5 most tactically astute managers in football right now (2021)
Finding the right manager for a club can be a difficult task. Managers have their own footballing philosophies, tactics and styles of play. These things are usually reflective of a lot of things ranging from the manager's personality to the resources at his disposal.
A lot of managers prefer the possession-based style of play where long balls are frowned upon. Teams build from the back in a patient manner by stitching passes together and weaving their way forward using intricate patterns of play.
There are other managers whose priority is damage limitation. So they take the pragmatic and defensive route. They put as many players behind the ball as they can afford to and look to capitalize on the mistakes of the other team. Each and every kind of system and managers have their merits.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most tactically astute managers in the world.
#5 Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
Diego Simeone's arrival at Atletico Madrid had a galvanizing effect on the club. The Argentine had won two league titles in his native country prior to his arrival in Spain. However, he had his work cut out trying to go shoulder to shoulder with two of Europe's biggest powerhouses, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
With the kind of resources he has had at his disposal, 'Cholo' Simeone has done a stellar job. He won the La Liga title with the Rojiblancos for the second time in 2020-21. Simeone has turned Atletico Madrid into one of the toughest and most defensively formidable units in all of Europe.
Simeone's pragmatic approach has become synonymous with Atletico Madrid. He sticks to a 4-4-2 formation and tweaks it during games to suit the need of the hour. Being compact in defence and hitting teams on the counter are hallmarks of Simeone's side.
In attack, Atletico shift to a 4-2-2-2 fluid formation with their forwards going out wide to create more space to facilitate faster movement. Simeone also utilises counter pressing, which is a way of eliminating passing options available to the player in possession and thereby disrupting their build-up play.
The two seasons before Diego Simeone joined Atletico, they finished 9th and 7th.
In his nine full seasons in charge, Atletico have never finished outside the top three, winning La Liga twice 🏆🏆👏 https://t.co/JHjAFlmnNy
#4 Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Like Diego Simeone, Jurgen Klopp had to work with limited resources. He did it at Borussia Dortmund and he's been doing it at Liverpool as well. Klopp's 'gegenpressing' system, whereby teams hurriedly look to win back possession immediately after losing it, has proven to be very effective.
Klopp reached the Champions League final with Liverpool in successive seasons, winning it in their second attempt in 2018-19. He won the Premier League title a year later in 2019-20.
Of course, such a system wouldn't work without players who have a lot of stamina and discipline. So Klopp grooms his players to be physically and tactically adept. His system has also evolved to accommodate more of a possession-based style of play.
Klopp generally uses a 4-3-3 formation where full-backs push high up the pitch and are heavily involved in playmaking. They move the ball up the pitch at a high-tempo and the forwards are always looking to run off the shoulders of defenders and get in behind them. So a long ball floated into their paths is not a rarity either.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes his rivalry with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp has made him a better manager.