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The 2021-22 season kicks off in just over a month. Several clubs have already made big moves this summer, with management seemingly a key focus area.
While we are blessed to see several top-class managers assert their dominance in modern football, there are some who still have a point to prove. Some have come into their respective clubs with high expectations, the likes of which they are yet to meet.
On that note, let's take a look at five managers who have a point to prove in the 2021-22 season.
#5 Pep Guardiola - Manchester City
Admittedly a surprise inclusion in the list, Pep Guardiola has amazed viewers ever since taking charge of Manchester City in the summer of 2016.
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Blessed with droves of world-class players, it is fair to say that Guardiola has transformed Manchester City into one of the best clubs in the world. Boasting unbelievable squad depth, City almost seem to have two full-strength squads at their disposal.
Guardiola has been a hugely successful manager without a doubt. His record speaks for itself, having already won three Premier League titles, four League Cups and an FA Cup in his five years at the Etihad. However, the biggest prize of them all, the UEFA Champions League has eluded him since he took over the reins of the Manchester outfit.
That City are a wealthy club is a well-known fact. Guardiola has never had a shortage of financial backing; the manager has always been given the freedom to sign the players he wants to build the system he visualizes. However, it must be said that a side with no scarcity of resources has been unsuccessful in Europe's biggest competition.
City have been knocked out in the past by the likes of Lyon, Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur. Pep did come close though; he guided his team to the Champions League final last season. However, there was no fairytale ending for him and City as they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in the summit clash.
With a squad valued over $1 billion and an exciting transfer window upcoming, Pep certainly has a point to prove in the upcoming season.
#4 Massimiliano Allegri - Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri was announced as Juventus' new manager in May 2021, replacing Andrea Pirlo.
Allegri is no stranger to the black and white of Juventus. He previously managed the Old Lady for five years between 2014 and 2019. His appointment indicates serious intent from the Juventus board to turn things around and restore the side's former glory.
Allegri enjoyed an outstanding first tenure as a manager in Turin, winning the league title in all five seasons he was in charge of Juventus. He also won the Coppa Italia four consecutive times, establishing himself as one of the best football managers in Juventus' history. He also has a win percentage of 70.48%, the highest by any Juventus manager in history.
Since Allegri departed in 2019, Juventus have looked like a shadow of their former selves. They failed to retain the Serie A title this year, finishing fourth in the table. The downfall of Juventus over just one year is clear to see. The club went from winning the league to scraping Champions League qualification on the final day of the season.
Undoubtedly a world-class manager, we will have to wait and see if Allegri's second spell with the Turin outfit will be as successful as the first.
#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Manchester United
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer certainly has a point to prove in the 2021-22 season.
Appointed in 2018, Solskjaer started out as caretaker manager before taking over the full-time role in 2019. In the two seasons since, the Norwegian tactician can certainly boast a lot of positives.
Solskjaer led United to a third-placed finish in his first full season, enjoying an excellent second half of the 2019-20 campaign spearheaded by midfield talisman Bruno Fernandes. The following season in the Premier League, he helped United to a second-placed finish. It was the first time in three years that United finished second in the league.
While it is easy to acknowledge the improvements Ole has made at United, the fact remains that he is yet to win a trophy with the Red Devils. He came closest in this season's UEFA Europa League campaign, which culminated in a 1-0 loss to Villarreal in the final.
With the name Manchester United previously synonymous with trophies, Solskjaer will be under a lot of pressure to win some silverware. United's recent acquisition of Jadon Sancho shows they mean business and will be counting on Solskjaer to restore the club's former glory.
#2 Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Mikel Arteta was appointed manager of Arsenal in December 2019.
Arteta has had a mixed tenure with Arsenal thus far. His first season in charge saw the Gunners finish eighth in the table, their lowest league finish in over a decade. Arteta led the Gunners to the FA Cup final, where Arsenal beat Chelsea to win his first and only trophy as the club's manager thus far.
Despite a rosy start to his managerial career, it has to be said that Arteta has not looked significantly better since then. In a season plagued by COVID-19, injury and controversy, Arteta guided Arsenal to another eighth-placed finish.
Finishing outside the qualification spots and failing to win a domestic trophy means that Arsenal will not be participating in Europe for the first time since 1995. Carrying a disappointing record to his name, many fans expected Arteta to be sacked after the 2020-21 season.
However, the board decided to stick with Arteta and backed him to improve Arsenal's fortunes. The upcoming season will truly be Arteta's acid test; failure to qualify for Europe a second successive time would certainly trigger his sacking.
Arteta will carry massive pressure and expectations into the upcoming 2021-22 campaign.
#1 Jose Mourinho - Roma
Jose Mourinho has been appointed to AS Roma in a move that can only be described as intriguing.
Previously in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho spent two difficult years with the north London outfit. Famed for his exploits at Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea, Mourinho is widely regarded as one of the best managers in football history.
His appointment at Spurs came as a bit of a shock, and despite his evident brilliance, he failed to achieve any success at the club.
Mourinho led Spurs to a sixth-placed finish in his first season and a seventh-placed finish in his second. While he can boast some positives like the transformation of Harry Kane, his spell at Spurs has been described as a failure.
His failure to deliver results was met with his sacking, just days before Spurs were due to face Manchester City in the League Cup final, which the Citizens ultimately won 1-0. Mourinho, however, broke the headlines almost immediately as AS Roma announced him as their new manager in May 2021.
With Roma not looking their best, Mourinho was identified as the person capable of changing their fortunes. Having finished seventh in Serie A in the 2020-21 season, the pressure to deliver at Roma will well and truly be on Mourinho's shoulders.
