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With season 2017/18 drawing to a close as we approach towards the Champions League final, it's again the time for pitting players against each other on the basis of their performances in order to find out who comes out on top.
While fans all over the globe will be waiting for such comparisons to see if their favourites can make it to the number 1 spot, let's not forget the genius minds that have helped them reach that place.
Many coaches have proven to be crucial in the feats that their clubs have achieved this season.
On that note, let's have a look at top 10 best tactical minds in football in 2017/18 season.
#10 Domenico Tedesco
Christian Heidel's gamble to replace Markus Weinzierl with a relatively unknown Domenico Tedesco has paid rich dividends. The Italian coach has emulated Julian Naglesmann's heroics at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, seemingly eradicating Schalke's dark days and gifting them a ray of hope that points towards challenging for trophies regularly.
As a 32-year-old who comes with not much experience to boast about, Tedesco's decision to strip Benedikt Howedes of his captaincy and drop him from the starting XI shows great strength of character. Also, his transformations of Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka are rather remarkable. While Meyer has flourished in a deep-lying midfield role, the attacking freedom extended to Goretzka has seen him book a berth on Die Mannschaft's plane to Russia.
Known as a ferocious observer, the Italian boss has brought stability to Schalke by devising a strong backline and focussing on counter-attacks to win games. A fine example of Schalke's determination to win matches and deliver the required results was their emphatic comeback against Borussia Dortmund after going 4 goals down in the first half. They salvaged a draw as the scoreline read 4-4 at the end of 90 minutes, with Tedesco's men putting up an exhilarating display of passion to win a point.
It's after 3 years that the German club has returned to the Champions League, finishing second behind giants Bayern Munich. The future does seem brighter for them, only if they can retain the shrewd mastermind who is a disciple of the great tactician Arrigo Sacchi.
#9 Eusebio Di Francesco
No, they didn't win anything, but season 2017-18 will nevertheless be a season they won't forget for long. A fine debut season for Eusebio Di Francesco who built a team that could threaten champions with a meagre finance and quality of the squad, finishing 3rd in a nail-biting Serie A campaign.
Di Francesco has brought a much required mental toughness to a squad of promising players. And make no mistake, this comes after Roma lost a host of stars like Mo Salah, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri and Thomas Vermaelen, while club legend Francesco Totti hung up his boots at the start of the season.
A fine testament to their mentality was the game that left Barcelona stunned and out of the Champions League. The Catalans entered the match with a 4-1 advantage following the first leg, but Di Francesco's men gathered a deserved applause throughout the globe with a 3-0 victory, thereby advancing to the UCL semi-finals. Even against Liverpool, Roma were a whisker away from completing another historic comeback as they waved goodbye to the competition with a 7-6 scoreline over two legs.
While their Champions League campaign exceeded expectations, the Italians have a lot of room for improvement in the domestic competitions. If Di Francesco can bring consistency in the performances of his players, why, the Giallorossi could be a force to reckon sooner than later in the football world.
#8 Diego Simeone
How the hell has Diego Simeone managed to maintain the pace and provide a stiff competition to the best clubs across Europe? For all those who complain about not having adequate resources to deliver the goods, they can definitely take a leaf out of the Argentinian's book.
Atletico Madrid's shock group-stage exit was unbearable, but Simeone has more than made up for it by guiding his club to the Europa League triumph. Los Coloncheros also came within touching distance of the league title, only to be thwarted by a Lionel Messi free-kick at the Nou Camp that tilted the title in La Blaugrana's favour.
While they have impressed in the second position in La Liga, Simeone needs to take the Copa Del Rey seriously. 2012-13 was the last when Atletico won the trophy and it's high time for them to give an equal importance to the tournament.
Diego Simeone recently confirmed his wish to stay with his beloved club. We can surely expect the Madrid-based club to improve in the seasons to come.
#7 Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho's second season in charge at Old Trafford might appear to be overshadowed by his debut year, sheerly due to the number of trophies won in both the seasons.
However, there's no point denying the fact that the Special One's defensive philosophy has made Manchester United sturdier at the back. Amongst the EPL top 6, United have the second best defence with only 28 goals conceded this season.
Mourinho has received harsh criticism for not following an attacking style of play. But, people need to know that the United boss has improved the clinical nature of his attackers; Man United have netted 68 goals this term in contrast to the 54 they scored last season. Also, United have beaten all Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League, something that wasn't done for ages.
Mourinho, however, does need to pay attention to his relationship with the club; his rant after United's shock exit at the hands of Sevilla in the UCL didn't go well with the United fans.
Manchester United need to bring in more consistency, the most important factor they have lacked this season. Also, Mourinho needs to build a perfect starting XI where Pogba and Sanchez can function well together while sorting out the Anthony Martial issue remains another important problem to address.
All in all, it's the exceptional season of Manchester City under Pep Guardiola that has masked Jose Mourinho's finer points and exposed the negative ones. United are improving under the gaffer and it wouldn't harm to expect a good season 2018-19 from the Red Devils.
#5 Jurgen Klopp
After they drew their first two Champions League games, not many might have prophecied Liverpool to go romping to the finals in the spectacular fashion they have done so. For the magic he has pulled out of the hat, Jurgen Klopp deserves an ovation for taking the club this close to winning their first piece of silverware since their League Cup triumph in 2012.
So, what difference has the German boss made at Anfield? A bunch of his decisions like signing Mohammed Salah and giving youngsters Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez have hit the right mark. However, it's his management after Liverpool lost Phil Coutinho to Barcelona deserves a worthy mention.
Since the Brazilian's departure, the Liverpool players have learnt to shoulder equal responsibilities, according to Klopp.
The Kop's defence was vulnerable at times, but with Virgil van Dijk maturing day by day since his move to Anfield, they have looked stable at the back. And oh, how can we forget that fearsome triumvirate of Salah, Mane and Firmino that has run riot against every team they have come up against?
Apart from that, the ex-Dortmund boss has done a great job in instilling passion amongst his players, which was on display when his men handed 3 defeats to Guardiola's Man City in the Premier League and UCL this season.
Watching how Liverpool have grown as the season has progressed, they have done enough to be considered as serious title contenders in the Premier League next term.
#5 Zinedine Zidane
All those haters who wrote off Real Madrid after their lacklustre start to the season will be biting their nails out of anxiety, watching the Vikings on the cusp of winning a third successive Champions League title. As much as Cristiano Ronaldo's revival has been instrumental in Los Blancos' road to the UCL final, it would be a sin to not acknowledge Zinedine's Zidane invaluable contribution to the club's success.
The Frenchman received poignant criticism at the start of the season while the belief of him being 'lucky' in winning back-to-back European cups grew stronger. However, he has silenced his critics this term by displaying his tactical acumen, inching closer to glory from the jaws of defeat and despair.
First and foremost, Zidane showed a strength of character in breaking the BBC trio by scrapping the 4-3-3 formation that Real Madrid followed rather devotedly. Applying a 4-4-2 format has brought more positives than the negatives that one can think of.
The said formation reduces the possibility of Real Madrid being exposed on the flanks. With Marcelo and Carvajal not possessing the required stature a defender should have, playing Asensio and Vazquez on the wings in a four-man midfield does the trick. The duo help in crowding the flanks, making the Blancos defence harder to break in that area.
In the 14 games Zidane has deployed this formation in the league and the UCL, Los Merengues have won 11 times and drawn the remaining games, scoring 47 and conceding 16 in the process.
Also, he's done a fantastic job by breathing life in Cristiano Ronaldo, who's started firing on all cylinders as much as he did when he was deployed on the left wing. The Portuguese found it hard to adjust to his new position as a proper striker but seems to have settled down now.
He might not be considered the GOAT at the moment, but in a few years, Zinedine Zidane will definitely make a case for that title which will be hard to beat. As for the current season, abysmal results in domestic competitions is the reason why the Frenchman hasn't been ranked higher on this list.
#4 Massimiliano Allegri
Juventus clinched their seventh league title in a row and a successive third one under Massimiliano Allegri. Seriously, has the almighty even planned an end for the Bianconeri's domination of Serie A?
Max Allegri is what you call a typical Italian coach who puts heavy emphasis on maintaining a sturdy defence and making his team as flexible as it can be to various kinds of formations.
Make no mistake, the Italian head honcho has used nine different formations, according to WhoScored.com, which serves as a fine example of his astute tactical intelligence. Add the fact that he has achieved remarkable success with an ageing squad, thereby displaying the importance of a shrewd manager at a football club.
His team showed great strength of character during the quarter-finals and the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League, albeit they could successfully complete only one of the two comebacks they attempted in the competition. Their quarter-final 2nd leg performance against Real Madrid was one of the games to watch this season. Although they couldn't grab an aggregate win, they successfully made a statement as a team that deserves being feared and respect in Europe.
Allegri has successfully clinched a domestic double this season, but the man will be hell-bent on winning the Champions League - the silverware that has eluded him narrowly for the past three years now.
However, if granted a better squad than what he has right now, it won't take time for Allegri to lay his hands on the most coveted trophy in club football.
#3 Ernesto Valverde
Barcelona suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season. Fast forward, none of the Catalans in their wildest dreams might have expected their beloved their club to dominate the league like never before.
Ernesto Valverde, the man at the helm at Nou Camp, guided Barcelona to the La Liga title with 27 wins, 9 draws and just 1 loss under his belt. Sounds even more impressive, considering how the Catalan club had a considerably disappointing transfer window.
Even with Neymar sold and Dembele injured for large part of the first half of the season, Valverde's men cruised to victory after victory as the Madrid clubs faltered in their wake. The Spanish coach introduced a 4-4-2 system and produced wonders with a rather mediocre midfield. He scrapped the 4-3-3 and once again built a team around Lionel Messi with the Argentinian producing outstanding performances week in week out as usual.
However, as much as having Messi brings positives to any team, the 'Messidependencia' is a disease tough to stop. That's what Valverde and co fell prey to; Barcelona relied too much on the forward to deliver in times of need. The one game in which he didn't perform, Barcelona said goodbye to the Champions League after bottling a 3-goal advantage against Roma in the Champions League.
If it wasn't for their disappointing UCL campaign, Valverde would have been higher on this list, thanks to his heroics in the La Liga.
#2 Pep Guardiola
Wow. Just how exhilarating Manchester City's brand of football has been this season! And the credit goes to? None other than the bald-headed genius - Josep Guardiola.
If any coach wants to learn the secrets of bringing the best out of multiple players in a single campaign, the Spaniard is the manager to follow.
Guardiola did it at Barcelona in his formative years as a coach and successfully emulated that feat in England this season. Each of the Citizens' players, especially Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi, have had a season to remember in the ages to come.
Pretty much, the well-oiled Man City juggernaut set the Premier League alight to such an extent that Manchester United's 81-point haul this term looks downright mediocre when compared to the 100 points they yielded in the league. Make no mistake, 81 points are enough to win a league title, but City's extraordinary season has indirectly overshadowed all the good that Mourinho has done at United this season.
The Citizens broke a number of long-standing records in the EPL viz. most points (100), most away points (50), most points ahead of second (19), most wins (32), most away wins (16), most goals (106), best goal difference (+79), most consecutive victories (18), biggest share of away possession (82.13%), fewest minutes losing (153) and quickest team to score 100 goals (35 matches).
All this is a result of the Spaniard's old yet exciting possession-based style of play that places a great deal of emphasis on the attack.
If only Guardiola's men would have reached the semi-finals in the UCL, he would have clinched the no.1 spot on this list for sure.
#1 Jupp Heynckes
Stretch your memories back to the day when the media lashed out at Carlo Ancelotti after Bayern's 3-0 humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint Germain in the UCL group stage. Not long after that, the Italian was shown the exit door with the reigns being handed to Jupp Heynckes with a view of saving the season.
With the German's timely arrival, Bayern started looking like their old self.
First and foremost, it's Bayern's transfer policy that deserves a worthy mention. After losing a number of exquisite first team players like Xabi Alonso and Philip Lahm, the Bavarians brought in James Rodriguez and Corentin Tolisso under £50 million, while also promoting youngsters Felix Gotze and Christian Fruchtl to the first team, thereby continuing their age-old legacy of producing talents.
Instead of totally changing the system in his fourth spell as Bayern boss, Heynckes moved Javi Martinez back to the defensive midfield area from centre-back, a decision that reaped wealthy dividends. Also, he efficiently rotated his squad by resting ageing players like Robben and Ribery and saving them for big games.
He afforded Robert Lewandowski a much-needed breather by signing striker Sandro Wagner in January, which did take off a bit of the mammoth pressure over the Pole's shoulders with respect to scoring goals. He also breathed life into James Rodriguez who appears to be back to his former best, having notched 8 goals and 13 assists in 38 games for Die Roten.
Although the UCL remained a disappointment as Bayern lost out to Real Madrid, they played with fierce passion during both legs. If only they could have been more clinical in finishing, they would have been the one eagerly waiting to face Liverpool in the semis.
Heynckes' men are also in the DFB Pokal and are strong favourites to win the title.
A domestic double coming at the end of a season that started poorly would be more than just a fitting end. As for Heynckes, the genius returned to management after being out of the trade for 4 years but excellently showcased his skills by keeping hopes alive and making people known that he has still got the magic left in him.
Easily the best manager of the season, ain't he?
