Sportskeeda Football Awards 2014: 10 best managers of the year

In this edition of the Sportskeeda Awards for 2014, we bring the men in the dugout into focus. These poor souls are the ones who get sacked at the drop of a hat – but the names on this list are among the most coveted managers in the game. Over the calendar year 2014, these men have amazed us with their almost telepathic understanding of the game.From underdogs taking out the big cats, to the big cats themselves handling almost unbearable pressure – we have it all. The World Cup was an added bonus this year, as always bringing with it names that we will remember for years to come.Honourable Mentions - Vahid Halilhodzic, Rudi Garcia, Alejandro Sabella, Jorge Sampaoli and Jurgen Klinsmann.VOTE at the end of the slideshow for the best manager of 2014.

#10 Jose Pekerman

Colombia’s first foreign coach in over 30 years certainly looked like he was right at home during the World Cup, with his team playing some of the most entertaining football seen over the month-long footballing extravaganza. Then again, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise – Pekerman finished his playing career in the country, at Independiente Medellin.

The manager himself has said that he felt “very comfortable, very Colombian”, and all of this factored in the unity that was so apparent in the team. This World Cup represents the first time since France ’98 that Colombia qualified for a World Cup, and their quarterfinal appearance was their best ever finish.

The loss of superstar Radamel Falcao (who was Colombia’s top-scorer during the WC qualifiers) hardly seemed to register in Pekerman’s charges, with James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado stepping up their games.

The powerful Jackson Martinez often switched positions with Rodriguez by virtue of the fluid 4-2-2-2 shape, all with the intention of letting the young trequartista have as much as time on the ball as possible. A formation that Pekerman tinkered to resemble a 4-2-3-1 at times, one that allowed Rodriguez to push up further as a second striker. Colombia’s quick transitions were a nightmare to deal with, with the team looking menacing both technically and physically.

The manager was able to bring out one last great performance from skipper Mario Yepes, with the 38 year old warhorse used in a manner that did not expose his lack of pace. All in all, it was a wonderful exhibition of how to play football in an international tournament. Pekerman’s dependence on Rodriguez was based on the understanding that on such a stage, the creation of just a few chances was likely to give you the required results.

He was the man who took Lionel Messi to his first World Cup, and has an astonishing track record in Argentina’s youth set-up to boot. No surprises then, that Colombia have looked to the Argentine to lead their next-gen to the World Cup in 2018.