5 managers with the most defensive playing style in football right now
In the modern era of football, managers have deployed different approaches to their game style. While some have preferred the attacking approach, some are content with sitting back and hitting on the counter.
Truth be told, it is not assured that an attacking playing style ensures more success. Sometimes it does backfire when going full throttle to score goals. While a balance between attack and defense needs to be achieved, it is one hell of a task.
Some of the best managers deploy a defensive approach
There is no harm in relying on the defensive style of football as long as the desired results are achieved. Plenty of the not-so-strong teams have adopted this philosophy in Europe's top five leagues and made it difficult for others to dominate them. Sam Allardyce has been a master at it as we have seen the Englishman very often in the Premier League.
Adopting a defensive approach involves team chemistry to be excellent and the manager has a big role in helping that. Some of the best managers in the world have adopted a defensive-minded approach and it has been successful for them. Antonio Conte is one such example but the Italian missed out on the list since he's not active right now. On that note, let's take a look at five of the top active managers to have the most defensive-minded playing style in football:
#5 Sean Dyche (Burnley)
Sean Dyche is a well-known figure in the Premier League. He started out his managerial career as an assistant to Malky Mackay at Watford. He was made permanent manager of the Hornets following Mackay's departure to Cardiff City in 2011.
Due to a change in ownership of the club, Dyche was let go despite finishing 11th in the Championship, the club's best finish in four years at the time. In 2012, the English manager was made the manager of Burnley and has been with them ever since. Under Dyche, the Clarets have been promoted to the Premier League twice and are now more regularly seen in the top division.
To get Burnley to 7th place and the 4th best defensive record in the league, with a net spend of just £29m since being promoted and the 3rd lowest wage bill in the Premier League, is remarkable.
Sean Dyche. Take a bow. #twitterclarets #UTC https://t.co/ovWQOKNJic
The former Watford manager prefers to play in a 4-4-2 formation. Along with the four at the back, the four in midfield are heavily involved in defending deep, allowing the opposition to play their game. That being said, Burnley have a very patient and resolute approach which makes it very difficult for the opposite team.
This compels them to play long balls in the box for which the Clarets are well trained. Burnley rely heavily on set-pieces to score and are known to score some scrappy goals. Given that Burnley have stayed up in the Premier League for five teams in a row now despite operating on a shoe-string budget, Dyche deserves a lot of plaudits.
#4 Unai Emery (Villarreal)
The Spaniard is a well-experienced manager and a real pro in winning the UEFA Europa League. Unai Emery has won the Europa League a record four times in his managerial career so far.
The former Almeria manager has managed some fine Spanish clubs in his career, namely Valencia, Sevilla and now Villarreal. He has also managed the likes of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal. Emery is a manager who likes to go into the technical details and understanding of the opposition.
.@villarrealcf are your @EuropaLeague champions! 👏 Incredible defensive effort in the second half and an unbelievable shoot out. Rename it the ‘Unai Emery Cup’ 🏆 https://t.co/rv5Trdxs5o
He prefers to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation and has sometimes gone on to use 4-4-2 too. His team is set up to defend and press collectively, with two midfielders playing as a double pivot. Generally, his team doesn't mind sitting back and letting the opposition commit a mistake before exploiting it.
The Spanish manager's default system might be defensive but his team are very effective on the counter and can play some very direct football. Emery's Villarreal frustrated Manchester United in last season's Europa League final which went into a penalty-shootout. Eventually, the Yellow Submarines came out as the winners.