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The difference between club and international football has steadily become more pronounced over the last decade. In the last five seasons, club teams (44) have averaged four times as many games per year as international sides (11).
National squads, therefore, have less time to practice together and prepare. It is no surprise that international football adopts a safer and less direct approach than domestic leagues. Analysis from a range of matches has shown that national teams play more passes and are slower to move up the pitch than their club counterparts.
International managers do not have it easy despite a lower number of matches
International managers are rightly considered to have more job security than club coaches. Joachim Low's 15-year reign as Germany head coach from 2006 to 2021 saw English giants Chelsea employ 15 different managers in the same period.
International football, though, has its own set of unique challenges. National teams do not have the luxury of transfers. Ensuring players put aside their club loyalties and work together is another obstacle, as the talented yet unsuccessful England teams of the 2000s realized.
In modern football, the world's best coaches prefer to stick with club roles, which wasn't always the case in the past. Italy's Marcello Lippi and Spain's Vincente del Bosque, who won the UEFA Champions League as well as the FIFA World Cup as coaches, come to mind.
Perhaps Germany's Hansi Flick may join their ranks in Qatar next year.
Here are 5 current elite managers who have never managed at the international level.
#5 Carlo Ancelotti
One of the greatest managers of all time, it has been over 25 years since "Don Carlo" took up his first job as head coach at Reggiana.
Ancelotti did serve as assistant to Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi before taking charge of the Serie B club. However, he has never coached his home country or any other international side.
Ancelotti has managed Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, among others, during his coaching career. He also enjoyed a successful playing career between 1976 and 1992, captaining AS Roma and winning titles with AC Milan.
Carlo Ancelotti is one of just three managers to have won the Champions League thrice. He is also one of only seven individuals to have won Europe's biggest trophy as a player as well as a manager.
#4 Jurgen Klopp
German manager Jurgen Klopp also had a long playing career, making over 300 appearances for Mainz 05, most of which came in 2.Bundesliga. After his retirement, he took over as manager of his former club and secured promotion to the Bundesliga in his first year as head coach.
Klopp then enjoyed tremendous success at Borussia Dortmund, shutting out Bayern Munich to win back-to-back league titles in 2014 and 2015. He also won a DFP-Pokal and two German Super Cups with BVB.
As Liverpool coach, Klopp helped the Reds break their 30-year-long domestic league drought by winning the 2019-20 Premier League title. He also led Liverpool to their sixth Champions League triumph in 2019.
Klopp has previously claimed he will leave Liverpool and take a break at the end of his current contract in 2024. The manager has suggested that he could even retire after his departure from Merseyside.
#3 Diego Simeone
Another manager with a long and eventful playing career, Diego Simeone made over 500 club appearances, of which nearly 150 came for Atletico Madrid. The Argentine was also briefly his country's most capped player, ultimately finishing with 108 appearances for La Albiceleste.
Diego Simeone previously coached in his native country with Estudiantes, River Plate and Racing Club. However, he rejected past rumors that strongly linked him to the national team.
"I get excited thinking about it [coaching Argentina] but the truth is I see myself as a coach who would work every day, who sees the growth of his players. I feel an identity with where I am [Atletico Madrid] and I'm in a place where I have more work to do," Simeone told TyC sports in 2019.
Simeone has transformed Atletico Madrid into a bonafide European superpower. Under his management, the club have won two La Liga titles, two Europa League wins and two UEFA Super Cups. The Rojiblancos have also won a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup during the Argentine's reign.
Simeone has led them to victories over some of the greatest Barcelona and Real Madrid teams of the modern era since taking over as manager in 2011.
#2 Jose Mourinho
The only manager on this list who did not enjoy a successful playing career, Jose Mourinho's rise was fuelled by careful observation and audacious confidence. He made his name as a coach under Louis van Gaal at Barcelona, where Mourinho worked with a certain Spanish midfielder named Pep Guardiola.
Just over two decades later, Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers of all time, with 25 trophies to his name. The Portuguese coach has won trophies with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho's recent stint at Tottenham Hotspur, along with a mixed start to life at Roma, suggest his defensive tactics are at risk of becoming outdated.
However, there is no doubt that the serial winner's conservative approach would translate well to the international arena. Fernando Santos' Portugal (Euro 2016) and Didier Deschamps' France (2018 World Cup) have won major international honors while prioritizing defensive solidity.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see Jose manage his native Portugal at some point in the future.
#1 Pep Guardiola
Arguably the greatest manager in the world, Pep Guardiola's mind-boggling record speaks for itself. The Spanish coach has won 31 trophies with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Guardiola also holds the record for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
Long before building a Barcelona team that is often hailed as the greatest of all time, Pep Guardiola was already a Blaugrana legend as a player. He joined the famous La Masia academy as a 13-year-old and spent 17 years at Barcelona, including a successful spell as club captain.
Since his retirement in 2006, Guardiola has redefined football as we know it. Building upon Rinus Michels' and Johan Cryuff's concept of total football, he perfected it into what is known today as tiki taka.
The Spanish manager is known for his obsession with tactics, passing and anything to do with football. Guardiola's record suggests he could flourish in an international role. However, his constant energy and drive mean he certainly appears content in the comparatively chaotic world of club football.
