5 Smartest Young Managers in World Football

Who joins Antonio Conte in our list of the smartest young managers in football?

Modern football has seen increased scrutiny on top-flight managers, but these guys are tactically excellent and have made true success stories out of their charges.

To qualify, you need to be under 50 years of age and performing superbly for your current club.

Honourable Mentions

Michael Laudrup

Doing wonders with a Swansea side many thought could only regress.

Massimiliano Allegri

Still doing an admirable job at AC Milan despite the loss of important players

Roberto Mancini

Would you want to work with Mario Balotelli?

David Moyes

Getting the best out of Marouane Fellaini, Leighton Baines and Kevin Mirallas.

Andre Villas-Boas

Re-establishing his burgeoning reputation with a hugely successful first half with Tottenham.

Andrea Stramaccioni

Massimo Moratti probably never intended to hire Andrea Stramaccioni on a long-term basis.

Last season for Internazionale was terrible, getting through three different managers in a constant fight to even stay in the top half of the Serie A table.

After Claudio Ranieri had fallen, Strama came in to steady the ship, but ended up with a sixth-placed finish and inflicting a damaging defeat to rivals AC Milan in their title race.

He got the job without coaching badges, and he's continued to impress this season.

Inter sit fourth—just four points off second—with 38 points and stopped Juventus' unbeaten run at 49 consecutive games earlier this season.

He's getting the best out of Andrea Ranocchia and Juan Jesus, experimenting with Esteban Cambiasso's versatility and handling the Wesley Sneijder debacle with class.

Vincenzo Montella

Vincenzo Montella walked into the Fiorentina job on the back of just one year's top-flight managerial experience with Catania.

The 38-year-old has settled in and finally done what the club hoped Sinisa Mihajlovic and Delio Rossi were going to do—replace Italy manager Cesare Prandelli.

He's made bold decisions right from the off, clearing out all the deadwood who didn't really want to play for the Viola and recruiting fresh faces who were eager to take on a project.

Enter a new formation, new players and a new philosophy.

It's working; Fiorentina have been in the hunt all season long for a top-four finish and are currently laying in fifth place just three points behind Internazionale.

He's made a success out of Stefan Savic when Roberto Mancini failed and has Stevan Jovetic motivated despite his probable impending exit.

Tito Vilanova

No one really knew what to expect from Tito Vilanova when he took the reins at Barcelona.

Surely the Catalan club couldn't do it again? Just promote the next guy up and see him perform equally impressive miracles all season long?

Well they did, and he did.

Having worked under Pep Guardiola he obviously picked a few things up, and initially he barely changed a thing. They still play the same tiki-taka passing game, but the subtle changes throughout the first half of the season have contributed to a record-breaking start in La Liga.

Played 19, won 18, drawn one, lost none; scored a whopping 64 goals, conceded just 20.

Vilanova's progress with Jordi Alba to make him the player la Blaugrana need is going well, and the freedom he allowed Cesc Fabregas before his injury unlocked a demon in hiding.

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte took a team wallowing in the shadows of its former self and brought it glory within one year.

An unbeaten league season saw Juventus lift its 28th Scudetto as they pipped AC Milan to the tip of the Serie A table and finished runners up in the Coppa Italia.

He's gotten the very best out of his talented roster and purchased wisely in the transfer window, signing the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla to complement his "MVP" midfield of Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo.

Their defeat to Internazionale stopped their incredible unbeaten run at 49 games, but the Bianconeri are into the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and still occupy top spot in the table.

Juergen Klopp

What Juergen Klopp has done at Borussia Dortmund should not be forgotten in a hurry—he's on the verge of a dynasty and could be just four months from achieving something truly special.

He's taken a club that's had its fair share of hard times in the last decade or so and transformed it into a well-oiled machine capable of taking anyone down.

To win a UEFA Champions League group with Manchester City, Ajax and Real Madrid in takes a lot of talent and mental strength, and that might be their best chance of success considering how they've slipped up in the league this season.

Players such as Mats Hummels, who couldn't find a home at Bayern Munich, have developed into world-class stars under his guidance, while acquisitions like Marco Reus have continued to grow.

From a neutral perspective, I sincerely hope Klopp and co. stick around at Dortmund and oversee the rise of the yellow and black stripes.

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