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The Indian Super League is in its fourth edition and over the years, it has seen a variety of coaches become a part of the competition, which includes a number of big names such as Zico, Roberto Carlos, Gianluca Zambrotta, Marko Materazzi and David Platt.
Each manager who has come to the league has often talked about how challenging it is and how they have had to adapt their approach to find success in the Indian game. Here, we try to analyse the top 10 coaches who managed Indian Super League sides and came out on top.
For the analysis, coaches who have managed the teams for a minimum 10 matches have been considered and as a result, 17 gaffers come into the reckoning.
They are -- Alexandre Guimarães, Antonio Habas, Cesar Farias, David James, David Platt, Franco Colomba, Gianluca Zambrotta, Harm van Veldhoven, Jose Molina, Marco Materazzi, Nelo Vingada, Nicolas Anelka, Peter Reid, Ricki Herbert, Roberto Carlos, Steve Coppell and Zico.
#10 José Francisco Molina
José Francisco Molina coached ATK In the 2016 season of the ISL and made sure the Kolkata team won the laurels, beating Kerala Blasters in penalty shootouts in the final.
ATK had finished in fourth place during the league stage under him and were drawn against first-place Mumbai in the semi-finals, which they won with 3-2 in the home leg and a goalless draw in the away leg.
He had a win% of 35.29 from 17 matches, winning six matches while nine matches ended in a draw. He is the number ten on our list!
Also read: ISL 2017: ATK left out of Salt Lake Stadium concessions, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan reap benefits
#9 Nelo Vingada
Nelo Vingada coached NorthEast United FC in the 2016 season of the Indian Super League and had a win% of 35.71 from 14 matches. His team won five matches, but only three ended in a draw. NorthEast United FC couldn't make the playoffs due to the six losses they suffered.
The Portuguese manager was subsequently offered a job as the head coach of the Malaysian national football team and he left NorthEast United FC, paving the way for fellow Portuguese coach João Carlos Pires de Deus to take over for the 2017 season.
#8 Gianluca Zambrotta
Gianluca Zambrotta coached Delhi Dynamos FC during the 2016 season of the Indian Super League and had a win% of 35.71 from 14 matches during the league stage. Similar to his predecessor Roberto Carlos, he ensured that the club reached the playoffs stage in the 2016 season with five wins and six draws. However, his side was outplayed by the Kerala Blasters in the semifinals.
He left the Delhi Dynamos in June 2017 to take charge as an assistant coach under Fabio Capello at Jiangsu Suning Football Club in the Chinese Super League.
#7 Antonio Lopez Habas
Antonio Lopez Habas coached ATK for the first two seasons, winning the ISL trophy in the first edition. He was retained by the ATK for the second season but he couldn't reproduce the results of the previous year.
He managed the FC Pune City side in the third season of the ISL and the team finished sixth in the league stage.
He has a win% of 36.17% from 47 matches, winning 17 matches. Known to be a strict and disciplined taskmaster, Antonio Lopez Habas is in seventh place in the list.
#6 Alexandre Guimarães
Alexandre Guimarães coached Mumbai City FC during the 2016 season of the Indian Super League and was retained by the team management to coach in the next season also. The fact that Mumbai City FC reached the playoffs in the 2016 season under him helped his cause.
He has a win% of 37.5% from 16 matches, winning six of them. Six other matches ended in a draw and he lost just four.
With a wide managerial experience of coaching more than 14 clubs and national football teams, Alexandre Guimarães is number six on our list.
Also read: ISL 2017: 'Khalid Jamil has been a father figure for me,' says ATK star Jayesh Rane
#5 Zico
Zico was the trusted gaffer of the FC Goa team during the first three seasons of the Indian Super League. He, along with Marco Materazzi, holds the record of having managed an ISL team for the most number of games.
FC Goa reached the semifinals in the first edition of ISL under him and managed to be the runners-up in the second edition of ISL. They played 47 matches under him, winning 18 matches, while 12 ended in a draw. His win% of 38.3% doesn't exactly show the quality and dedication he has shown to the FC Goa team.
#4 Marco Materazzi
Marco Materazzi was the trusted coach of the Chennaiyin FC team during the three seasons of the Indian Super League. He managed to take the team to the semifinals in the first edition of ISL and subsequently won the ISL trophy in the second edition.
A poor show by Chennaiyin FC in the third edition, when the team did not qualify for the semis, has had an impact on the Materazzi's win percentage, which otherwise was outstanding.
Chennaiyin FC played 47 matches under him, winning 19 matches while 12 ended in a draw. With his win% of 40.43% , Marco Materazzi is number four on our list.
#3 Steve Coppell
Steve Coppell took over the Kerala Blasters after their disastrous show in the second season of the Indian Super League when they finished last on the points table. With limited resources, he was able to get the team to perform and they reached the finals before losing out to Kolkata on penalties.
Coppell has a win% of 41.18% from 17 matches, with seven wins in the 2016 season of Indian Super League. Widely regarded as an efficient gaffer all over the world with his calm demeanour, he is placed third on this list.
#2 César Farías
César Farías took NorthEast United FC painfully close to the playoffs, losing out in the last minute in the second edition of the Indian Super League. They finished fifth in the points table that season under him, even after losing some of their key players to injury at the start of the tournament.
The Venezuelan gaffer, who is the only person to take the Venezuelan national team to the semifinal stage of the Copa America, has a win% of 42.86% from 14 matches, winning five matches in the ISL.
#1 Roberto Carlos
The great Roberto Carlos, who is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the history of football, had an interesting stint in India as the coach of Delhi Dynamos FC in the 2015 season of the Indian Super League.
He had a fairly successful season in India and he took the team to the semifinal stage until they lost out to FC Goa in the away game by a margin of three goals.
He had a win% of 43.75% from 16 matches, winning seven matches while four matches ended in a draw.
Also read: ISL 2017: Jamshedpur FC in talks with La Liga giants for a reported tie-up
