Andre Villas-Boas and 8 Young Coaches Who Made Their Mark

When you think about a manager of a sports team, any sports team, the stereotype usually leads you down the road to someone who generally will resemble your grandfather, and for good reason. The position of coaching a team is one that requires respect, experience and a wisdom gained through both. But in today’s era of sport, it is not always true that the best coaches are the veteran ones.

The sport of soccer has been trending further and further away from the traditional hiring of the old miser who has suffered long and hard to become the epitome of footballing knowledge that they are today. As clubs look to not only bring home titles, but to do it in the most entertaining way possible, they are turning more and more towards young managers who have new and exciting ideas.

The idea of a young manager is more concerned with philosophy than with age. Here are eight managers who not only began their careers well before the status quo, but implemented tactics that changed the game forever.

Graham Taylor

Team: Watford

Age: 32

To mention Taylor’s name to a Englishman today will probably evoke some sweet memories of the man who was once depicted by The Sun as having a Turnip for a head. If that did not brand him enough as a loathing vegetable in charge of the Three Lions, the 1994 documentary “Do I Not Like That,” which followed him and the team around during their failed campaign to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, further undermined his power to the public as the boss.

But before the humiliation that would turn him into one of the biggest putzes in English footballing history he was one of the great club managers in the FA. You don’t become the boss of one of the most scrutinized and highly anticipated national teams in the world without a decent resume to apply with.

Taylor’s career as a player was cut short through injuries, but as a manager he racked up well over a 1000 games in charge of different clubs. Immediately after his retirement in 1972 he took over at Lincoln City, the club where he had played. He was only 27 at the time and the youngest person to ever become an FA coach. In 1976, he won the Fourth Division with his side setting league records for most wins (32), fewest defeats (4), and most points (74) (when 2 points were awarded for a win).

His success attracted the interest of bigger clubs throughout the country, including First Division West Brom. But in a surprise move, he opted to stay in the Fourth Division and take control of Watford, persuaded by the club’s new owner Elton John in 1977.  The move proved to be the correct one as he made an unprecedented ascent up the FA ladder, taking the club that once struggled in England’s lowest division all the way to the First for the first time in club history in a mere five years.

Taylor had a very direct approach to the game. His teams were instructed to hit the ball up forward and play with an attacking mind. It was not about working the ball up the field slowly for the manager, taking their time and trying to find the right pass. It was about scoring goals and doing it the simplest way possible. Some criticized such blunt tactics, but Taylor defended himself by saying:

“If people think all we did was whack the ball and chase it, it must have been a very poor First Division! I was brought up watching the kind of football where teams went forward trying to score. I enjoyed my team doing that.”

Once he arrived in England’s top flight the success did not stop. In their first season, the Hornets recorded an 8-0 win over Sunderland (the biggest victory in club history), wins over Tottenham, Everton, Liverpool and the “double” on Arsenal. Results like that were enough to see them finish a shocking second in the 1982/83 table only behind Liverpool. To this day, the finish remains the best in Watford history.

Following the 1986/87 season, after 10 years at Watford where the team never finished below 12^th in any table, Taylor moved on to another challenge at Aston Villa. After a few seasons there he was offered the English national team job, which was his dream position. But it would soon become a nightmare.

Things went well at first, but his infamous subbing Gary Lineker at the 1992 Euros set him up for a string of failures that he could not recover from. His failure to get England to the World Cup in 1994 was the first time they would miss the world’s biggest stage in almost 20 years.

He would return to coaching club ball, bouncing around from Wolverhampton, Watford, and Aston Villa, but never would he achieve the same kind of success he did with the Golden Boys of the late 70s.  

Pep Guardiola

Team: Barcelona

Age: 37

Over the past several seasons there has been little dispute about which is the best club in the world. Barcelona has put together a squad that is unrivaled by any and put together unprecedented seasons that are historically important and mythologically captivating. Their ‘total football’ mentality has been copied by others, but never imitated to the perfection that they do. And it has all been done under the eye of Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola was a member of Barcelona’s storied Dream Team of the 1990’s, led by coaching legend Johan Cryuff. At only 20 years old, his role as the defensive midfielder and pivot for the transition between the defense and attack placed a great amount of importance on him. He handled it well, exceeding expectations and helping guide the side to their first ever European Cup.

Injuries slowed him toward the end of the decade. After moving around from club to club, including stints with Roma, Brescia, and Mexican side Dorados de Sinaloa, he would retire from playing in 2001.

After a few years of absence from the game, he would be hired as the Barcelona B coach and win the 2008 Segunda División B playoffs in that first season.  With the senior team failing to live up to expectations that same year, Guardiola was promoted to manager of the that squad after the dismissal of Frank Rijkaard.

Though Pep was essentially inheriting an all-star team of big names and huge talent, he wanted to rid the squad of some of the older veterans who have slowed in their recent years. Main stays of the club such as Deco and Ronaldinho did not fit in the new boss's plans and were subsequently let go. He also would sign names that have become synonymous with Barcelona's success, like Seydou Keita and Gerard Pique, as well as promote Sergio Busquets, Pedro and Jeffren from the youth ranks.

He wanted to move the team away from the 4-3-3 formation that emphasized talented wing play and individual moments of greatness and more toward a game of possession. His belief is that retaining possession of the ball will make the opponent impatient and get out of position by chasing passes.

In his first season he had already set a standard for Spanish football by completing the clubs first ever treble with a Champions League win over Manchester United. That win made him the youngest coach to ever win the title.

The following season, his sale of Eto’o to Inter Milan for Zlatan Ibrahimovic shocked fans around the world. Eto’o was the team’s leading scorer the year before and fit perfectly into the system. Though the move itself didn’t pay off, it did not deter him from continuing his success. The 2009/10 season saw him achieve several milestones including becoming Barcelona’s longest serving Spanish coach, winning his 7^th trophy and putting him second on the clubs all time list, as well as beating Real Madrid four times in a row, the first time a Barcelona manager has ever accomplished this feat.

He would follow up in 2010-11 with two more wins over Madrid, including one in the Champions League semi finals. They would go on to beat Manchester United for the second time in three years in the final. He would also win his third straight La Liga title. Opening the 2011/12 season against Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, he would receive his 11^th trophy with a 5-3 aggregate win. Weeks later they would beat Porto in the UEFA Super Cup final, giving him his 12^th, making Pep the most successful coach in club history, surpassing his own boss Cryuff.

There is little to suggest anything will slow Barca down anytime soon. With many years ahead for the Spaniard, he really has a chance of becoming an all time legend like the game has never seen before.

Didier Deschamps

Team: AS Monaco

Age: 32

Most French fans know Deschamps as the man who captained the Golden Generation of French football all the way to their first World Cup in 1998. As a player, he was one of the best defensive midfielders to ever play the game, moving the ball with ease, and was a reliable holder that allowed players like Zidane and Henry to play their offensive game.

His time with Marseille, Juventus and Chelsea saw him win two domestic cups, five league titles and two Champions Leagues. His retirement from playing in 2001 had him going out as one of the best who had ever played the game.

Within months of retiring, he was brought to Monaco to help turn around their struggling side. He would finish his first season in charge of the club in 15^th place and only six points out of relegation.  But, with adequate time to build the team he wanted, he would soon have them back on track.

In 2002/03, Monaco would have their most successful season in quite some time. Their second place finish was only one point behind champions Lyon, despite a superior goal differential. They would also win the Coupe de la Ligue that year, a remarkable result considering how far they had come since the previous season.

In 2003/04, Deschamps guided the team all the way to their first ever Champions League final where they were defeated by Mourinho’s Porto. After a poor start the following year, he openly criticized the club for a lack of spending. He declared that he could not adequately compete with clubs like Lyon and PSG, who regularly spent large in the transfer windows, and that his success was tough enough as it is. This falling out eventually led to him resigning on what were more mutual terms than anything.

Juventus would sign the Frenchman to help guide them back to Serie A after their relegation for match fixing. After doing so with ease, he resigned and returned to the club that had made him famous, Marseille. In 2009, his first season with the club, he guided them to the league title, their first in 18 years, securing his place amongst the greats who have walked the halls at the Velodrome.

It is not often that a player who was such a star on the field can have so much success in the dugout, especially having next to no time away from the game. Deschamps was true master of the game when he played and a natural at understanding it as a coach.

Andre Villas-Boas

Team: FC Porto

Age: 32

Villas-Boas is a student to the game unlike any other. At a young age, he realized that his footballing skills were not quite up to par. Any hopes he had of making a name for himself with the ball at his feet were dashed before he would reach puberty. But this did not stop the Portuguese from being a fan of the game.

A lifelong fan of his local FC Porto, he was discouraged by the form his team had taken under their coach, English legend Bobby Robson. Villas-Boas thought he would make his feelings known about Robson’s decision to bench his favorite player Domingos Paciencia, by dropping Robson a letter describing his dismay. Robson was impressed by the 16-year-old's knowledge and bravado and offered him a job in the scouting department.

After Robson’s departure, Villas-Boas would serve a short tenure as head of the British Virgin Islands national team before moving back to Porto to serve as the head opposition scout under new boss Jose Mourinho. He would follow the special one to Chelsea and Inter before getting his own first gig with Academica as their new head coach in 2009. He was only 31 years old.

At Academica, he brought a team that was at the very bottom of the table to a safe 11^th place finish, ten points off relegation. This pleased the fans for obvious reasons, but not as much as the style of football he employed. His innovative 4-3-3 system was a small revolution for the game. He preached high lines across the field and a direct style, but one that also retained possession. As opposed to the normal 4-3-3 that usually kept the wingers wide, he encouraged his wingers to cut inside and have the wing backs play a much higher role. It effectively created a situation where there were just too many players in the box for the defense to defend.

At the end of the 2009/10 season, his success would earn him his dream job—being in charge of his native Porto. In his one and only season, he had the most successful year the club had had since Mourniho won the Champions League. The treble winning season was highlighted by the fact that it was done with an unprecedented ferocity. The teams leading scorer, Falcao, had knocked in an astonishing 39 goals in all competitions. They finished the league with a near perfect 27-3-0 record and an even more impressive mere 13 goals against. They seemed to walk their way through the Europa Cup with a 100% record.

Following the success, Villas-Boas would continue in the footsteps of his onetime boss, and take his toughest challenge yet, manager of Chelsea. The position had become open after Carlo Ancelotti was shown little leniency for a relatively disappointing season following one where they won the double.

The move would prove tough in the opening days as questions arose over what to do about aging veterans, a group of players who don’t fit his system and a £50 million striker who has failed to live up to expectations. At only 33 years old, he handled critics like a man with decades more experience. His calm demeanor and bright smile calmed fears both in the clubhouse and amongst fans.

The start of the season has been met with mixed feelings as the blues currently lie third in the table. Sunday’s loss to United was more a telling of how good the Red Devils are than how much Chelsea struggled. One thing is for certain though, Villas-Boas has this team on the right track and, with a little more time, he could become the youngest manager to ever win the Premier League.

Frank Rijkaard

Team: Barcelona

Age: 41

Rijkaard will always be more praised for what he did as a player than as a coach, and rightfully so. His seven league titles and eight European cups are unprecedented in the game. For over a decade he was a regular figure for the Dutch national team and one of their all-time greats. But what he did as a manager has far more implications for the current state of world football.

After unsuccessful runs in charge of the Dutch national team and Sparta Rotterdam, Barcelona surprisingly took a chance on him. The team he inherited was mainly comprised of older players who had been good for the club, but were fading with age. Amongst the first things he did was to allow some of those players to leave and bring in the likes of Ronaldinho and Rafa Marquez, as well promote the likes of Victor Valdez and Andres Iniesta from the youth ranks. He would finish the season runners up to Madrid after a tough start that saw them drop all the way to the relegation zone.

With a firm understanding of the club and what he wanted, he went out in the summer of 2004 and constructed the team that would dominate club football for the next several years. Eto’o, Deco, Guily, Edmilson would join and let go of players like Philip Cocu and Luis Garcia. The team would go on to win both the 2004/05 and 05/06 La Liga titles as well as become the first Barcelona manager to win twice at the Bernabeu.

The 2005/06 season would end with the biggest accomplishment of all, a victory of Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final.

The 2007/08 and 08/09 seasons would see Barcelona fall back down to mediocrity. Two seasons without a league title were too much for the fans to handle and they soon called for his resignation. The club would end his contract at the end of the ’08 season.

Rijkaard is by far the oldest player on this list, but still young enough to be praised for the foresight he had.  Many of the greats of the game we recognize now played under Rijkaard and were given their first chances by him. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi were all promoted under his watch. Spain can look at him and give thanks for their World Cup title as so many integral players were brought through his system. His emphasis on attack-minded football is similar to what Spain does now.

For Rijkaard, he understood that this was a game and if we are not entertained than there is no purpose in playing.

George Ramsay

Team: Aston Villa

Age: 29

When Ramsay first came across an unorganized football match between a bunch of cricketers from the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel, he was curious as much as he was horrified by the what he saw. As a Scot, he played in the ‘passing’ style, as it was known then, as opposed to the ‘dribbling’ style of the English game. He soon joined the club and helped get them their first trophy as their captain and star player.

He retired from the game in the early 1880s only to stay with the club as a secretary, which pre-dates the modern notion of manager. At age 29, he officially took control of the team and helped guide them to their first major English trophy, the 1888/87 FA Cup.

The following year, in the very first season of the football league, under Ramsay’s guidance the club finished runners-up to Preston North End. Five years later, they would win the First Division crown for the first time and it would begin a run of four more titles in the next six seasons.

Ramsay managed the team for an astonishing 42 years before finally retiring at the age of 71 in 1926. Even then he stayed in an advisory role. In his time the club had its most successful period in its history winning six league titles and six FA Cups.

Ramsay was not only a great young manager, but the first ever great young manager.

Alberto Suppici

Team: Uruguay National Team

Age: 32

When most historians of the game think about the first World Cup in 1930, they will usually call to mind names like Guillermo Stábile or Pedro Cea. Both of these men, as well as many others, stole the spot light in Uruguay that summer, netting goals as all teams looked to take home the first title in what would become the biggest competition in the world. But, in truth, the only name from that year that still remains in the record books is that of Suppici’s.

El Professor, as he was nicknamed, was the founder of the football club Plaza Colonia in Colonia del Sacramento, his hometown. During that time he also played 143 games for Nacional between 1915 and 1923 as a left half.

In 1928, he was appointed the “technical director” for the Uruguayan National team, where he coached them to their third South American Championship in 1929. The next summer he would head them as the country hosted the first ever World Cup.

In a controversial move leading up to the tournament, Suppici dropped their star keeper Andres Mazali after he had broken curfew. Many believed it was a harsh move and jeopardized their chances in the tournament.

However, Suppici was able to overcome missing his No. 1 keeper and outplay Argentina in a come-from-behind win in the final. To this day, Suppici remains the youngest manager to ever win the World Cup.

Mario Zagallo

Team: Brazilian National Team

Age: 41

No one has done what Zagallo has done in his life. He is the only man to be able to claim four World Cups, and was a game away from a fifth. Now best known as a manger amongst footballing circles, he really started as a supporting role to the great Brazilian teams of the 1960s.

With players like Pele, Garrincha , Didi, Vava and Gilmar, Zagallo was lost in the limelight, but he always had an influence on the pitch. When the midfield position was primarily a defensive role, he revolutioneized the game by making runs through the heart of the opponent unlocking the back line. In the 1958 final against Sweden, he scored the fourth goal and set up Pele for the fifth.  By the 1962 final he had been turned into a winger and had the added pressure of replacing an injured Pele. He would do so well and help guide them to winning their second title in as many tries.

Following his retirement after the tournament he would begin a stint managing at Botafogo. In 1970 he was given the honor of coaching the National team in Mexico at the 1970 World Cup.

This team is often considered the best World Cup team in the history of the competition. Zagallo placed an emphasis on attacking like had never been seen before, while many questioned this approach. Their failures in London at the ’66 Cup was largely due to lack of physicality, but Zagallo stuck by his guns and declared “What this team needs are great players, players who are intelligent. Let’s go with that and see where it takes us.”

At 41 years old, he was not the youngest man to ever take control of a side, but, in the context of his situation, his age was something he had to overcome. There had only been eight years between his last time playing with the team and now he found himself in charge of some of the same guys he was once teammates with.

Implementing new tactics is never an easy thing, but doing so to players who were once your equal makes it all the more difficult. Considering he only had a few months to be able to devise a system, teach it to the players, while all along earning their respect is a feat in itself.

With a perfect record in the tournament and 19 goals scored altogether (4 against the stalwart Italians in the final), Zagallo had vindicated his tactics in the grandest way possible. Today, Zagallo has become perhaps the only name in Brazil that can challenge the myth of Pele.

What Do You Think?

Who else could you add to this list?