Ranking the Top 5 Premier League Managers so Far This Season
We're almost hitting double figures in the games-played column of the 2014/15 Premier League, and even at this early stage, front runners for managerial end-of-season gongs are starting to emerge—Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, unsurprisingly, is in the mix.
Yet, there are contemporaries of the Portuguese who have also impressed. To a greater extent than Mourinho, however?
We factored in pre-season expectations and the relative difficulty of each contender's job, as well as the strength of their squad and the fixture list they've endured thus far.
Additionally, we've considered unforeseen circumstances—such as injury setbacks—and how the managers have battled adversity so far in the campaign.
As it stands, here are the five best managers of this Premier League season so far.
Honourable Mentions
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Before we rush in with the top five, here are a few of the nearly men who just couldn't push their way into contention. The season's still young, mind.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal
Le Professeur enters his 19th year as Arsenal manager with his Gunners in decent fettle. Just a single loss from nine makes for pleasant reading (the 2-0 loss at Chelsea at the start of October).
Just three wins in that span, however, somewhat dampens the mood.
His brightest light has been Chilean sensation Alexis Sanchez, whose persistence and Herculean work ethic has rubbed off on his team-mates and lit up the Premier League. New for Arsenal this season seems to be a desire to stick around and fight tooth and nail in close games—a trait absent during recent years.
A run of good results isn't out of the question. If the Gunners can light the touch paper, Wenger will move into the Top Five with gusto.
Roberto Martinez, Everton
With Romelu Lukaku and Samuel Eto'o really starting to gel, Roberto Martinez has Everton scoring goals for laughs.
A return of 19 from nine outings means only Chelsea and Southampton have been more prolific, and the Spaniard's astute management is to be celebrated.
Less worth shouting about is the Toffees' back line, which is one of the league's leakiest; only Harry Redknapp's hapless Queens Park Rangers have conceded more than Everton.
Martinez must steady the ship and get Phil Jagielka and Co. shoring up at the back for results to improve. With two wins on the spin and a plus-five goal differential to boot, however, the future's looking tentatively rosy at Goodison Park.
Steve Bruce, Hull City
Much like Arsenal, Steve Bruce's Hull haven't got much to cry about in the loss column, but with only a pair of wins to celebrate, the Tigers can't be too chuffed.
Still, Hull aren't struggling to find the net, and the attacking talents the club signed over the summer are really starting to find their feet. Abel Hernandez, the Uruguayan club-record signing, has had bright moments.
Frustrating Liverpool at Anfield was the latest of a series of gritty battles that had a satisfactory ending for Bruce. Pulling off another result this coming Saturday, when golden boys Southampton come to the KC Stadium, will enhance Bruce's already strong reputation.
5. Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City
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In large parts, it's business as usual for Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City.
The Chilean is continuing City's traditions, good and bad: scoring plenty and keeping Sergio Aguero in scorching form and crucially good condition (the good), and dropping points to less-fancied opposition (the bad).
The City hierarchy shouldn't be too worried about being off Chelsea's pace at this early stage, though it's hard not to be concerned with City's two losses, which came against Stoke and West Ham.
In addition to City's form, some of Pellegrini's summer additions have been hit and miss.
Fernando's performances at the heart of midfield have been of such a quality that the uninitiated would think he's been a Citizen for years. Less stellar has been Eliaquim Mangala—a player whose undeniable talent has yet to be seen in England as it was in Portugal.
Most importantly, it's defensive discipline that Pellegrini needs to address.
He has vaunted names in his squad—Vincent Kompany chief among them—but shipping goals in key games has already cost them valuable points.
So, all in all, it's not too shabby from Pellegrini so far. City sit comfortably in third, and their 4-1 drubbing of Tottenham was evidence they boast an attack capable of striking fear into every team in the league.
He'd be higher up this list if his expectations weren't enormous, but with the fans and owners hungry for more silverware, Pellegrini has little room for manoeuvre.
4. Garry Monk, Swansea City
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Garry Monk's managerial career had an inauspicious start to say the least. Yet, after guiding Swansea away from relegation last season (not without a few stutters), he's led the Swans to sixth in the Premier League with a fantastic start to the current campaign.
Michael Laudrup's successor at Liberty Stadium scooped August's Manager of the Month award after three straight wins to start the season. That run included an opening-day stunner to spoil Louis van Gaal's inauguration at Manchester United.
Those early jubilations were tempered by losses to front-runners Chelsea and Southampton, but Monk's side found some resolve to earn their first win in six with victory over Leicester City on Saturday.
The football Swansea are playing gives Monk the plaudits as well—it's not just the results.
Wilfried Bony seems to be back at his fearsome best, having netted his 19th and 20th league goals for the club on Saturday. In midfield, Gylfi Sigurdsson has been the orchestrator of the Swans' play, proving his worth following his summer move from Tottenham.
Finding that early-season magic will be key to Monk's stay among the league's brightest and best managerial talents.
3. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea
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So far so good for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, who lead the Premier League with nine games gone—to virtually nobody's surprise.
The Blues have scored more goals than any other team (24) and conceded less than all bar Southampton (nine, to Southampton's five) on their way to dropping just four points. However, as the pre-season title favourites, this is by no means uncharted territory.
The club's shrewd transfer activity in the summer has been a huge benefit to Mourinho, who finds himself with the most rounded and highest-quality squad in the league.
Between them, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas are the best and second-best transfer additions so far this season—although without Costa and Loic Remy, due to injury, Mourinho could be found wanting for a more lethal cutting edge.
With the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar creating from midfield, though, that's unlikely.
Further back, midfield linchpin Nemanja Matic has perhaps been Mourinho's best player.
Week after week, the Serb commands the pitch, breaks up play and feeds his colleagues. He does his job with aplomb, and his team are so much better for it.
In all honesty, it's very difficult to see them slipping up and being caught in the title race, even at this early stage. That's tribute to the football Chelsea are playing and the job Mourinho is doing in co-ordinating the effort.
2. Sam Allardyce, West Ham
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If Mourinho leading Chelsea to the Premier League's summit only nets him third in our rankings, his betters must be doing an exceptional job. In both cases, they truly are.
Sam Allardyce's West Ham stunned Manchester City at Upton Park on Saturday to lift the Hammers to fourth in the Premier League table. They've been flying since beating Liverpool in the middle of September, but their win over City truly brought them out from under the radar.
It's the organised, passionate West Ham defence, combined with inspired summer signings and Allardyce defying his detractors that have brought West Ham success thus far.
In the two wins highlighted—against last season's top two—Allardyce has outdone himself.
By blending the defensive discipline of club stalwarts Winston Reid and James Collins with the firepower provided by Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia the manager has done spectacularly well.
Crucially, Alex Song has returned to the Premier League and established such a presence in the West Ham side, it's almost as if he never left these shores.
In Saturday's game, his confidence on the ball and hunger without it drove West Ham to their famous win. He might be out of favour at Barcelona, but Luis Enrique's loss is undoubtedly Allardyce's gain.
It's the manner of victory that provides Allardyce with a personal triumph of sorts too. His job security was questioned by the media as recently as August, per ESPN, yet with his team playing with such quality, the club's hierarchy must put down the pitchforks for the time being.
In an ordinary year, Allardyce's achievements in transforming his club's style of play might have him head and shoulders above his managerial cohorts. Not this year, though.
1. Ronald Koeman, Southampton
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When Ronald Koeman entered his first job in England, Southampton were a club in disarray.
Star players leaving left and right gave the impression that Koeman would have a mammoth job on his hands to even keep the club in the Premier League, let alone survive with some security.
He hasn't just coped—he has been monumental.
First, the numbers. Southampton are comfortably the second-best team in England right now, sitting behind Chelsea in second place in the table, having won six of their last seven.
They've scored 20 goals, second only to Chelsea, and their miserly defence has conceded just five goals—astonishing numbers (via Squawka). Their recent 8-0 demolition of Sunderland has been the talk of the Premier League.
Two of Koeman's Eredivisie imports have been vital during the club's stunning charge to second.
From Feyenoord came Graziano Pelle, and with Koeman expecting goals, the Italy international has so far delivered six. From FC Twente, Dusan Tadic has been chief architect with seven assists—only one less than Cesc Fabregas, per WhoScored.com.
In fact, Pelle's impact has been so great that both he and his manager earned Player and Manager of the Month gongs for September, and have continued their excellent work going forward.
Yet it's keeping hold of Morgan Schneiderlin and allowing him to build on the reputation that earned him a call-up to France's World Cup squad that might have been Koeman's most important achievement.
Notorious for showing his feelings at not being allowed to leave this summer, via the Express, Koeman has placed his faith in the France international. Schneiderlin has responded with consistent, commanding performances that put him in the conversation for being one of the league's best midfielders.
His side may not have amassed as many points as Mourinho's Chelsea, but Koeman and Southampton are this year's surprise package. That makes the Dutchman the top manager in the Premier League thus far—but there's still a long way to go.
What do you make of our rankings? Let us know with a comment below.
