The next generation of potentially great managers

Skills

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Young = 45 years old or younger.

There seems to be quite a few of them around at the moment:

Xabi Alonso
Ruben Amorin
Julian Nagelsmann
Thiago Motta
Mikel Arteta
Xavi Hernandez
Kieran McKenna

Anyone else? From what you've seen so far how would you rate these and other contenders for the following:

Coaching - the plan A. The bread and butter that wins 90% of games

Player development - how much do players improve under their guidance?

Tactically - ability to change it up, substitutions and in bigger games against better opponents

Man Management - how quickly do they recover from set backs. The team mentality they instill

Flexibility - how do they cope with change? I.e. the way ancelotti dealt with not having a striker last season.

Talent ID - how good are they at identifying talent at the clubs. Players who should have a prominent role in the team and those who shouldn't.

Personality - can they cope with a big job or big pressure?

Any obvious flaws that you can see so far - that unless they fix them, will hold them back? I.e. can Amorin be as good with 4atb, which most top clubs are set up for?

Obviously someone like Alonso has already achieved a fair bit by his BL win last season, but they're all on different stages of their trajectory.
 
I wouldn't have Xavi on that list personally. His la liga triumph aside, he's not proven adept at a few of the categories you've listed.
 
I’ll just be an optimist and say that Kompany will make it.
 
I’d say Brighton could have one on there hands. How do they keep finding talented players/coaches.
 
Alonso and Amourin look like they could be world class, but as always, they'll have to pick the right job when they leave their current one's. You go somewhere like Madrid you won't get time so you have to win from the off regardless of the state of the squad. You go somewhere like United and you have to rebuild standards and get buy-in from players that aren't good enough to win the league while trying to be competitive in the league.
 
Kaos said:
I wouldn't have Xavi on that list personally. His la liga triumph aside, he's not proven adept at a few of the categories you've listed.
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Fair, it's hard to exclude him off the "example list" with a La Liga under his belt already.
 
Kaos said:
I wouldn't have Xavi on that list personally. His la liga triumph aside, he's not proven adept at a few of the categories you've listed.
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I think we should wait and see how Xavi does outside of Barcelona. It seems as though he probably won't be able to replicate what is clearly a Barca mentality elsewhere but he would earn his place in the list if he manages to do that elsewhere and win something.
 
Genuinely believed you opened the thread by suggesting Ashley Young.

It seems weird to have Nagelsman and Arteta on the list when they're already established and definitely not 'up-and-comers.' It could be more a matter of milage than age in the end.

Alonso, Motta, and Amorin all sound like fair shouts. McKenna could be one too, depending on his circumstances in 6-12 months time.
 
And yet we keep going for whoppers like ETH. I'd love it if we could land somebody genuinely exciting like Alonso.
 
Hughes35 said:
And yet we keep going for whoppers like ETH. I'd love it if we could land somebody genuinely exciting like Alonso.
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Weird post, whatever happened with EtH since he was appointed here, he was one of the most exciting managers in Europe when we hired him.
 
Sebastian Hoeneß of Frankfurt (42 yo) deserves a mention, and definitely so does Fabian Hürzeler of Brighton (31 yo). Germans are top class in producing young and exciting managers.

Glasner from Palace and Michel from Girona are both below 50, so not really young but still with a big career ahead of them
 
Massive Spanner said:
Weird post, whatever happened with EtH since he was appointed here, he was one of the most exciting managers in Europe when we hired him.
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Hughes35 said:
In order of preference for me.

1. Ten Hag
2. Flik
3. Enrique
4. Potter
5. Zidane

I like Rangnick but think it's better we stick to the plan of him staying as consulting role.

God I hope its not Poch or Hassenhuttle, disaster written all over both IMO.
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Xavi is not a good manager... no playstyle, even his barca didnt look like the usual barca. He is more similar to Ole than any other manager.
 
Skills said:
Young = 45 years old or younger.

There seems to be quite a few of them around at the moment:

Xabi Alonso
Ruben Amorin
Julian Nagelsmann
Thiago Motta
Mikel Arteta
Xavi Hernandez
Kieran McKenna
Click to expand...

McKenna might go on to do great things but he's wildly out of place on that list. Finished 2nd in the Championship with Ipswich is very good but come on, the other dudes have won leagues, cups and are already doing well at Champions League clubs.
 
The real skill in management is doing it constantly over a span of seasons. Today it feels you only have to have a good month and be somewhat pleasing on the eye to be glorified as some great coach.

Xabi Alonso had a almost perfect first season, but I'm glad he stayed to see if he can overcome Bayern for a second time.

I'm amazed that Kompany is managing Bayern, but putting that aside if Alonso can have a second good season then he will deserve all the plaudits.
 
duffer said:
McKenna might go on to do great things but he's wildly out of place on that list. Finished 2nd in the Championship with Ipswich is very good but come on, the other dudes have won leagues, cups and are already doing well at Champions League clubs.
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Who cares? This isn't a thread about who's currently the best. It's not even a thread comparing them to each other. Nor is that an exhaustive list of all the promising managers aged 45 or less (I've left out the likes of De Zerbi and Slot).

It's just an example list of young managers who I think might have potential to be great. And even at the end of my post, I've said they're all at different stages of their trajectory - most of them might end up falling short of what someone like Alonso has already achieved.

Discuss the ones you want to (whether they're in the OP or not) and ignore the rest. Easy.
 
I’d add:

- Vision

- Youth development/pathways to the first team to that list.

Someone like Ancelotti is a god at the first one, seeing the potential of players in seemingly weird ways and making them look like they’ve played the newly issued position all their lives. It’s a huge one-up if you have a manager who can turn lemons into lemonade or even cola via transmutation. These guys can keep trains on tracks that those without vision would be derailed by.

Youth development speaks for itself. Anyone versed in this can save their club 100’s of millions over time and also force intrinsic values into the thread of the club and first squad. Making transitions seamless and keeping hunger and desire at peak levels.
 
Outside of Europe, I reckon Abel Ferreira (45) is one to keep an eye on at the very least. He's won two consecutive league titles in Brazil (and in the race for a third one this year). Even with the bigger teams being in the mix more consistently last couple of years, it's only ever happened twice that a team has won three in a row in Brazil. Ferreira have also won two Copa Libertadores titles in a row (2020, 2021), in addition to a cup title, and some supercups and a regional championship.

Should be mentioned that he inherited a very good side, but have been able to keep the team competitive despite losing a lot of important players across a few windows around 2021-22.

Also did well in terms of win percentage at Braga (got them 4th) and PAOK, but I don't know a whole lot about his stints at those clubs.
A bunch of managers have struggled to make the move from South America to Europe (yes I know he's Portuguese), but I reckon Ferreira would do well.
 
crossy1686 said:
Alonso and Amourin look like they could be world class, but as always, they'll have to pick the right job when they leave their current one's. You go somewhere like Madrid you won't get time so you have to win from the off regardless of the state of the squad. You go somewhere like United and you have to rebuild standards and get buy-in from players that aren't good enough to win the league while trying to be competitive in the league.
Click to expand...

Failing at real isnt the end of the road for most managers though, Man United on the other is a club with most lenient board and supporters, you can finish 8th with minus GD and still able to keep your job because you won a domestic cup.
 
Fabian Hurzeler could soon be on that list as well.
 
didz said:
Genuinely believed you opened the thread by suggesting Ashley Young.

It seems weird to have Nagelsman and Arteta on the list when they're already established and definitely not 'up-and-comers.' It could be more a matter of milage than age in the end.

Alonso, Motta, and Amorin all sound like fair shouts. McKenna could be one too, depending on his circumstances in 6-12 months time.
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Ye Arteta and Nagelsmann are established. But in terms of winning things, what have they won?
 
Skills said:
Young = 45 years old or younger.

There seems to be quite a few of them around at the moment:

Xabi Alonso
Ruben Amorin
Julian Nagelsmann
Thiago Motta
Mikel Arteta
Xavi Hernandez
Kieran McKenna

Anyone else? From what you've seen so far how would you rate these and other contenders for the following:

Coaching - the plan A. The bread and butter that wins 90% of games

Player development - how much do players improve under their guidance?

Tactically - ability to change it up, substitutions and in bigger games against better opponents

Man Management - how quickly do they recover from set backs. The team mentality they instill

Flexibility - how do they cope with change? I.e. the way ancelotti dealt with not having a striker last season.

Talent ID - how good are they at identifying talent at the clubs. Players who should have a prominent role in the team and those who shouldn't.

Personality - can they cope with a big job or big pressure?

Any obvious flaws that you can see so far - that unless they fix them, will hold them back? I.e. can Amorin be as good with 4atb, which most top clubs are set up for?

Obviously someone like Alonso has already achieved a fair bit by his BL win last season, but they're all on different stages of their trajectory.
Click to expand...

Iraola
 
I would definitely have McKenna on this list in terms of the criteria in the op, especially considering it’s still potential.
He is tactically flexible, has fairly progressive style of play. Prioritises youth when he can and develops players also. In fact the levels that he has taken most of the average players that he has worked with, especially in comparison to others on this list, through multiple promotions is to be commended for me.

The main thing that separates them is they’ve has chances at the top clubs while McKenna hasn’t yet. As someone else said 12 months will tell us a bit more about his chances but I can definitely see him at United in the future.
 
DJ_21 said:
Ye Arteta and Nagelsmann are established. But in terms of winning things, what have they won?
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Naglesmann has won titles with Bayern, whether you want to give that any credence is a separate question.
 
Edin Terzic at Dortmund looks a good shout based on the criteria and Dortmunds knack of producing excellent coaches.

One to watch I think is Will Still at Lens, only 31 and English so a future at one of the big EPL clubs beckons potentially.
 
mardika said:
Failing at real isnt the end of the road for most managers though, Man United on the other is a club with most lenient board and supporters, you can finish 8th with minus GD and still able to keep your job because you won a domestic cup.
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Lopategui, Benitez, Solari, Pellegrini, Ramos, Capello, Queiroz etc are all managers in recent memory who 'failed' at Madrid and didn't exactly land another big gig after that. It's the same for United in that sense, if you bottle a big job like that another big team won't touch you, mostly because of the fan narrative of 'they failed at Madrid so how can they be good enough for us - Madrid reject' etc.
 
I think Motta is really interesting, him Amorim and McKenna would be my shortlist for replacing ETH, given I don't think Alonso is realistic.
 
hasanejaz88 said:
Naglesmann has won titles with Bayern, whether you want to give that any credence is a separate question.
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Also had one of the highest win ratios for Bayern didn't he?
I rate him highly, he's the one Ive wanted to manage United for years.
Was hoping we would get him in the summer, seems committed to Germany now.
 
He’s 47, but Denmark’s temp for the interim coach has just won his two first matches in charge quite convincingly displaying good game management and selection. He’s been set piece coach at Leicester and the US national team too. I say, hire the guy!

Also, I’d throw Peter Hyballa into the mix if it were an anti-list. Deeply pathological behavior has led him to be fired after months, weeks or days at numerous clubs in Europe. Really interesting man!
 
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