2019's Top Five ... Managers 👔 | OneFootball

For some football managers, their Christmas dinner was always going to taste that little bit sweeter.

That is because when they look back on their achievements over the past 12 months, they can be very proud of themselves.

These are the top five managers in 2019.

Antonio Conte

Granted, Antonio Conte has only been in charge at Inter since the summer but that shows just how good a job he has done.

In just six months of work, he has revitalised the Nerazzurri from top to bottom and turned them into a genuine contender again.

Under Luciano Spalletti, Inter were a decent side who lacked the kind of consistency and quality required to trouble Italy and Europe’s elite.

With Conte, they already look like a different animal completely, his 3-5-2 system flourishing thanks to three incredible centre-backs and the frightening Romelu Lukaku-Lautaro Martínez partnership.

Only three teams have gotten the better of them this season and there is no shame in losing to Juventus, Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund (with each of those games poised on a knife edge).

He is already going a long way to putting his chequered Juventus history behind him.

Brendan Rodgers

A bitter split from Celtic in late February led Brendan Rodgers back to the Premier League, where he has excelled since joining Leicester City.

Prior to leaving the Hoops, he won every single domestic fixture he took charge of in 2019 and quickly set about continuing that form with the Foxes.

In 2019, he took charge of 41 games across both clubs in all competitions and lost just nine of them.

They also appear to be the only credible title challenger left to Liverpool, who are also operating with a squad far superior to the one at Rodgers’ disposal.

But it is just the latest example of his incredible talents as a coach for improving players.

Several other groups in the league appear to be stronger on paper but it is testament to the former Swansea coach’s unquestionable ability that he has Leicester flying high again.

He is a figure of fun, no more.

José Bordalás

The aggressive, rough and ready approach of Getafe under José Bordalás may not win them too many admirers from purists but you can’t doubt the success of it.

In 2019/20, the Azulones’ astonishing fifth-placed finish (narrowly missing out on the Champions League on the final day) was achieved – making it the highest in the club’s history.

Bordalás was rightly awarded the Miguel Muñoz Trophy for his work but he has not rested on his laurels.

Despite now having Europa League football to contend with this season, he has managed to steer Getafe to their best ever start to a campaign, all while shaking up his formation too.

It has all been achieved with a modest playing squad as key forwards such as Ángel, Jorge Molina and Jaime Mata, most of whom are not household names outside of Spain.

He may be older than his coaching colleague but there are plenty of Diego Simeone similarities, despite not having any kind of playing career to speak of.

Who knows, he may even be Cholo’s long-term successor.

Marco Rose

When Marco Rose arrived at Borussia Mönchengladbach this summer to replace Dieter Hecking, hopes were high for him.

But surely nobody thought he would hit the ground running as quickly as he has.

He arrived from RB Salzburg on the back of an Austrian domestic double and having never tasted defeat at home during his two years in charge.

It hasn’t taken long for the Leipzig native to upset the applecart in his homeland, inspiring the Foals to their best start since their glory days of the 1970s.

Rose has managed it after losing a key man (Thorgan Hazard) but has already got the best out of his replacement, Marcus Thuram.

His diamond system and attacking, aggressive-pressing style is also very easy on the eye when his team are in full flight.

The fact that he also played under Jürgen Klopp adds an extra layer of intrigue to the latest exciting young German tactician.

Jürgen Klopp

He’s one of the game’s most likeable coaches and it is just the cherry on top that Jürgen Klopp is also one of the best.

Pep Guardiola may have won a domestic treble in 2019 but where City’s form has tailed off dramatically in the past five months, Liverpool have gotten better.

He juggled a European run with a Premier League title challenge that ultimately came up marginally short.

Klopp made up for that somewhat in Madrid though, where he finally ended the hoodoo that existed around him in major finals by beating Tottenham to claim Champions League glory.

But their near-title miss seems only to have made the German and his team even more hungry to put it right in 2019/20.

They have been utterly relentless in their pursuit of glory and genuinely look unstoppable.

All of it comes down to their charismatic leader and few would begrudge him being the man to finally end Liverpool’s league title wait.