B/R Football Ranks: Grading the New Managers on Their Work So Far
One thing we're never short of in football is fresh starts.
With the stakes sky-high and the sums of money involved astronomical, patience is not a virtue we see exercised frequently when it comes to managers—particularly at the top level, where success is demanded, not simply appreciated.
The summer of 2019 saw a series of top clubs from Europe's top five leagues seek fresh impetus in the form of a new management team, and with the campaign now in full swing, we're in a position to analyse their early work. Each manager has been graded and then ranked according to those figures.
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Assistance from experts across the continent has been sought in some places.
10. Marco Giampaolo, AC Milan
When it comes to AC Milan, you have to work hard to cut through the high drama and hysteria that cloaks every development at the club. But no matter what you try, it's impossible to paint what's happened under Marco Giampaolo so far in a positive light.
The first game brought a 1-0 loss to Udinese without a shot on target, featuring one of the strangest lineups you'll ever see: a No. 10 in a deep-lying midfield role, a winger in the centre and another winger up front.
After that debacle, the formation was changed, from 4-3-1-2 to 4-3-2-1, which was enough to squeak 1-0 wins over newly promoted Brescia and Hellas Verona, but Saturday's Milan derby showed just how far off the pace they are.
They used three different shapes against Inter Milan, each as unsuccessful as the next when it came to controlling proceedings and creating chances. The 2-0 loss flattered them; three or four would have been more appropriate, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to thank that it didn't get to that stage.
Giampaolo's strengths have always been in the tactical department, with charisma taking a back seat as a result, but right now he's flunking in both.
Grade: D-
9. Eusebio Di Francesco, Sampdoria
Things aren't so rosy at Giampaolo's old club, either.
Sampdoria opened their Serie A season with three straight losses, pinning themselves to the bottom of the table in the process, and only alleviated concerns with a win this weekend.
New manager Di Francesco, who coached Roma to that incredible comeback victory over Barcelona in 2018, was criticised in the capital as the playing style he coached slowly degraded...and it looks as though he's picked up where he left off in Genoa.
A Samp side that played some coherent, easy-on-the-eye stuff last season en route to a ninth-placed finish is now stuck in first gear. They're not enjoying much possession (average of 41.2 percent per game, second-lowest in Serie A) have only scored two goals (joint-lowest tally) and conceded nine (joint-second most).
Ugly on the stats sheet, ugly on the eye.
Grade: D
8. Sylvinho, Lyon
Lyon opened the season with 3-0 and 6-0 wins, prompting early hopes they might be capable of challenging Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title. They haven't won since.
A narrow 1-0 loss to PSG on Sunday, courtesy of another late Neymar goal, stretched their winless run to five in all competitions. They've looked quite good in almost all of them for patches and either fallen the wrong side of the margins or shot themselves in the foot.
It's exactly the turn of events you might expect from a team rebuilding under the stewardship of a rookie manager. They're recovering from the sales of Tanguy Ndombele, Nabil Fekir and Ferland Mendy and adjusting to Sylvinho, a Champions League winner as a player but a man very much learning on the job as a manager.
There are some strong parallels between Lyon and Chelsea, given they both lost star men in the transfer window and are fusing a young core together, but the expectations are higher here. Performances need to be converted into results.
Grade: C
7. Frank Lampard, Chelsea
Last week, B/R's Dean Jones detailed the five biggest changes enacted at Chelsea since Lampard took the reigns. Among them were "fast and frantic football" and "promoting the youth"—two things likely very high on the chairman's wishlist, and two things the fans were outright demanding.
The goals scored and conceded columns speak to the successful implementation of the first part: With 12 netted (joint-third most) and 13 let in (third most), their games do not lack for energy and entertainment.
The fact that 11 of those 12 goals scored have been by academy products speaks to successful implementation of the second part. Seven from Tammy Abraham, three from Mason Mount and one from Fikayo Tomori.
Unfortunately, what hasn't necessarily followed is points or wins. They've lost half their games, looked tactically flawed—very open in midfield, struggling to maintain tempo for longer periods—and are off to a bad start results-wise in every competition.
Grade: C
6. Maurizio Sarri, Juventus
Sarri's is the hardest grade to give.
He lost valuable preparation time over the summer due to a bout of pneumonia that hospitalised him for a portion of August. He wasn't in the technical area for the first two matches of the season as a result.
This is particularly damaging for a team led by Sarri, whose rigorous, circuit-based training methods take a while to settle in. "This is a team under construction and you can tell," he said (h/t BWRAO) after they struggled to beat Hellas Verona at the weekend.
The defence seems a particular issue, which is a strange thing to say about Juventus, a team famed for its titanic ability at the back. Giorgio Chiellini's ACL tear leaves a big hole, and the players who have filled it so far—Matthijs de Ligt, Merih Demiral and Leonardo Bonucci—haven't impressed.
More quotes from Sarri explain why: "We far too easily forget to defend moving forward and tend to run backwards under pressure...they are not confident enough playing out from the back under pressure."
Juve are yet to lose a game this season, but they are also yet to really find their own sweet spot.
Grade: C+
5. Andre Villas-Boas, Marseille
Back from a short managerial hiatus to fulfil a lifelong dream rally-driving (seriously), Villas-Boas has taken the reins at Marseille.
He inherited a squad that conceded a whopping 52 goals last season and was dealt the blows of losing Mario Balotelli and Adil Rami. They somewhat unsurprisingly lost the opener 2-0 to Stade de Reims, as they were still trying to find their identity.
Since then things have looked up. They haven't lost any of the five games played, winning three and drawing two, while two of those victories came against strong Nice and Saint-Etienne sides.
New striker Dario Benedetto is getting better and better after stepping into Balotelli's shoes, while Dimitri Payet still has his magical moments. The problem now? Key man Florian Thauvin is out for the rest of the year.
Many thought AVB's biggest task would be to sort out the defence, but it might turn out to be replacing Thauvin's production and influence on the team.
Grade: B-
4. Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla
Sevilla entered this most recent La Liga matchday unbeaten at top of the top table and with a 3-0 win over Qarabag in the UEFA Europa League to their name too. As Spain's big three showcased real fragilities, Los Rojiblancos ground things out.
But Sunday delivered their first defeat of the campaign, 1-0 to Real Madrid, in a game which drew focus to what looks set to be their biggest challenge this season: scoring goals. They've failed to net more than once in four of their first six games.
Luuk de Jong and Javier Hernandez were brought in this summer to carry this load, but the former looks a bad fit for the team and the latter hasn't been prolific for some time—though has apparently learned how to take free-kicks.
This is the early battle Lopetegui must wrestle with if he wants to deliver success at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
"Although the general balance in defence and midfield is good, often it just doesn't quite feel as though the team knows how to navigate the final third convincingly," La Liga expert Simon Harrison told B/R.
"As it stands, I don't think they'll have enough goals to challenge for top spot, though any of the big clubs will certainly find them competitive in one-off contests. They should aim for a top-four finish.”
Grade: B
3. David Wagner, Schalke 04
After leaving Huddersfield Town in January, Wagner went for a much-needed recharge. Sometimes that's what managers need; a fresh perspective often comes from a fresh mind, after all.
Whatever soul-searching he did between then and May—when he accepted the Schalke job—seems to have done the trick, and the team are already playing in his energetic image.
Last season was the Royal Blue's worst campaign for 31 years, resulting in just 33 Bundesliga points. They're already close to a third of the way to that tally in five games this term.
"They look comfortable in a back four. On-loan Everton youngster Jonjoe Kenny has been a revelation at right-back,” Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard told B/R. "And the faith placed in oft-wayward attacking midfielder Amine Harit is being repaid." The Moroccan dribbler has three goals and one assist in five matches.
Wagner's work hasn't been without reproach—Guido Burgstaller's consistent selection up front is being questioned (he's yet to score)—but the "green shoots of recovery," as Hatchard calls them, have the locals happy.
Grade: B+
2. Antonio Conte, Inter Milan
Conte's Inter Milan are almost exactly what most expected them to be: well-prepared and tactically organised, something of a juggernaut when it comes to league results but strangely limp in European competition.
With Conte, you just know exactly what you're getting by this point.
Saturday's 2-0 win over Milan in the Derby della Madonnina made it four Serie A wins from four, extending their stay at the top of the table. They've conceded just a single goal in that run, with the back three looking extremely solid, and Romelu Lukaku is up to three goals from four as he leads the line with aplomb.
Things don't look as rosy when it comes to the Champions League, where Inter failed to win the clear easiest group game they have in the form of Slavia Prague at home, and the battle there already looks uphill.
Not too many will mind, though. There's a real belief Inter can win the Scudetto this season, and they may well have to focus solely on domestic matters to manage that.
Grade: A-
1. Julian Nagelsmann, RB Leipzig
What could be better than Conte's fast start? Nagelsmann's even faster one.
RB Leipzig sit top of the Bundesliga table having won four and drawn one. The draw was against Bayern Munich which you can allow, and they've also made a good start in the Champions League, beating Benfica 2-1 away from home.
They can point to excellent performers all over the pitch, from Ibrahima Konate and Nordi Mukiele in defence, through rumbling wing-backs Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann, to attacking sparks Marcel Sabitzer and Timo Werner.
The fact they've scored freely is not a surprise (13 in the league, third most), but the fact they've been so solid defensively has.
Nagelsmann's previous teams have been a little leaky, so it's a surprise to see Leipzig maintaining the stingy defensive outlook Ralf Rangnick installed last season. Perhaps it's something that regresses to the mean soon, but for now it's something worth picking out and praising.
Many felt the Bundesliga title race would be between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund as usual, but early evidence suggests a third horse has nudged itself into contention.
Grade: A
All statistics via WhoScored.com.
