Ranking the 5 best managers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup started on Sunday (20 November) and Ecuador beat host-nation Qatar 2-0 in the opening match. 32 teams will battle it out to seize the beautiful game's biggest prize over the next month.
Football fans are ardently waiting to see the best players in the game go to war over the next few weeks. But any team's chances of having a good run at the tournament will be greatly dictated by the tactical minds at work on the sidelines.
That's why the importance of managers at a tournament like the World Cup cannot be understated. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best managers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#5 Didier Deschamps (France)
Didier Deschamps led France to World Cup glory in 2018. The former France international has done an excellent job as the manager of Les Bleus, guiding the team to 84 wins in 132 matches. He has a 63.64% win rate.
Deschamps also led the French team to a triumphant run in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League. He is easily one of the most successful managers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
However, Deschamps faces the arduous task of guiding his side to a successful title defence this time around. France are not as strong a unit as they were four years ago and their recent form has been less than inspiring. They have managed to earn just a single win in their last six matches in all competitions.
#4 Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
Argentina are one of the teams to watch out for at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and that's largely down to the fact that this is likely to be Lionel Messi's last one. But there are also other reasons for Argentina fans to be excited about.
Argentina are on a 36-game unbeaten streak and have a star-studded squad heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Their manager Lionel Scaloni was a relatively lesser-known commodity in the coaching circles but he has definitely proved his worth over the past few years.
Scaloni led La Albiceleste to Copa America glory in 2021 to end a 28-year drought in the competition. Scaloni's Argentina side have won 33 of their 48 games in all competitions so far.
Lionel Scaloni: ‘When you play for Argentina, that grrr is always there’ | Argentina | The Guardian theguardian.com/football/2022/…
#3 Tite (Brazil)
Brazil are widely viewed as the favorites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They have one of the best squads on the international circuit right now and many of their players are in great form. Tite also led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title and has done an incredible job with the team in recent years.
A disciple of the legendary Luiz Felipe Scolari, Tite has made Brazil the number one team in the world per FIFA Rankings. Tite's record speaks for itself. Under his tutelage, Brazil have won 57 of their 76 matches in all competitions and the Brazilian coach has a win rate of 75%.
#2 Luis Enrique (Spain)
Luis Enrique is one of the best and most experienced managers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Enrique found a great deal of success with Barcelona between 2014 and 2017 prior to taking over as the head coach of La Roja.
Enrique is definitely the right person to be in charge of the side as the Spanish national team navigate a transitionary period. Following their most successful period in international football, Spain slumped after their 2012 Euro triumph.
But Enrique seems to have revived the side, and so far he has led the Spanish side to 19 wins in 35 matches so far. Under his guidance, Spain have lost just four matches in all competitions.
Spain coach Luis Enrique has launched a Twitch channel for the World Cup 🎙🇪🇸
He hopes that by talking directly to fans he'll be able to provide them with insights previously only offered to media, along with behind the scenes updates about the team and unique analysis of games. https://t.co/ZVr9OzJfSA
#1 Hans-Dieter Flick (Germany)
Hans-Dieter Flick proved his coaching credentials by winning a historic sextuple with Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season. After an extremely successful two-year stint as the head coach of the Bavarians, Flick took charge of the German national team.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be Flick's first major international tournament apart from the UEFA Nations League. Germany have become a formidable side under their new manager, winning 10 and losing just once in 16 matches in all competitions so far.
Flick has shown a knack for navigating knockout competitions in a very efficient manner in the past. That's one of the reasons why Germany are one of the teams to watch out for at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.