World Cup 2018: Top 10 Managers of the tournament

#5 Janne Andersson

Sweden v England: Quarter Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Janne Andersson has been one of the least-discussed managers on this list, as he has coached an effective yet unentertaining Swedish side. Thus it has gone unnoticed that Andersson has been one of the best managers in the tournament.

Perhaps Andersson’s most important decision was one that took place before the World Cup. After Sweden qualified by defeating Netherlands and Italy, the retired legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic chose to flirt with the option of returning to the Swedish squad.

Andersson made it clear that the LA Galaxy striker would not be at the tournament. It was an extremely brave decision, yet one that allowed Sweden’s squad to flourish in the tournament.

For years, Sweden would have one attacking move: trying to feed the ball to Ibrahimovic. By not selecting the 35-year-old, Andersson has instead cultivated Sweden into a far more cohesive unit. Andersson chose the outdated 4-4-2 but then adapted it to fit the modern game.

Andersson’s man-management helped the likes of Victor Lindelof, Mikael Lustig and Andreas Granqvist be more effective than they were for their club teams.

Those players formed the bulk of a defence that finished ahead of Germany and Mexico before dispatching a competent Swiss side. Once Sweden relied primarily on the excellence of Ibrahimovic, now they are dependent on the intelligence of Andersson.