Sportskeeda Football Awards 2016: Manager of the Year 2016

There’s a reason Sir Alex Ferguson said that the highest paid man at any club should be the manager, and why Arsene Wenger follows that philosophy to this very day. Say what you want about offences and defences, but managers are the all-in-all of any team and the success and failure of any team depends on how on-point the man yelling his throat out in the dugout is.

This past year we have seen some amazing performances by managers, and the magnificent thing is many of those who make up this top 10 are unheralded names that a year back no one would have thought could make it.

Voting by Fans

As we did with the players (defenders, midfielders, and forwards) we sent out a poll for Football Fans around the world to vote for the person they feel has been the best Manager of the year. The shortlist was made basis an in-depth discussion within our in-house teams and the final rankings are based on a combination of Fans’ votes and Experts ranks.

The one with the highest vote received 10 points and the one with the lowest got 1 point. The scores from Sportskeeda’s in-house Ranking and the Reader’s Voting were then added together, with the total score taken. In a situation of two players being tied, Sportskeeda’s Ranking has taken a preference.

There are a number of differences between the popular votes and the rankings – love for your favourite team can be particularly influential – but that’s just the lay of the land.

Without much ado then, let’s have our TOP 10 Managers of 2016

#10 Reinaldo Rueda: Total Score = 2 (Experts pick 10; Fans vote 10 tied)

Rueda celebrates with the Copa Libertadores Trophy

Reinaldo Rueda came into footballing prominence in 2003 when he took the Colombian U-20 team to 3^rd in the FIFA World Youth Championship, the same year he took the U-17 to 4^th in the U-17 World Cup. He makes this list as the left-field entry, though, because of what he did with Atletico Nacional.

The club of the Two Escobars (Pablo and Andres), the Medellin-based club won the Copa Libertadores (a notoriously tough competition to win) in the first half of the year, and guided them to the finals of the Copa Sudamericana in the second half (where they were slated to meet the ill-fated Brazilians of Chapocoense).

Throughout his tenure at Medellin, he’s had a fantastic record – 82 Played: 11 Losses, 23 Draws, 48 Wins to have a Win record of 58.54%. Along with the Copa Libertadores where they beat Rosario Central (Argentina) in the quarterfinals, Sao Paulo (Brazil) in the semifinals and Independiente del Valle (Paraguay) in the final and that tragic Copa Sudamericana final, they also lifted the Copa Colombiana this year – marking Atletico Nacional’s rise back to prominence in style.

The last time they were big in South America was in 1989, when the two Escobars were in their heyday, and it’s thanks to Rueda that they are back on the big stage.

#9 Massimiliano Allegri: Total Score = 4 (Experts pick 8; Fans vote 10 tied)

Allegri kisses the Scudetto – he has maintained Juve’s winning form throughout his tenure

Max Allegri was received at Juventus with rotten tomatoes and eggs thrown at his car, these days he is as revered as just about anyone who has manned the helm of the Grand Old Lady of Turin. Juve have dominated Serie A, and Allegri has just taken them from strength to strength.

He had a quite magnificent 26 run unbeaten run in the first half of the year as Juve tore away from their opposition in the league - despite struggling in their first ten games of the season and going as low as 12th place (in 2015) - as he guided a team struggling with the departure of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez to the title with three games to spare.

He managed the same in the second half of this year by restructuring the team after the departure of Paul Pogba and the introduction of Gonzalo Higuain.

He has a brilliant overall record with Juventus – a win % of 69.17% and a total Goal Difference of 159 in 133 games speaks for itself. And it’s style of coaching that has endeared him the Bianconeri faithful.

As Andrea Pirlo said, Allegri's seemingly more relaxed attitude (after the non-stop intensity of Antonio Conte) to coaching worked wonders for the team and "...brought a sense of calm" to everyone, adding that he aided in endowing the players with a sense of confidence in their own abilities as he gave them a lot more freedom to exercise their creative sides.

#8 Lars Lagerback/Heimir Hallgrímsson: Total Score = 5 (Experts pick 9, Fans vote 8 tied)

Lagerback and Hallgrimsson hug it out during the Euro 2016 fairytale

The Swede and The Dentist – as unlikely a combination as you will ever find managing an Icelandic football team. The Swede was the experienced one, having managed Sweden for nigh on a decade – guiding them to the World Cup in 2002 and 2006 and managing the monumental ego of Zlatan Ibrahimovic along the way – while the Dentist was a run-of-the-mill manager who had been mucking about in the depths of the Icelandic league before being picked by KSI (The Icelandic Football Federation) to manage the team alongside Lagerback.

Together the two worked wonders – first by guiding them to Euro 2016 proper navigating a tough-as-nails group stage that included Netherlands, Turkey and the Czech Republic and then doing the impossible and taking them to the quarterfinals by first topping in a group that included Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, David Alaba’s Austria and a resurgent Hungary. They have a wonderful win % of 43.24% and an even more impressive unbeaten record of 64.86%.

Lagerback’s footballing philosophy is simple – play to win. As he said “I don’t like it when people talk about entertaining or attractive football. For me, there is only good or bad football. It is all very subjective. Is it entertaining to see a team pass the ball around forever, similar to Barcelona?

“Or is it entertaining when the ball gets into the penalty area and you have an opportunity to score? I’d rather see a team play ‘good football’ and by that, I mean a way of playing that gives you the best chance of winning the game.”

He along with the Vikings of Iceland may have won nothing by the way of silverware, but that philosophy did win them the hearts of the football loving world.

#7 Ralph Hasenhüttl: Total Score = 9 (Experts pick 5, Fans vote 8 tied)

Hasenhüttl celebrates yet another goal for Leipzig

The Austrian has managed to do the seemingly impossible and shake up the German top division. The manager of RB Leipzig (our #5 team of the Year by the way) took charge of the ambitious young club at the beginning of the season – and pardon the pun – has given them wings.

Playing a refreshing brand of all-out attack football, they were top of the league for the majority of this season, and are now 2^nd in the league. That is the highest any newly-promoted club has finished in the top 5 leagues of Europe, ever.

If that’s not an achievement worth celebrating, we don’t know what is.

Their record in the top flight has been the stuff of envy for a lot of clubs, and many of them are against the way Red Bull owns and operates the club. He’s got an amazing record at Leipzig; with just two losses in his 17 games in charge (a win% of 64.71%) – and if it wasn’t for a bit of reckless headlessness from his Swedish talisman Emil Fosberg might even have made a fight of it against mighty Bayern Munich.

Arsenal's reported interest in the Austrian is a testament to his growing reputation in the footballing world.

#6 Diego Simeone: Total Score = 11 (Experts pick 6, Fans vote 5)

*Don* Diego “el cholo” Simeone walks out in the rain at Anoeta stadium, San Sebastian

Diego Simeone never took any prisoners when he used to prowl around midfield in his playing prime. He doesn’t take any these days either. Clad in all black, the manager of Atletico Madrid sends out teams that are spitting image of his personality.

Forever battling the Goliaths that are Real Madrid and Barcelona at home (and the constant attrition of his top talent), he continued to do wonders this year, although he wasn’t able to walk away with any silverware to show for it.

A runners-up finish in the Champions League is nothing to be scoffed at, especially as it came only on penalties – isn’t it a mark of the man’s management that only last-minute Sergio Ramos goals have helped Real Madrid pip them on two separate occasions in the UCL final?

He schooled Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich juggernaut as well as Barcelona on the way as well. On top of that his Atleti side finished just three points adrift of champions Barcelona as they brought up the tail end of one of the closest races to the Top 3 positions in modern La Liga history (helped mainly by his defensive organisation that meant Atletico conceded just 18 goals in 38 La Liga matches!).

His numbers at Atletico also hold up to the test of time having an incredible 63.03% win rate with the capital club in his 284 games in charge.

#5 Luis Enrique: Total Score = 13 (Experts pick 7, Fans vote 2)

Luis Enrique addresses the Camp Nou faithful as Barcelona celebrate a tough League win

When you coach a team that has Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi in attack & Andres Iniesta, Arda Turan and Ivan Rakitic as the supporting cast, you don’t often get enough credit for the successes of the team. But Luis Enrique has done remarkably well at Barcelona to let his players do what they do best – run riot, score a million goals, and win games.

He has an insane 77% Win record with the Blaugrana having won 114 games in 148 and this year his Barcelona side walked away with the Copa Del Rey and kept their calm during a nail-biting finish to the league to come away winners. Their Champions League campaign was rather disappointing, though, and he will be looking to make amends this time around.

He explained the secret of his success in a rare interview with FourFourTwo – “ I’ve always been enthusiastic about whatever I’ve done. I mark out challenges in life. I was lucky that I was able to dedicate my life to what I most loved: as a fan, a player and now as a manager. It must be terrible to work in something that you don’t like. Because I am so passionate, it’s easy to empathize with players and for them to believe in me.”

#4 Antonio Conte: Total Score = 14 (Experts pick 4, Fans vote 4)

That’s the face of a man you DO NOT mess with

'I consider defeat to be a state of virtual death'. No one has described their own playing style quite so succinctly. Antonio Conte’s charges play the game in full pelt, fully aware of the fact that if they do not, Conte will be waiting for them.

He dragged a very average Italian team to the quarterfinals of the European Championship – beating Spain comprehensively on the way – and only lost to the World Champions Germany on penalties. Losing to the German national team on penalties cannot be held against any side. His record of 56.4% Wins in 25 games for Italy (having lost 4) is admirable, while it is his revolution at Chelsea that has garnered him even greater accolades.

Taking over at a time when the Blues’ morale was in the pits, he struggled for the first few games, but once he found his feet – and his ideal starting XI – he has been unbeatable. 11 games in fact, since Chelsea have tasted defeat (before today, 26^th Dec ‘16). A win % of 80 vindicates his methods, and it will take some stopping for the runaway leaders of the Premier League not to end up Champions next year.

Trust Andrea Pirlo to describe him perfectly - ”I love the man, I have nothing but respect and admiration for him. If you let him get on with things and do his methods, then you will have a team that plays attractive football and will, without a doubt, be successful. His life is football. It is a good job Elisabetta is such an understanding wife, because he has two wives – Elisabetta and football.”

If Chelsea’s recent successes are anything to go by, he’s still got the Force within him.

#3 Fernando Santos: Total Score = 14 (Experts pick 2, Fans vote 6)

Portugal’s squad throws their championship winning coach in the air

Portugal have always flattered to deceive on the world stage. Their best teams have always attacked with vim and vigour, and have always lost the plot when it comes to crunch time. This time around they were different. This time, they came out to win – and not to entertain. And they did that. After nearly a century of trying, Portugal claimed their first international triumph.

And the credit for that goes to – no, not Cristiano Ronaldo – Fernando Santos. With Pepe anchoring a defence that was nigh on impregnable during the tournament, and Ronaldo helming an attack that was ruthlessly clinical in their finishing. He’s turned Portugal into a win-at-all-costs machine – and the win rate of 64.52% in 31 games is an indicator of just that. As he said it himself – “We were as simple as doves and as wise as serpents.”

Winning EURO 2016 was Portugal’s most glorious sporting moment, and for that he is no. 3 on our list.

#2 Zinedine Zidane: Total Score = 18 (Experts pick 3, Fans vote 1)

Whether as a player, or a coach, that trophy is his... isn’t it?

Real Madrid have won more trophies in 2016 than they have lost matches.

No, seriously. 3 trophies (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Supercup, and FIFA Club World Cup) as against 2 losses suffered way back in the first half of the year. Currently on a 36 match unbeaten run the Real Madrid is on fire.

A lot of people thought him lucky, but the statistics – and the performances – are incredibly hard to argue against. He has got a Win % of 75.47 this year in 53 games (an unbeaten % of an insane 96.22%. He has not shaped the Real Madrid team in his own mould, and instead has adapted to the challenge in front of him.

He played counter-attacking, deep-lying football against Atletico (in the CL final, and the recent derby) and emerged victorious, he got his team to press high in the recent El Clasico and walked away from Camp Nou with a draw.

His remarkable tactical flexibility and absolutely unmatched man-management skills have seen Real Madrid become arguably the best team in the land over the calendar year – the only reason he isn’t No. 1 is because the man who pipped him did something that is the stuff of absolute legend.