6 successors to Sir Alex Ferguson's throne

Sir Alex Ferguson has been a symbol of dominance in world football for 25 years. He continues to weave magic through his gallant knights at Manchester United. His ability to rebuild and reconstruct from scratch is top notch. There is no manager who can say he has lived through three different generations of football and been victorious. However, Manchester United have to understand that the master gaffer cannot continue for more than three-four years.

The job at Manchester United’s helm is not an easy one. It is probably the toughest job to take in modern football. Carry the burden of a million fans around the world for one day and you will realize why Sir Alex’s successor needs to be special. The successor to Sir Alex should commit to the long term future of the club and must realize that he symbolizes the club more than any player/board member. Here are 6 managers who can take up Fergie’s throne successfully

Jose Mourinho

Pros:

Jose Mourinho is the harbinger of success whereever he goes. One of the top managers in the world, Mourinho would bring instant success to Manchester United. Jose also protects his players from the limelight and takes the blame and responsibility on himself. His mind games and tactics are in the league of Sir Alex. Jose has also battled Russian billionaires, a paranoid Italian club owner and an overbearing Spanish authority. The Glazers would gladly give the control to a person who can take all the decisions.

Cons:

I have stressed that the heir apparent must be a long term option. Jose Mourinho tends to get “bored” by success and would not really commit to the club. Moreover, he builds a team not for the future, but only for the present. Clearly the players he buys and manages can only perform best for him. Chelsea struggled for a year after the Special One left. So did FC Porto and Inter Milan. Moreover, Jose might take over his national team any time in his career and he would gladly ditch his club for his country

Andres Villas Boas

Pros:

Andres Villas Boas has attained major success even though he is just in his mid 30s as a manager. Andres Villas Boas, like Jose, is extremely animated, and is tipped for success. Andres Villas Boas depends on a relentless and unmerciful attack. He likes teams to entertain and he would rebuild Manchester United for entertainment. AVB works with youth setups efficiently and his amazing knowledge of scouting talent can add to his armoury.

Cons :

The biggest question about AVB is whether he can actually make it in the big stage. This Tottenham job is an acid test to his career and its results may determine his future. Secondly, AVB rebuilds his squad mainly on the basis of the youth system. His dislike for the aged is acknowledged by many of his colleagues. Moreover, can AVB manage the attitudes of big time players?

Joachim Low

Pros:

Low has made his reputation solely on the basis of his tactical preparation. Joachim Low is an advocate of “microtactics”, a modern art of football where teams get video insight and prepare differently for different teams. Managers spend more time analysing chinks in the opponents armoury and aim to exploit the weaknesses in the maximum possible way. Manchester United, under Low, would be extremely hard to crack. Low will have international players under his service who play football solely to hurt the opponent. Moreover, Low gives youth players every possible chance to shine. He is strict and has a similar persona to Sir Alex.

Cons:

Joachim Low is extremely new to club football. Even if we consider his moderately successfully time in Germany, Austria and Turkey, there is no credible evidence suggesting his major success in club football. Club football is possibly a bigger test as it involves one year of relentless help to players.

Jurgen Klopp

Pros:

Jurgen Klopp saved Borussia Dortmund from the depths of bankruptcy and brought it to the heights of glory. Another advocate of the “microtactics” era, Klopp has truly been the only manager to strike a blow on Bayern Munich’s domination. Jurgen Klopp built a side with a promising youth system and made them play for glory. Jurgen Klopp would be an ideal choice at Old Trafford because he believes in building a relationship with the players more in person than profession. Jurgen Klopp is efficient in squad harmony and believes in balanced football, just like Sir Alex.

Cons:

Jurgen Klopp has not faced the mighty giants of Europe yet with his multi-talented Dortmund squad. His team seemed clue-less to an average Marseille side in this season’s Champions League. Manchester United fans are used to seeing their team perform well in Europe under Sir Alex. Klopp will have to up his game in Europe in order to be a more serious contender.

David Moyes

Pros:

David Moyes has an inherent ability to get the best out of semi-average players. He shares this quality with Sir Alex, who seems to have a fondness for Moyes. David Moyes has made Everton one of the biggest challenges for the top teams in the Premier League. He did all this with limited financial permiability. Imagine his team with better finance. His knowledge of the Premier League is high. He would maintain a low profile and remove pressure from the club.

Cons:

David Moyes is too loyal to Everton football club. He has spent 10 years in Everton and is attached to the club by a strong bond. It would be extremely difficult to convince him to leave his beloved club for Manchester United. Moreover, David Moyes would be extremely new to the challenges of Europe. His Everton side qualified for the Champions League qualifying stages in 2005 but he had no tactical flexibility to see them through to the final stages .

Pep Guardiola

Pros:

Pep Guardiola is admired by the football fraternity for the way he handled success for Barcelona. Pep Guardiola stressed on the beauty of football more than the tactical part of football. He pulled the strings on arguably the greatest club side in the history of football. Guardiola would be ideal at Old Trafford because he believes in the youth system and can get the best out of his team on a consistent basis. Pep Guardiola treats players like his friends and respects them a lot. He would be a fan favourite manager in no time. Moreover, Manchester United can baffle the world with beautiful and total football under him.

Cons:

Pep Guardiola quit his Barcelona job simply because he was stressed out. The Premier League job is a lot more taxing for a manager than La Liga. Pep Guardiola cannot fizzle out of the job if he cannot manage stress. Moreover, Pep Guardiola’s lack of a Plan B has hurt his team on more than one occasion.