Top 5 managers of the Premier League era
Some of the best managers in the world have dominated the Premier League over the years. The 2022-2023 season is set to be one of the most talented seasons in terms of managerial talent as well.
From Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) to the up-and-coming Steve Cooper (Nottingham Forest), one can argue that every one of the 20 managers is talented. There are now three Champions League winning managers in the league and a record five clubs in the league that have won the trophy.
With the league getting tougher and better to watch, each club's fans will of course try and put their manager above the others. Since the Premier League's inception, the competition has seen some giants of the game coach the teams. This article will rank the top five managers who have worked in the league and dominated it.
#5 The nearly there manager - Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Klopp signed for Liverpool in October 2015 after Brendan Rodgers' sacking. The German finished eighth, fourth, fourth, second, first, third, and second over a seven-season period. Along with the league title, Klopp has a Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Super Cup, and Club World Cup to his name. He became the first Liverpool manager to win it all.
Jurgen Klopp Your @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Season...
🔴👏 Jurgen Klopp 👏🔴
#PLAwards | @LFC https://t.co/EKpk5kf3A9
Klopp is no doubt a great coach, but the best have managed to win the league on multiple occasions. Liverpool finished a point behind Manchester City in the 2021-22 season. However, they failed to beat any of the top four sides in the league and lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28. Klopp as a manager, needs to get over the line more often to rank higher on this list.
#4 The 'Special One' - Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has had two title-winning stints at Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles at the club. He spent a few years at Manchester United and over a year at Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham remain the only club in his career that he has not won a trophy with.
Along with the league titles, Mourinho won one FA Cup, four League Cups, and one Europa League with Chelsea and United.
• Chelsea: 86 games (2004-2008)
• Inter Milan and Roma: 42 games (2008-2010 and 2021*)
José Mourinho now holds the record for the most consecutive home games unbeaten in both the Premier League and Serie A 🏴🇮🇹
#CFC • #ASRoma https://t.co/xrRV9943T2
Mourinho and Chelsea broke the duopoly of Manchester United and Arsenal in the early 2000s. He did get sacked from all three of the clubs he managed, which is a black mark on his name. His Chelsea team holds the record of conceding the least goals in a Premier League season with 15 during their title-winning campaign in 2004-05. A legend of the game and the Premier League.
#3 The 'Invincible' - Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger spent 22 years at Arsenal, winning three league titles and seven FA Cups. Wenger consistently kept Arsenal in the top four, which nowadays is not a guarantee for even the best teams.
Wenger, similar to Mourinho, revolutionised the Premier League. He was perhaps the first manager to pay attention to nutrition and fitness and the impact they had on players during a season.
20 - Mikel Arteta suffered his 20th defeat as Arsenal manager in the Premier League, in what was his 60th game - while Arsène Wenger didn’t register his 20th defeat with the Gunners in the competition until his 116th game. Gulf. https://t.co/NRgTaGKFSW
Wenger's style of football was great to watch, and in their pomp, Arsenal were a force to be reckoned with. Going unbeaten for the entire season, which the Gunners did in 2003-04, is still something no team has matched and probably never will.
Wenger was hounded out by fans who were tired of finishing in the top four and wanted to win the Premier League. He left the club after the 2017-18 season.
It is now six seasons since they finished in the top four.
#2 The 'Centurion' - Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola signed for Manchester City in 2016. Since then, he has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and four Carabao Cups. The Spaniard has dominated the league, consistently getting 90 points or more and reaching the 100-point milestone during the 2017-2018 season.
250 - Pep Guardiola has reached 250 wins in 344 matches in all competitions with @ManCity, the quickest manager to reach this total with English top-flight clubs:
344 - Pep Guardiola
396 - José Mourinho
429 - Kenny Dalglish
433 - Arsène Wenger
439 - Don Revie
Levitating. https://t.co/QBIvbf8jSt
Guardiola's Manchester City have received heavy investment from City Group and he has put that investment to brilliant use, winning four titles in five years.
Having added Erling Haaland to the team for next season, it does not look like City will be slowing down any time soon. With a meticulous manager like Guardiola, one can expect City to win a few more titles under him before he calls it quits.
#1 The greatest - Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest Premier League manager of all time. Ferguson spent 27 years at Manchester United, winning a record 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups domestically. He also won two Champions League trophies, one Super Cup and one Club World cup.
4 - Manchester United have conceded 4+ goals in 12 Premier League games since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, as many times as they did in 810 Premier League games under Ferguson. Capitulated. https://t.co/sKLkxmcO2e
Ferguson is also the only manager to have won the treble with an English club, which he achieved in the 1998-99 season. The treble consists of a Premier League, an FA Cup, and a Champions League in the same season.
United have fallen off a cliff since Ferguson retired in 2013, and they have failed to win the title since. Ferguson's shoes will have to be filled by someone, but no one has come close so far.