With the Premier League season reaching its climax, who is in line to win the manager of the season award?
It seems that this may be the season for an outsider to be proclaimed the best. For seven of the past nine years, the winner of the award has won the Premier League, the other two being valiant challenging efforts from Jugen Klopp's Liverpool.
However, football isn’t all about the big boys, as much as the media will try to make it. This season, there have been so many underdog stories, both in terms of results and league success. Maybe this year will be the year of the outsider…
Gary O’Neil
Future Liverpool boss? It seems not, with O’Neil linked with the Anfield job on Tuesday before being distanced from it hours later.
However, it would be somewhat deserved. The second-youngest manager in the league, O’Neil has surprised us all, with many sceptical of the appointment in the first place. Wolves wasn’t a particularly pretty prospect with O’Neil arriving following a rather public spat between the club and his predecessor, Julen Lopetegui, alongside spending restrictions.
Wolves were seemingly nailed on for a relegation fight but have had no such worries this season, securing mathematical safety by gameweek 33, something that was never really in doubt.
O’Neil has truly sapped the very best out of his Wolves side, with their adaptable style of play seeing them pick up stunning wins over Manchester City, Spurs and Chelsea (twice), while also only losing four of the sixteen games against the sides below them.
The ex-West Ham midfielder is certainly in with a shout, and isn’t it nice to see another young and inspiring English manager be given a chance? He’s certainly taking it.
Unai Emery
Of course.
Aston Villa’s success last season following the Spaniard’s appointment was a very promising sign, but few would have foreseen what was to come. One of those few was Alex Ferguson, and with plaudits from someone as monumental as him, something must have been going right.
Villa, while never really taken seriously, were in a title race until January, have held second place sporadically and have sat within the top four for the majority of the campaign. The side from the second city just make you smile, with exciting displays and a fortress in Villa Park at their disposal.
Positive recruitment has gotten them there, but Emery’s role has been pivotal; his team shows little change from where Steven Gerrard left it, showing Emery’s prowess. The four-time Europa League winner boasts a 57% win ratio and the best points-per-game record of any Villa PL manager, with only the current top three accumulating more points since his appointment in November 2022.
And his greatness was shown at the Emirates two weeks ago, as he completely outclassed and outmastermined Mikel Arteta at his old stomping ground, executing a patient gameplan to perfection. It was announced yesterday that he has received a thoroughly deserved contract extension with Emery set to stay until 2027 at least.
If Villa were to hold their top four place then Emery’s name could be the one up in lights, and a Europa Conference League title wouldn’t hinder his chances either.
Andoni Iraola
While they might have had a decent manager in Gary O’Neil, and looked rather daft getting rid of him, Bournemouth haven’t done the worst job in sourcing his successor.
Much like Wolves, Bournemouth were tipped for relegation upon O’Neil’s departure, and that was looking rather likely, with the Cherries winless in their first nine. The clock was ticking and Iraola seemed out of his depth, until something just clicked.
His first win came in a crunch game against Burnley, a result that probably bought him another month and compensated for the following and expected defeats against Man City and Liverpool.
Following that, Bournemouth went on an incredible streak, going seven unbeaten, winning six out of those seven and rattling goals in for fun. His football had before been described as ‘organised chaos’ and, based on his start, you would hesitate to argue against that.
This saw the Cherries sitting pretty in 12th place by the new year, with only Fulham and Brentford scoring more than them in the bottom half to date. Their outrageous 4-3 win over Luton encapsulated the spirit Iraola has instilled into his players, there were even brief talks of European football on the cards.
Iraola has comfortably kept the Cherries in the league while providing their fans with the famous football that made them so feared in their first PL stint under Eddie Howe. It would take a lot for Iraola to eclipse the accolades Howe achieved on the south coast, but the Spaniard has certainly laid some solid foundations.
Two gaffers that also deserve mentions are Ange Postecoglou and Rob Edwards.
Postecoglou won the first three manager of the month awards and Spurs sat top of the tree for a while, before the seemingly inevitable drop-off. However, they have improved no end since last season, with a bold defensive setup making for an intriguing watch and European football almost guaranteed.
Luton were tipped to go down as the worst ever PL side but Edwards’ men have well and truly rose to the occasion and made a decent fight at survival. Forest and Everton’s points deductions have made their efforts look better than they are, but Luton have a favourable run-in and an incredible bond between the supporters, players and management. Recovery from that 5-1 spanking against Brentford will be key if the Hatters are to survive the drop.
However, in reality, we know that Pep Guardiola with potentially four consecutive titles, Jurgen Klopp on his last dance or Mikel Arteta with his first potential PL triumph are likely to pick up the award. But how good would it be for someone outside of the title challengers to gain some well-earned recognition?
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