With the 2022/2023 season completed, we review the achievements of the 20 PL managers this term. Who did elite level jobs? How about the failures? And who were just alright? Take a look at what we think.
N. B: Finishing positions are not the sole basis for our ratings though they play a part.
1. Pep Guardiola ---------- Manchester City ( 1st)
Pep showed another side to him this season. We have always known him to be a tactical maverick and so when he sold key players like Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Sterling amongst others, it looked so bizarre.
The departure of Joao Cancelo midway through the season was also strange given how important he was in the first few games of the season.
Tactically, a switch to the unorthodox 3-2-4-1 setup, with centre-backs drifting into midfield to create overloads in deeper areas is perhaps another exhibition of his creativity. Of course, winning a treble will be the peach!
2. Eddie Howe ---------- Newcastle United ( 4th)
Can Eddie Howe be called an elite manager? Well, by what he has achieved this season at St. James', the fans will put him in with a shout as one of their greatest managers after returning the Magpies to the Champions League.
It's not just about the emotions, which are still running high in the North East since the takeover. Howe has improved his players massively and has crafted a defensively robust side that carries danger on the break. The 21-minute 5-1 blitz of Tottenham could be one of the standout games of the campaign, but there have been a lot of top-drawer performances from the Toon army.
The improvement of players such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Fabian Schar, and Sean Longstaff over the last 18 months has been remarkable and speaks to the excellent work Howe has been doing on the training pitches.
Bigger tactical battles are to come with the Champions League qualification but, getting in there is a just reward for his managerial excellence this season.
3. Unai Emery ---------- Aston Villa ( 7th)
Unai Emery was an object of ridicule following his abject reign at Arsenal. "Good ebening" became a catchphrase used to refer to his struggles with the English Language and indeed, an allusion to his troubles with the football as well.
Having won a Europa League with Villareal, defeating Manchester United in 2021, and ousted Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final in 2022, Emery returned to England to pick up the ruins that Steven Gerrard had left in his wake in Birmingham.
Villa had spent wads of cash on the squad but had not come anywhere near the level the hierarchy expected. Emery went about crafting a tactically rigorous side with a lot of energy.
Villa are the masters of the offside trap in England and with their compact shape, they are one of the toughest teams to break down. The Villans have finished 7th and qualified for Europe.
Why this is elite is that a relegation scrap was the reality when he arrived. They are the biggest movers up the league table.
4. Roberto De Zerbi---------- Brighton and Hove Albion ( 6th)
Graham Potter had surely built a brilliant team before De Zerbi arrived, but surely the Italian tactician has created a very dynamic team.
Brighton, after Manchester City and Arsenal, can arguably be considered the next-best team to watch in the topflight. The results against the top six, the qualification for Europe, the adaptation of the squad after losing so many key players. It's been interesting to see.
De Zerbi's Seagulls have an unyielding inclination to dominate possession, create overloads in deep areas of the pitch to play through the press and progress seamlessly through the thirds. They gave City quite a game, and that 3-0 win at the Emirates is a huge highlight of their season.
They only lost out on the FA Cup final through penalties after dominating United and while there were occasional shockers like the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of lowly Everton, on the whole, De Zerbi's team was a dread for most sides and will now tour Europe for the first time in their history having qualified for the Europa League next season. Top-drawer stuff!
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