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Many have known that the Premier League is the most exciting league to watch. This season, we have witnessed the race between Liverpool and Manchester City in the battle for the league title.
However, the battle for the top 4 has also been equally exciting as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur have all tried their best to secure a spot in the Champions League. In 2017-18, Pep Guardiola won the Premier League Manager of the Season award, after winning the league with a record tally of 100 points last season.
Now the Spaniard looks set for a crunch battle with Jurgen Klopp to win the award once again. Aside from the big six managers, several other surprise names also deserve to be listed as one of the top candidates for the prize. Now let's take a look at the 5 managers who have performed best this season.
#5 Marco Silva
The Portuguese manager has successfully led Everton to a better finish in the league compared to the previous season despite just arrived at last year at the club. Everton have now claimed 54 points, 5 points higher than their 2017/18 campaign.
Despite Silva enduring tough times, including three consecutive losses in February, the board still backed him to turn things around. The board's trust towards Silva have paid off as the Toffees recorded 5 wins out of their last 8 matches.
The Portuguese manager has also transformed Barcelona outcasts such as Andre Gomes and Lucas Digne into much better players. Silva's favourite player Richarlison has also improved significantly. The Brazilian scored 13 times in the Premier League this season, more than double of his last season's goals.
#4 Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentine manager has successfully led Tottenham Hotspur to the club's first ever Champions League final. He pulled off a masterclass by overcoming a three-goal deficit to knock out an impressive Ajax side in the semifinal.
Unfortunately, Spurs did regress in the Premier League, compared to their previous campaign. They managed to claim just 71 points after sharing a point with Everton in their last game, considerably less than last season's 77.
Nevertheless, Pochettino still deserves massive credit for what he has done to Spurs. He successfully secured another top 4 finish despite the club not spending a single dime in the two previous transfer windows.
He also has overcome an injury-ridden campaign, as his key stars such as Harry Kane missed many of this season's games. He also has transformed fringe players such as Moussa Sissoko into a world-class star and has utilized Fernando Llorente excellently amid Kane's absence.
#3 Nuno Espirito Santo
Wolverhampton Wanderers have become arguably the best team to have ever been promoted from the Championship thanks to Nuno's managerial prowess. They might have spent a considerable amount of cash in the market, but their net spending is relatively modest compared to other heavy-spenders such as Fulham and West Ham United.
Most of Wolves' new boys have also found success under Nuno. Raul Jimenez has transformed into one of the deadliest strikers in the league despite the Mexican not hitting these heights at his previous club, Benfica. On the other hand, Willy Boly and veteran Joao Moutinho also showed why they are highly-rated players at their respective positions.
Wolves under Nuno have also come to be known as a tough opponent for the Premier League big six. They won against Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur in the league. Unfortunately, they have often slipped against the lesser teams.
#2 Jurgen Klopp
The former Dortmund manager has endured bitter times recently as Liverpool finished just a point behind league champions Manchester City. Nevertheless, The Reds have seen a considerable improvement under the manager as the club ended the campaign with a massive 97 points, losing just one game throughout the league season.
The Champions League might also serve as a relief to Klopp as Liverpool will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final as they bid to clinch their first-ever trophy under the German. Overall, the 51-year-old has transformed his club into a powerful side which can compete against any team in the world.
The Reds now have deadly attacks along with an impregnable fortress at the back. Their signings under Klopp were spot on as they have utilized the money from the sale of Philippe Coutinho efficiently.
Virgil van Dijk has justified his massive €84.5 million price tag and become arguably the best centre-back in the world for this campaign. On the other hand, Fabinho and Alisson Becker also have integrated well and played a key role for Klopp. The manager also has played a significant role for Trent Alexander-Arnold's breakthrough in the team.
#1 Pep Guardiola
The Spaniard is one of few football managers in Europe who could have his say on his club's transfer activity. The former Barcelona head coach was the person who dictated Thiago Alcantara's transfer to Bayern when he managed the Bundesliga giant.
Now Manchester City also have given him freedom on the market, and the club's trust to the coach has paid off. Manchester City have now become one of the deadliest and most feared teams in Europe thanks to Guardiola's tiki-taka style of football.
Most of City's players have suited well with the Spaniard's philosophy as the club's transfer activities have always intended to build around Guardiola's ideas. The club's squad depth is impressive and has made City a team which could compete equally well in several competitions simultaneously.
All of Guardiola's players also can help the team in building the attack either with excellent ball distribution, scoring goals, or assists.
Many would say that Guardiola has been able to achieve this kind of success only due to the endless reserves of cash pumped in by City's Abu Dhabi owners. Nevertheles, Pep's wisdom in spending the money should be highly appreciated as we have seen many clubs which failed to found success even though they invested heavily in the market.
