5 top football managers and the tactics that define them

Success in football transpires from a breadth of different strategies in the modern game. Whether you prefer to launch the ball long or starve the opposition of possession, everyone has their favoured tactical tweaks and setups, and new methods of winning are churned out by fans and pundits alike almost on a daily basis.When a new manager strolls into the dugout of a football club, the spotlight concentrates on his transfer acumen or his eye-catching personal traits, but seldom do we delve into the minor adjustments said ‘gaffer’ makes. On the field, the simplest alteration in a player’s position can make a world of difference. For the connoisseurs of the fine game, it’s the game plan that defines the manager that we really look for; a philosophy that shadows them their entire career and one which will prosper in some environments, but disintegrate in others.Much like a film reflects its director, a team does its coach. So the tactics of the team have to be very astute. We look at five men on the sidelines who have particularly intriguing methods of setting up their sides. 

#1 Jose Mourinho

To categorise Jose as a tactical specialist may seem laughable given Chelsea’s dire form of late. But the truth is the expectations we now peg the Blues against were set down by the Portuguese in his first tenure way back in 2004.

As is his ego, Mourinho’s approach on the field veers away from the norm and the attacking-focused style favoured by managers across the continent. Last season, Chelsea steamrolled to a 13-game unbeaten run at the season’s dawn, but their second half was thought to be less convincing, even though results were maintained.

Victories were slender and the game plan defensive-orientated, and many pundits dubbed this approach ‘negative’ and disappointing from such a big club. But for the more perceptive football fan, this strategy embeds exactly what Mourinho is all about.

Playing remarkably deep and tracking back are just a couple of the aspects that assemble Mourinho’s setup. The former-Real man’s focus lies with conceding possession and, thus, gradually eroding the opposition’s attacking armoury, with the hope that the more creative among his crop will spring a surprise at the other end.

Mourinho prefers the 4-2-3-1 approach, because the two holding midfielders provide a superb shield for the back-line, abiding by the die-hard defensive attitude, while the men on the flank can utilise their pace, practically kissing the touchline, to initiate the all-important counter-attack.

It may be relatively mundane at times, but who cares if you get whipped in the statistical department if your team has the discipline to grind out 1-0 wins on a regular basis?