'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
May was the last month of a grueling season for all the major clubs in Europe as Chelsea and Bayern Munich won their respective European finals, while the likes of Juventus, Manchester United, PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, again, won their respective league titles. A special mention for Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone as they defeated arch rivals Real Madrid in final of Copa del Rey. Here are the nominees for the Manager of the Month for May:
Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich): five wins, one draw
Few teams in the world have achieved the historical treble as Bayern Munich did this season. Fewer still go through a perfect May, as fatigue takes its toll at the business end of the season, and due to the additional pressure the team faces when chasing the treble. The month began with a 3-0 win against Barcelona away, which made it an emphatic 7-0 on aggregate in the semi-final against the world’s best team. The only match that prevented a clean sweep for Heynckes in May was the 1-1 draw against Dortmund in the league. The season was wrapped up in style as they defeated Dortmund in Champions League final and Stuttgart in DFB Pokal final to complete the treble along with the league title they won in April.
It was a perfect way to end Jupp Heynckes’ second stint as manager of Bayern Munich as he couldn’t have finished it any better. No one knows what lies in the future for 68-year-old Heynckes, but there will be many clubs who will be more than happy to welcome him with open arms.
Francesco Guidolin (Udinese): Four wins
In the month of May, Udinese played four matches and won all the four finishing their season in fifth place. Francesco Guidolin has moulded his side in to a well-oiled counter-attacking team with Antonio Di Natale leading the team with 23 goals this season. Udinese started this month with 3-1 win over Sampdoria followed by an entertaining 3-2 against the Palermo and a 2-1 victory against Atalanta. In the final match of the season, they thumped Inter Milan 5-2 to end the season in style.
Carlo Ancelotti (Paris Saint Germain): three wins, one draw
Carlo Ancelotti took PSG to their third league title as they as they finished the season with 83 points – 12 points more than their rivals Marseille. They started the month on a sober note when they played out 1-1 draw with Valenciennes and things started looking a bit shaky; but they picked up the pace as they defeated Lyon 1-0 to all but seal the title. The remaining two fixtures finished in an identical fashion, with PSG winning 3-1 against both Brest and Lorient. No one knows where future lies for wily Italian tactician with strong rumours linking him to Real Madrid. But for now, he features in our manager of the month list.
Rafael Benitez (Chelsea): five wins, one draw
Rafael Benitez was appointed the interim manager in the month of November when Chelsea were in a complete mess. He achieved all the targets that was given to him in dignified manner. He won silverware in form of Europa League this season, which made Chelsea the first team in history to hold both Europa League and Champions League simultaneously. The month started with a 3-1 thrashing of Basel at home in the Europa League semi-final, followed by 1-0 victory against eventual champions Manchester United. Then came a stutter with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham at home; but then there were two impressive displays against Aston Villa and Benfica, the latter being the Europa League final in Amsterdam. The scoreline was 2-1 in Chelsea’s favour on both occasions. Benitez ended on a high as Chelsea won 2-1 against Everton that propelled them to third place and guaranteed them automatic qualification into the Champions League.
Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid): three wins, two draw and one loss
Diego Simeone was the man who broke the Real Madrid jinx as Atletico Madrid defeated their arch rivals for the first time in 14 years in the final of Copa Del Rey. The month started with a 0-0 draw against Deportivo, but then they defeated Celta Vigo 3-1. The only loss in the month came against Barcelona, when they lost 1-2 at Vicente Calderon. But they defeated Real Madrid by the same margin in the final of Copa Del Rey, which meant that Jose Mourinho ended the season empty-handed after a very long time. Hence, Simeone deserves to be a candidate for manager of the month.
