There’s a smattering of up-and-coming coaches in the world of football, and after strong campaigns in 2016/2017, they are already promising even bigger things next season.
Here are the five most exciting coaches in the game today, featuring a 29-year-old managerial prodigy and two former players continuing to show there is life after their playing careers.
#5 Julian Nagelsmann - Hoffenheim
Without a shadow of a doubt the most exciting young manager in Europe, eyebrows were raised when the 29-year-old was handed the reins at Hoffenheim, but since his appointment back in February 2016, what he has achieved has been nothing short of remarkable. Hoffenheim, still a very young club, have been revitalised by the presence of Nagelsmann.
Hoffenheim were on the brink of the relegation zone when he took charge, but seven wins from 14 games saw the club catapult out of danger.
In 2016/2017, things were about to get even better. Hoffenheim were the last club in all of Europe's top five leagues to lose a game, going undefeated for the entirety of the first half of the season. There was not a single defeat at home in the Bundesliga across the course of the season either.
The reward for this was qualification for Europe, for the first time ever in club history, they made the Champions League play-off rounds. A German Coach of the Year prize followed for Nagelsmann to cap an incredible season.
#4 Marco Silva - Hull City
Everywhere he has gone, Marco Silva has produced stunning results. He had three extraordinary years at Estoril in Portugal, taking the club from the Portuguese 2nd Division to 5th and 4th respectively in their following seasons in the top division. He even landed the Portuguese minnows their first ever European placing.
Success then followed at Sporting CP with a Portuguese Cup win and then a league triumph with Olympiacos in Greece. People were shocked by his switch to the Premier League but with Hull City looking dead and buried, he galvanised the club and although they eventually went down, it was Silva who restored hope.
Next season he will have more resources at Watford and could well be set for another stunning camping in what has been an impressive young career so far.
#3 Alexander Nouri - Werder Bremen
At the beginning of the 2016/2017 Bundesliga season, Werder Bremen arrived off the back of a 13th place finish - only two points off the relegation play-off spots. Then, three games into the new season, manager Viktor Skrypnyk was sent packing after losing three games.
Up stepped 37-year-old Alexander Nouri to the plate, and since then Werder have not looked back. With Nouri at the helm, Werder fired at the other end of the table and mixed it with the European-chasing pack as opposed to dwelling with those close to relegation.
A perfect mix of astute transfer business and tactical nous from Nouri has been vital, and on the back of his performance, he was awarded a long-term deal with the club. Only Red Bull Leipzig, Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, and Borussia Dortmund have earned more points than Bremen since Nouri’s arrival. The next campaign – with a full pre-season behind him – could well witness some more magic.
#2 Marcelo Gallardo - River Plate
The most successful manager in River Plate’s history on the international stage - and that’s something given their extraordinary history. A legend at the club in his playing days, he would return after one year with Nacional in Uruguay where he won a league title in his only season in charge. His confidence and calculated methods would eventually be brought back to Argentina and with River, where he has not looked back.
Gallardo has particularly excelled on the International stage, bringing home the Copa Sudamericana once and then two Recopa Sudamericana titles. The Copa Libertadores win in 2015 was undoubtedly his crowing moment however and his methods have proved revolutionary.
Europe no doubt beckons for the coach.
#1 Simone Inzaghi - Lazio
Simone Inzaghi spoke of trust after taking over Lazio in 2016, insisting that the club were doing the right thing in putting him in charge. Fast forward to summer 2017, and Lazio will play Europa League football next season with Inzaghi being handed a new three-year deal to stay with the club.
It’s quite the turnaround for the Rome giants, and for Inzaghi who was merely a stop gap option at the club. He stepped in as a caretaker and despite success, was ousted by Marcelo Bielsa. When the fiery former Chile coach walked out, it was Inzaghi who was called upon with just a month to go before the start of the season.
Now he’s a bonafide rising star in the managerial game and a 5th place finish in 2016/2017 was no easy achievement.
Inzaghi switches his side between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 seamlessly, and his starting XI is lethal on the counter whilst being keenly aware of its defensive duties.
It’s not bad at all from the man Lazio didn’t really want.
