Carlo Ancelotti is gearing up for his fifth Champions League title. Xavi Hernandez is looking to claim it for himself, making him one of the youngest managers to win it. Thomas Tuchel is also dreaming about it, just as Mikel Arteta is too.
All these managers have been great in this season’s UEFA Champions League. At the end of the tournament, a few of them will be shortlisted to receive the award for the best manager. The winning manager will have the greater advantage, however.
In this article, we look at managers who have outdone themselves in this season’s competition.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is once again dominating the UEFA Champions League with his carefully curated Manchester City team. After several attempts, he finally got his hands on his third Champions League trophy and first as City manager.
He has Carlo Ancelotti’s record of four trophies as a manager in his sights and is working to make sure that his team delivers it for him. Armed with the talents of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Rodrid and others, he is going toe to toe with the other managers of the best clubs in Europe.
His style is dominant and has seen his team score the most goals in the competition already.
As they prepare to face FC København in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, he will also be dreaming of a second-straight best manager award from UEFA. This is unless City miraculously fall to the Danish side or get knocked out in the next round.
Man City tickets ahead of their clash with FC København are live on seatsnet.com.
Imanol Alguacil
Imanol Alguacil is a rookie manager in the Champions League, despite being a veteran of many years.
The Real Sociedad boss has led his side to produce a very fine campaign, one that will be talked about for good regardless of the outcome of their return leg against Paris Saint-Germain. PSG vs Real Sociedad tickets are on sale on seatsnet.com as they have sold out on both clubs’ websites.
Alguacil is likely to host a lot of neutral fans because it is not every day that the Anoeta gets to see PSG in their stadium more or less Kylian Mbappe, who is the best player in the world. His team’s performance in the group stage and the first round of 16 leg against PSG will give him some hope.
He will have to work on their finishing so that he can stay in the conversation because he does have a genuine shout for the award at the end of the season.
Maurizio Sarri
Real Sociedad are dark horses for this season’s competition, but Lazio are darker horses.
I Biancocelesti came into the competition looking like they were only there to fill the quota. Sarri must have decided against that and decided to focus on lifting the Champions League trophy.
Lazio finished in second place behind Atlético Madrid – whose manager Diego Simeone is also a consideration for this award – and went on to embarrass six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich, led by the manager who won the 2020/21 title, Tuchel.
They now hold all the cards going into the second leg and with Sarri’s vast knowledge of defensive tactics, he could grab a quarter-final ticket from under the noses of Bayern. This alone makes him a good consideration for the manager of the season award, because not many underdog teams can boast of facing Bayern and coming out unscathed.
Bayern Munich vs Lazio takes place on 5 March 2024 when Sarri will have the opportunity to make history. Fans are rushing to the clubs’ websites to book their tickets. Another option to get tickets is on seatsnet.com where fans can connect with other fans to exchange their tickets for cash.
Jacob Neestrup
FC København are out of the tournament because there is no way they can oust Man City at the Etihad.
Not only is the crowd going to be a disadvantage for them, but they are also going into the game with a two-goal deficit.
So why is their manager, Jacob Neestrup, being considered for this award?
Neestrup faced Bayern, Galatasaray and Manchester United in the group stages. Nobody gave him a chance: a 35-year-old manager going up against the experience of Erik ten Hag and Tuchel is great on paper only.
However, his side played some of the most disciplined football that the competition witnessed this season and finished second behind Bayern in their group.
Should they miraculously defeat City on 6 March 2024, Neestrup will surely be shortlisted regardless of where København exited the tournament.
Tickets to the Man City vs København are live on seatsnet.com.