As Chelsea ponder who should lead them in the post-Mourinho era (and they may be thinking pretty hard after another goalless afternoon on Saturday) it is worth considering the qualities needed to succeed at the highest level of England’s Premier League.
Do you want a former great player like Marco van Basten, or perhaps someone with a wealth of experience like Guus Hiddink?
To answer that question you have to look at four successful Premier League managers, Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez and Mourinho himself.
Ferguson had mediocre playing career in Scotland. He was 44 when he took over as manager of Manchester United after a successful spell as boss of Aberdeen in his native Scotland.
Wenger’s playing credentials are also unimpressive. He was 46 when he took over at Arsenal with his reputation built on a successful spell as manager of Monaco in his native France.
Benitez had little success as a player. He was 44 when he took over at Liverpool after leading Valencia in his native Spain to their first La Liga title in 31 years.
Mourinho was not a professional player at all but was born to coach. He was 41 when he took over at Chelsea after winning the Champions League with Porto in his native Portugal.
The pattern seems clear.
Forget great players like Marco van Basten and Juergen Klinsmann with no track record in club management. Guus Hiddink may be too old at 60, likewise Sven-Goran Eriksson at 59.
Here are two names to consider who do seem to fit the profile.
Armin Veh is 46, had a modest player career, and led Stuttgart last year to the championship in his native Germany. Lazio boss Delio Rossi is also 46, had little talent as a player, but impressively led his team last year to third place in Serie A finish and a place in the Champions League.
Nigel Hunt, London
Photo: Former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho arrives at Lisbon airport September 26, 2007. Nacho Doce / Reuters
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9 comments so far
I do not think Armin Veh is up to the task. Although he won the Bundesliga recently,he is still a new kid on the block.
- Posted by Baba Chris[…] Lewis wrote an interesting post today on What makes a successful manager?Here’s a quick […]
- Posted by Itsrev.Com » What makes a successful manager?If I recall correctly, Arsene Wenger’s success in Japan was also part of the reason Arsenal hired him.
- Posted by David KeyesI don’t think you could dare rule out Hiddink. To say he is too old, while not ageist, is an irrelevant factor when you consider Alex Ferguson.
Guus Hiddink has a superb track record guiding smaller teams through tournaments, but could he cut it with a squad full of big names?
Fabio Capello is a manager that I’ve admired for quite sometime, he has had the success of winning a title wherever he’s gone. Although he was sacked for not playing attractive football, precisely the kind of man Roman just got rid of.
Frank Rijkaard anyone? I know he hates Chelsea, but he has the ability to work with big names, produce results, as well as silky football.
- Posted by Andy GloverI agree with Andy that you can’t write off Hiddink. Fantastic manager. Capello is a long shot but Rijkaard may just be on, with discontent at Camp Nou. And how about Ancelotti?
- Posted by RafaAn interesting article, but as a Chelsea fan, if you offered me Klinsmann or Van Basten right now I’d bite your hand off!! Anyone but Avram (not including Bryan Robson or Gary Megson).
- Posted by BlueratTerribly biased view. Ancelotti, Rijkaard, and Schuster were great players and they’ve done wonders at Milan AC, Barcelona, and Getafe. You don’t need to be a former great player to become a great coach, but that doesn’t mean a former great player can’t become a great coach. Simple.
- Posted by jacquesI’m not sure how much managers make a difference, as success for one season/club is frequently followed by failure the following year or at a different club (eg Ferguson was nearly sacked at united). I’d like to see a statistical analysis adjusted forall factors to see whether there is a significant difference.The four managers you list might be seen as successful, but they are all at clubs awash with money. If you consider they are effectively in a league of 4 rich clubs, they don’t look just as successful. I am always struck by the banality of what football managers say when they are interviewed or act as pundits. Maybe they have some brilliant insights which they only share with their players, beyond the usual “We’d like an early goal” “We’ve got to be first to the ball” “We need to keep it tight at the back” etc etc, but I’ve yet to hear it.
- Posted by gregThere are very few ex-great players who go on to become good managers. Don’t forget that many football players are pretty thick, it has to be said!
I mean, Alan Shearer fancies himself as a great manager but why? Does he come across in MOTD as a guy who knows his stuff? Not really - all he comes out with are soundbites and cliches and he has never given me any idea that he might bring the greatness back to Newcastle.
Chris
- Posted by Elite Soccer Coachhttp://www.EliteSoccerCoach.com