World Football's 25 Best Coaches of 2011

It's the end of the year, and that means it's time to start ranking everything.

Earlier this week, we gave you our 50 best footballers of 2011. Today we give you our 25 best managers.

So who were the best managers this year? Believe it or not, that was harder to figure out than the players.

For some managers, winning the league is the achievement of a lifetime. For others, it's a routine, yearly occurrence much like celebrating Christmas or Easter.

So while not all the managers on this list won silverware, we included some because of the relative greatness of their accomplishments.

You'll see what we mean in a minute.

Let's get right to it.

25. René Girard

Club: Montpellier HSC (FRA)

Who is René Girard? He's the manager of Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, your Ligue 1 leader heading into this weekend.

Who the heck are Montpellier Hérault Sport Club? That's a good question.

Montpellier are a French club (clearly) that have never won Ligue 1. Their best domestic finish was champions of Ligue 2 in 1947, 1961 and 1987. They also won the Coupe de France in 1929 and 1990, and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2011.

Montpellier and Girard have used that League Cup triumph last spring to catapult themselves to the top of the Ligue 1 table.

Will it continue? That's hard to say. But it's an impressive feat regardless.

24. Mirko Slomka

Club: Hannover 96 (GER)

Mirko Slomka coached Hannover to fourth place in 2011, the club's best finish since returning to the Bundesliga for the 2002-03 season.

Since securing promotion nearly 10 years ago, Hannover had finished 11th, 14th, 10th, 12th, 11th, eighth, 11th and 15th before 2010-11. So what was the difference?

Well, Slomka, for one thing. The 44-year-old arrived in January 2010 and led Hannover out of relegation danger at the end of that season. The following term, he led them to Europe.

23. Pieter Huistra

Club: FC Groningen (NED)

Groningen have experienced something of a renaissance in recent years, finishing fifth in 2006, sixth in 2009 and fifth again in 2011.

Huistra has been in charge since 2010, overseeing one of the most successful spells in the club's history. In the run-in to the end of the 2010-11 season, Groningen recorded the biggest Eredivisie win in club history, a 7-1 pasting of Willem II, and narrowly missed out direct qualification for the Europa League.

22. Francesco Guidolin

Club: Udinese (ITA)

With all the glamorous clubs in Italy, you might not think of Udinese as one of the country's most entertaining sides.

But under Francesco Guidolin, that's exactly what Udinese have been lately. The Bianconeri finished fourth in Serie A last term, thanks in part to Guidolin's coaching and thanks in part to the goals of Antonio Di Natale.

Di Natale led the league with 28 goals, and Udinese scored 65—tied with AC Milan for second-best among Serie A teams.

And Udinese aren't going away. Heading into the weekend's matches, Guidolin's team were third in Serie A, level on points with second-place Milan and just two points behind leaders Juventus.

21. Unai Emery

Club: Valencia (ESP)

Since arriving at Valencia in 2008, Emery has led Los Che to finishes of sixth, third and third.

The most recent season, in which Valencia finished behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid, was Emery's most impressive. That's because, before the season, Valencia sold David Villa to Barcelona and David Silva to Manchester City.

There's something to be said for rebuilding a successful team after the departure of two superstars. Just ask Arsene Wenger.

20. Walter Mazzarri

Club: Napoli (ITA)

Not since the days of Diego Maradona has there been so much excitement around SSC Napoli.

Since returning to Serie A for the 2007-08 season, Napoli have risen steadily through the table, finishing eighth, 12th, sixth and, last season, third.

That fourth-place finish under Mazzarri secured top-flight European football, a first since 1990-91.

19. Ralf Rangnick

Club: Schalke 04 (GER)

Ralf Rangnick managed Schalke for six months, from March to September 2011. So how does he make it so high on the list?

Easy—he was the architect behind Schalke's 5-2 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Really, though, this honor goes to both Rangnick and Felix Magath, who managed the club from 2009 until March 2011. Through their combined efforts, Schalke made it all the way to the semifinals of the Champions League and won the 2011 German Cup.

18. Walter Smith

Club: Rangers (SCO)

Since only Rangers or Celtic ever do it, winning the Scottish Premier League might not seem like an accomplishment.

But if you know anything about the fierce nature of the Old Firm rivalry, you know how much fortitude it takes to successfully navigate the Scottish fixture list.

Smith finished his second stint at Rangers with his third straight Scottish title and 10th overall.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

17. Didier Deschamps

Club: Olympique de Marseille (FRA)

In 2011, Marseille continued their renaissance under Deschamps, finishing second in France's Ligue 1 after winning the title in 2010.

They also won their second straight Coupe de la Ligue and qualified for the Champions League for the fifth season in a row.

For Marseille, continued success might depend on extending Deschamps' contract past 2012, when it's scheduled to run out.

16. Jupp Heynckes

Club: Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

It's no coincidence Bayern Munich called on Heynckes to turn around their fortunes after a disappointing 2010-11 season. Heynckes had just finished a great season at Bayer Leverkusen. 

Now under new coach Robin Dutt, Leverkusen have a foundation to build on. And if they keep improving under Dutt, they might finally shed the label of Neverkusen.

The nickname derives from the fact that Leverkusen have never won the Bundesliga title—but they have come agonizingly close on several occasions.

The latest close call was 2011, when Leverkusen finished runner-up to Borussia Dortmund's dream season.

15. Frank De Boer

Club: Ajax (NED)

De Boer led Ajax to the Eredivisie title in 2010-11, but that's expected for a club like Ajax.

What could be more telling is how De Boer responds to the current situation. Ajax recently crashed out of the Champions League and are currently fourth in the table, eight points off the pace.

14. Michel Preud'homme

Club: Twente Enschede (NED)

While Ajax's Eredivisie title was expected, Twente's success over the past few years has been a surprise.

After winning the title in 2010, the club appointed Michel Preud'homme as manager in May 2010 to replace Steve McClaren (heh).

Less than a year later, Preud'homme had led Twente to more success: second place in the Eredivisie (only two points behind champions Ajax) and the KNVB Cup title.

Then he decided to take over as manager of Al-Shabab Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Okie-dokie.

13. Thomas Tuchel

Club: FSV Mainz

Who is Thomas Tuchel?

Thomas Tuchel is the 38-year-old manager of FSV Mainz, a club that shocked everybody—including probably themselves—by finishing fifth in the Bundesliga last term.

Mainz finished ahead of big-name clubs like VfB Stuttgart, Hamburg SV, Cologne, Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 (more on them later), Vfl Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach (they were relegated).

And Mainz qualified for this season's Europa League. They didn't last long in the competition, but even qualifying was quite the accomplishment for a team that was tipped for relegation before the season.

This season, the club's higher-ups are remaining realistic.

"Our top priority is still to permanently establish Mainz in the Bundesliga," said general manager Christian Heidel. "We have to be pleased with finishing 12th or 13th as well. Our goal next season is to avoid relegation."

12. Luciano Spalletti

Club: Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)

Spalletti's revolution in St. Petersburg continues to be a rousing success.

Thanks to the crazy Russian Premier League schedule this year, there isn't a 2011 Russian champion. But Zenit won it all in 2010 and are back on top of the current table.

Under Spalletti, the club also won the 2011 Russian Super Cup, the 2010 Russian Cup and advanced to the knockout stages of the current UEFA Champions League.

11. Pia Sundhage

Team: United States women

The 2007 Women's World Cup was a disaster for the United States.

Under coach Greg Ryan, the Americans lost 4-0 to Brazil in the semifinals and then self-destructed in full view of the media.

The US Soccer Federation responded by hiring Sundhage, the first foreign coach in the history of the women's national team.

At the 2011 World Cup in Germany, the US women embarked on a wild run that finished in a penalty-shootout loss to Japan in the final and included a memorable win over Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Sundhage pulled all the right strings along the way, from putting Hope Solo back in the net to bringing in newer faces like winger Megan Rapinoe.

Now the only question is whether she can replicate the success in 2015.

10. Rudi Garcia

Club: Lille OSC (FRA)

Rudi Garcia has presided over Lille's breakthrough into the elite tier of French football. After taking over in 2009, he led Lille to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 in 2010.

Then in 2010-11, Lille won the league and cup double. They took the Ligue 1 title for the first time since 1954 and won the Coupe de France for the first time since 1955.

9. Massimiliano Allegri

Club: AC Milan (ITA)

If success on the field isn't enough to put Massimiliano Allegri on this list, then the situation in the AC Milan hierarchy is.

Allegri, 44, led Milan to the 2011 Scudetto and perhaps more importantly beat Inter Milan in both league fixtures. The Rossoneri also won the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana.

In addition to all that, he has to deal with Silvio Berlusconi as his club president. Yikes.

8. Oscar Tabarez

Team: Uruguay

Oscar Tabarez has been in charge of Uruguay's return to international prominence.

Winners of the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and again in 1950, Uruguay have a rich history in international football. But it wasn't until recently that La Celeste got back to playing like it.

Tabarez took over in 2006, and it's been all success since. Uruguay made a stunning run to the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup and followed with a Copa America title in 2011.

Could Uruguay make a run at the World Cup title in Brazil in 2014? It's not out of the question.

7. Roberto Mancini

Club: Manchester City (ENG)

OK, so he has oil-tycoon money at his disposal, but that doesn't change the fact that Roberto Mancini did a great job in 2011.

The 47-year-old Italian steered City to third place in 2011, their best result in the Premier League era. He also led them to the 2011 FA Cup, the Blues' first piece of silverware in decades.

Right now, it's not a question of whether Mancini and City will have more success. The question is how much.

6. Jürgen Klopp

Club: Borussia Dortmund (GER)

The 2010-11 season was a weird one in Germany.

Bayern Munich finished a disappointing third, Schalke won the German Cup and Borussia Dortmund won their first Bundesliga title since 2002.

The mastermind was Jürgen Klopp, who used tactics to his advantage to outwit Bayern and relied on a young, talented roster to just keep on winning.

Dortmund started the season with 14 wins in their first 16 matches and won the title easily. Out of the successful run, stars were born in Nuri Sahin, Mario Götze and Mats Hammels.

But Klopp deserves his share of credit for a masterful season.

5. Sir Alex Ferguson

Club: Manchester United (ENG)

No, it wasn't Manchester United's best season, but it was yet another successful one.

Behind their legendary manager, United won their 19th English title (a record), reached the semifinals of the FA Cup and advanced to the Champions League final.

Just another average season for Fergie, really.

4. Norio Sasaki

Team: Japan women

Norio Sasaki wasn't a well-known name in world football before last summer.

After guiding Japan to the Women's World Cup title, he's now a household name, at least in his own country.

Japan's thrilling run started with a second-place finish behind England in Group B, continued with upsets over hosts Germany in the quarterfinals and Sweden in the semifinals, and finished in a dramatic penalty shootout with the United States.

Afterwards, the Japanese prime minister awarded him with something called the People's Honour Award.

3. Jose Mourinho

Club: Real Madrid (ESP)

The Special One won only a single piece of silverware in 2011, the Copa Del Rey.

But Mourinho and Real Madrid started closing the gap on Barcelona. That's no small task.

Heading into Saturday's El Clasico, Real Madrid were leading Spain's La Liga by three points. They were also the only club to win all six group matches in the Champions League this fall.

2. Andre Villas-Boas

Clubs: Porto (POR), Chelsea (ENG)

A protege of Mourinho, Andre Villas-Boas surpassed his mentor in 2011.

It might not happen again, but it was glorious while it lasted.

Villas-Boas and Porto won an incredible treble of trophies in 2011, taking the Portuguese league and cup and the Europa League. Along the way, Porto went undefeated in the league.

At 33 years and 213 days, he was the youngest coach ever to win a European club title.

All the success prompted Chelsea to pay Porto €15 million for Villas-Boas' services. He's struggling to find the same success at Chelsea, but we think he'll be able to turn it around.

1. Josep Guardiola

Club: Barcelona (ESP)

The debate is as old as football itself: Do tactics win trophies? Or is it the players?

Fortunately for Barcelona, the debate is moot. They have the best players and the best manager in the world.

It's easy to say Pep Guardiola has it made with Barca. He does, after all, have the most talented roster in the world—perhaps of all time.

And those players have won three straight La Liga titles and the 2011 Champions League.

But Guardiola has influenced Barcelona to play beautiful, flowing football. And their style has dominated Europe for a couple seasons now.

Will it last? We'll find out soon.