Despite being the most competitive league in Europe, the English Premier League is considered sub-par when compared to La-Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A. In terms of quality, the La Liga boasts of football giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Bundesliga hosts Bayern Munich and Serie A has Juventus to show for. The Premier League once had its mascot in Manchester United standing among the European elitists, but those days are long gone.
At present, there is hardly a team in the Premier League that can rival the cream of Europe at a consistent level. However, with a managerial merry-go-round happening this summer, it appears that the Premier League will finally get the lift in quality it deserves.
Let’s look at the managers that will be at the helm of the Premier League giants next season:
Jose Mourinho – Manchester United
Ever since his infamous second sacking at the hands of Roman Abrahamovic, Jose Mourinho was linked with a move to Manchester United. Last night the ‘Special One’ officially got appointed as the leader of the Red Devils, bringing the saga to an end.
Over his managerial career Mourinho has led the likes of Real Madrid, Porto, Inter and Chelsea to their respective league titles. Although his European record is pretty meagre by his standards, Mourinho represents the best commander available for the Red Devils to steer their ship from the waters of mediocrity they have been sailing through since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Pep Guardiola – Manchester City
Pep Guardiola is arguably one of the best managers in the world, if not the best. With only nine years of managerial experience, Guardiola is credited with six league titles between Bayern Munich and Barcelona as well as the Segunda division with Barcelona B.
Guardiola also has two Champions League to his name and is one of the prime factors for Barcelona being the force it is today. If I were a City fan, I would be drooling at the prospect of an animated Pep in my dug out.
Antonio Conte – Chelsea
Chelsea is that club in the Premier League that manages to attract all the fancy managers – be it Mourinho, Ancelotti or Scolari. But despite its fancy appointments, Chelsea never manage to hold on to a manager on a permanent basis due to the high expectations at the club, which is why their next appointment is the best value for money they can get.
Reeling after a terrible season, Chelsea fired their legend Jose Mourinho and have reportedly signed Anonio Conte. Conte, better known as ‘the one who brought Juventus back to its glory days’ boasts of three consecutive Serie A titles in his short stint at Juventus including an unbeaten season. Currently presiding over the Italian football team, Conte will take charge of Chelsea after the Euro.
Arsene Wenger – Arsenal
Arsenal is one of the few clubs that do not rely on splashing big amount on average players and actually are self sustainable without the backing of money straddled owners. One of the major contributing factors to that has been the way the club is managed by Arsene Wenger.
Although some skeptical Gooners will deny this, in the inflated football market no decent manager will be able to perform as consistently. While Arsenal have only two FA cups to show for in the previous 10 years, Wenger has finally rebuilt the spine of the Gunners into a team that is capable of challenging for the title.
Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool
Known for setting up a two-horse race with Borussia Dortmund in a Munich-dominated Bundesliga, Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool in the middle of last season with high hopes. Despite an underwhelming season from Liverpool, the hopes have not faded yet.
During his debut season in the Premier League, Klopp inspired confidence to the disjointed Reds and even took them to a League Cup final and Europa League final. He attained this entire feat with a squad he had inherited. With a summer transfer window to bring in his desired players and an entire pre-season to shape his team to perfection, things can go only north for the two-time Bundesliga winner.
Claudio Raneiri – Leicester City
If anybody would have mentioned the Premier League title and Leicester City in the same sentence a year ago, he would have probably been laughed at. What Ranieri inspired the Foxes to do over the course of one year is nothing short of a miracle. With a similar setup to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, Raneiri won the title with limited resources at his disposal.
Responsible for polishing Jamie Vardy into the goal machine he is today as well as nurturing the talents of Riyad Mahrez and N’golo Kante, Raneiri has given the term ‘unpredictability’ a new definition. Whether he keeps up his miracle-worker act or his title at Leicester turns into the swansong of his achievements remains to be seen.
Looking at the calibre of the managers, it is pretty easy to conclude that the quality of the Premier League will be much higher next season. I don't really think that it is an exaggeration to claim that we might get to witness Champions League level matches getting broadcast from England every week.
