30. Massimiliano Allegri
Five straight Serie A titles, four consecutive Coppa Italias and two Champions League finals certainly isn’t a record to be sniffed at. And yet, Allegri still faces question marks over his ability as a manager.
His return to Juventus in 2021 hasn’t yielded any trophies yet, true, but off-the-field issues have clouded his second spell in charge. Someone who prefers a slower build-up and more control, Allegri is flexible in his tactics in order to deal with certain opponents.
29. Tite
If you think that England is the impossible job, try managing Brazil. Tite (that’s more like “chi-chi” than “tee-tay, y’know) did admirably, actually – and has moved onto Rio heavyweights, Flamengo.
The 62-year-old has been at Big ‘Mengo for mere weeks and hasn’t yet put his stamp on the side. Like some others on this list, his place here is more for his ability and history than his current club exploits – but Tite is still one of the most highly respected managers in his homeland.
28. Stefano Pioli
Revitalising an ailing Milan side hasn’t proved easy for Pioli, especially because he’s previously managed Inter, but the Italian finally ended Milan’s decade-long wait for a Scudetto in 2022 in what was also the first trophy of his managerial career. A Champions League semi-final last term proved encouraging, too, with his faith in youth and tactical flexibility ensuring Milan’s positive progress on the pitch.
27. Adi Hutter
Adi Hutter first came to attention for some in a way that will adhere them to many German hearts: battering Bayern Munich in their biggest defeat since 1978 with Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Gladbach gig, while steady, was temporary – and now, he’s proving himself a capable pair of hands at Monaco, overseeing Paul Mitchell’s crop of scintillating signings in the principality. It’s high time someone took them back to the top.
26. Ruben Amorim
Whenever a Premier League job becomes available, Amorim is invariably linked - and it’s easy to see why. At 38, the Portuguese has been hugely impressive ever since winning Portugal’s league cup final with Braga in 2020 against Porto, just three weeks into his first senior managerial reign. Sporting quickly came calling, and Amorim hasn’t looked back. A possession-based manager, a league title followed in 2021, and they look the team to beat this time around, too.
25. Franck Haise
Leading Lens to their first Champions League group stage in two decades and doing so with an exhilarating young side, Franck Haise has won hearts in Ligue 1 for his brand of football. This summer dealt them a tough hand, too, as Seko Fofana and Lois Openda jumped ship – and true to Ligue 1 tradition, Haise is having to find answers and evolve after seeing his biggest stars leave.
The Frenchman is doubling down, however, making his side difficult to play against and giving a good fist of Europe. His inexperience hasn’t shown.
24. Michel
While many look towards Barcelona for exciting, attacking football in Catalonia, Girona are impressing many in La Liga through the slick tactics employed by Michel. Overloading with a box-midfield is common, while five attackers pushing defences back is regularly visible, too. Having earned promotion from Spain’s second tier in his first season at Girona, Michel then led them to 10th last term.
They have been one of the surprise packages of the 2023/24 season, challenging at the top of La Liga against the likes of Real Madrid and Barca.
23. Urs Fischer
Urs Fischer is fiercely intelligent and the underdog’s underdog, playing a unique mid-block press to stifle opposition and create transitions for his men to wreak havoc – but the detail pales in comparison to the headlines: he’s already a legend in East Germany.
Fischer led Union Berlin to their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga, let alone their first-ever Europa League and Champions League campaigns – and he’d have earned a point in the Bernabeu, had Jude Bellingham not broken Berliner hearts in stoppage time of their first-ever UCL fixture.
22. Fernando Diniz
Forget Pep, Cruyff and even Herbet Chapman: Diniz is one of the greatest innovators of them all. Generally, managers want their players spread out across the pitch, ready to exploit spaces left by opponents. Not Diniz. The Fluminense gaffer – in interim charge of the national side, too – encourages overloading specific areas to such an extent that positions become obsolete.
There’s method to the madness, too, with the Brazilian leading Fluminense to the Copa Libertadores trophy. Don’t be surprised to see his tactics make their way to Europe sooner rather than later.
21. Vincenzo Italiano
Italian football prides itself on coaching acumen perhaps more than any other, so a man named “Italiano” was always going to be a ‘final boss’ of Serie A’s tactical nous, right?
Fiorentina have been meticulously built in the image of their coach to be well-structured in buildup but ambitious in attack: this is a manager, after all, who continues to push higher and higher with each season, guiding Spezia to promotion, keeping them in the top flight and then improving i Viola.
