Diego Simeone is being lined up to replace Manuel Pellegrini at Man City…
Manchester City have earmarked Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone to replace Manuel Pellegrini, should the club’s hierarchy lose patience with the 61-year-old Chilean.
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The former Argentine international certainly has an impressive record, having taken his Madrid side to the La Liga title, and the Champions League final last season. But where does he rank among the best managers in Europe? We count down the top ten:
10) Frank De Boer (Ajax)
The legendary player is proving to be just as good a manager as he was a battling midfielder. His free-flowing Ajax side have won the title for the past four consecutive seasons, despite being regularly forced to sell their best players to various European heavyweights.
9) Rafa Benitez (Napoli)
Love him or hate him, the Spaniard has an impeccable managerial CV. Not only has he won two La Liga titles with Valencia, but he also won the Champions League and the FA Cup during a stint with Liverpool. On top of this, he picked up a Europa League crown with Chelsea before a move to Napoli.
8) Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)
The longest serving manager in the Premier League by a huge margin, Wenger has been with the Gunners for 18 years. In that time, he’s secured three league titles and five FA Cups, and become a favourite of the neutral with his free-flowing brand of football.
7) Rudi Garcia (Roma)
The Frenchman currently plies his trade in Serie A with Roma, who he led to second place last season. His greatest achievement to date was winning a Ligue 1 crown with the unfancied Lille in 2011, and he has won two French manager of the year awards, too.
6) Louis van Gaal (Manchester United)
A rich history of managerial success culminated him leading the Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals in fine style last summer, before being recruited by Manchester United. He has started slowly with the Red Devils, but the majority of fans are confident he can turn it around.
5) Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
The Argentine has turned Atletico into a genuine force in La Liga. Last season, he took them to the league title and the Champions League final, where they were just moments away from victory against their local rivals Real.
4) Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund)
Klopp secured two Bundesliga titles playing an exquisite brand of passing football between 2010 and 2012. A little over a year ago, he also got Dortmund to the Champions League final too, where they were unlucky to lose out to Bayern Munich.
3) Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
Ancelotti’s won a Serie A title and two Champions League titles with AC Milan, a Premier League and an FA Cup with Chelsea, Ligue 1 with PSG, and a whole host of ‘Manager of the Year’ awards. Last season, he added the Spanish Cup to his list of honours, and won Real Madrid’s historic tenth European title.
2) Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich)
In 2008, Guardiola took over the realms at Barcelona, and quickly created what’s now regarded as the best club side in history. In three years, he won 14 trophies, including three La Ligas and two Champions Leagues. Now at Bayern Munich, his side look ominously good, and have yet to lose in the Bundesliga.
1) Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
In his 14 years as a boss, he’s only once finished outside the top two places in the league. That’s in Portugal, Italy, Spain and England. If this wasn’t enough, he’s won two Premier League titles with Chelsea, a La Liga with Real Madrid, an historic treble with Inter Milan that included the Champions League, and a similarly historic treble with Porto in 2004.
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