5 best assistant managers in football at the moment (2022)

Football fans who believe that all of the coaching and tactics that a team follows flow from a single individual are about to be met with a rude awakening. Most top coaches will agree that their jobs are infinitely harder without assistant managers.

Assistant managers don't get the credit they deserve

With head coaches and managers getting all the limelight, assistant managers are mostly undervalued and underrated in the footballing world. But that's no reflection of their abilities and acumen. Yet they join and leave a club without much noise.

Jurgen Klopp once called his former assistant Zeljko Buvac the 'brain' in his coaching side. Jose Mourinho faltered when his long-term assistant Rui Faria left to pursue an independent career after working with the 'Special One' for 17 years.

The role of assistant managers cannot be trifled. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best assistant managers in football at the moment.

---

#5 Thierry Henry (Belgium)

Scotland v Belgium - International Friendly

Thierry Henry's independent managerial career has not worked out as well as anyone would have liked so far. His forgettable stint at AS Monaco was followed by another underwhelming spell with MLS outfit Montreal Impact.

But Henry has now returned to his former role as the assistant manager of the Belgian national side. He had served in the same role between 2016 and 2018 as the Red Devils rose to the top of the FIFA World Rankings.

He was assistant manager as Belgium reached the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well. Not only is Henry one of the greatest strikers of all time but he also has great tactical nous and is a keen student of the game.

He shares a great rapport with the players in the Belgian national team. Romelu Lukaku considers Henry to be his mentor and has enjoyed great success with the national side under the guidance of the legendary Arsenal striker.

#4 Rene Maric (Borussia Dortmund)

Rene Maric and Erling Haaland

Rene Maric used to be a very enthusiastic young coach with no big-time connections in the football worl. He was an ardent football fan who used to write about football tactics and strategies on his Spielverlagerung blog with four of his friends. They dissected teams, coaches and their tactics.

Maric used to coach in his home village and his writings were more about coaching and much less about journalism. Speaking to the Guardian in September 2018, Maric said:

“I think people have got the impression it was more about journalism, or commenting on people in football, but that was never the goal. For me it was about thinking of something, throwing it out there and just finding people who’d comment. In my village it’s hard to get regular feedback on things; on the internet you throw it out and can have 5,000 readers and 200 comments.”

Then Mainz manager Thomas Tuchel saw their blog and his assistant called and invited Maric for a discussion. He ended up working as a consultant for Tuchel that season. He subsequently worked with Marco Rose who was in charge of the u-18 Red Bull Salzburg team.

Maric was appointed as the assistant coach of the u-18 RB Salzburg in 2016. Together, Rose and Maric led the u-18 side to UEFA Youth League glory in the 2016-17 season. Rose then became the manager of the first team and Maric accompanied him. The pair left Red Bull Salzburg in 2019 to join Borussia Monchengladbach.

Maric is currently the assistant manager of Borussia Dortmund after joining them last summer once again with Marco Rose.

#3 Dino Toppmöller (Bayern Munich)

SL Benfica v Bayern München: Group E - UEFA Champions League

Dino Toppmöller had a rather underwhelming playing career spent mostly in Bundesliga 2 and the third division. He played for clubs like VfL Bochum, Eintracht Frankfurt, Jahn Regensburg and Erzgebirge Aue.

After an unsuccessful stint with Augsburg, Toppmöller moved to Luxembourg side Dudelange. He would become their head coach six years later in 2016. But before that, Toppmöller worked as assistant manager at FSV Salmrohr before becoming the head coach of another Rhineland-Palatinate club, SV Mehring.

He was a player-coach at the time and continued to learn the ropes of coaching at RM Hamm Benfica between 2014-16. He finally hung up his boots and embarked on his individual managerial career in 2016 with his former club Dudelange.

He led the Luxembourg side to three back-to-back league titles before accepting an invitation from Julian Nagelsmann to join him as his assistant at RB Leipzig. Toppmöller's footballing knowledge and tactical intelligence went a long way towards making Leipzig as exciting a team to watch as they are today.

He has since followed Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann had this to say about his assistant last year.

"We chatted on the phone and knew instantly that we were on the same wavelength; Dino's a relaxed guy who has an incredibly big heart and huge understanding of football. He's a great addition to my coaching team and deserves a spell in the spotlight. "

#2 Pep Lindjers

Pep Lijnders and Jurgen Klopp (cred: The Independent)

Pep Lijnders first made a name for himself as the youth coach for Porto. He then became part of Jurgen Klopp's team at Liverpool in 2015. Klopp had just fallen out with Zeljko Buvac, whom the former had labeled the 'brain' of his coaching system.

Lijnders was eased into that role and it's his knowledge of using 4-3-3 in a defensive setup that has helped Klopp bring about a unique system at Liverpool. Lijnders has a lot to do with improving the midfielders at the club as he emphasizes the importance of positional transitions in midfield.

Lijnders' philosophy lends itself to Klopp's gegenpressing system as he wants midfielders to cut passing lanes and press aggressively. He played a big role in Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2018-19.

The Dutchman also shares a great rapport with the players and is tipped to be the one to replace Klopp when he eventually leaves Liverpool.

#1 Juanma Lillo (Manchester City)

Rodolfo Borrell, Pep Guardiola and Juanma Lillo of Manchester City

Juanma Lillo is a Spanish football manager who headed into coaching as a teenager. He is the youngest ever manager in La Liga history after taking charge of Salamanca in 1992. Lillo has also managed other top-flight clubs like Oviedo, Tenerife, Zaragoza and Almería.

Lillo's philosophy is all about playing beautiful football. He values the processes involved just as much as the results. When Mikel Arteta moved on from Manchester City to accept the managerial role at Arsenal, City brought in Juanma Lillo to be Pep Guardiola's assistant.

They go way back. In fact, Guardiola first met Lillo during a La Liga game between Barcelona and Oviedo in the 90s. Guardiola was extremely impressed with the way Oviedo played in that game and spoke to Lillo afterwards. He had hoped to stay in touch with Lillo, who was clearly a fascinating student of the game.

“The story of how I met Pep is true. He had played against my teams before, and then, after a game in 1998 between his Barcelona and my Real Oviedo, my delegate knocked on the door of my office and said Pep would like to introduce himself. Would I see him? How could I say no to a player I liked so much? He said he liked my way of playing, and we talked. We always stayed in touch after that.”

But the story does not end there. Guardiola wanted to play under Lillo so much he joined Mexican side Dorados de Sinaloa in 2005. Their philosophies are very much in sync with both managers wanting to play exciting, beautiful football. What happens over the course of 90 minutes is often more important than the result.

But when teams play as well as Manchester City, the result often swings their way. Lillo has had a journeyman career when it comes to coaching. He has managed in Spain, North America, South America and Asia. They say he is not motivated by titles but is always looking to find ways for his teams to be more creative and innovative on the pitch.