and beyond, laying a foundation that could be built on for many years to come.
Here are the five best managerial signings of the season.
#1 Lucien Favre – OGC Nice
If there was an award for the coup of the season, this would be it. After losing Claude Puel to Southampton and two of their best performers of the season prior, it’s a testament to the Swiss manager’s skills that they’ve gone even further than their excellent 2015/16 campaign.
His tactics have soaked into the players like sherry in a Christmas pudding, allowing them to adapt on the fly. While a bit of a cash injection has brought in players like Mario Balotelli and Dante, it’s his work with the domestic players that has impressed the most.
Wylan Cyprien is a star in the making, Jean-Michel Seri has gone to another level and Alassane Plea is finally living up to his potential. The fact that they have qualified for the Champions League and they are still in with a shout for the league is a true testament to the Favre effect at the Allianz Riviera.