Entering the pointy end of the 2023-24 season, who have been the Premier League’s standout managers? We’ve run our eye over the field and made our assessment.
It’s crunch time in the Premier League. A weird and wonderful, but incredibly enthralling season, draws to a close. Everything about the English top flight is viewed with more clarity at this stage of the season; we know who’s fighting for the title, who’s hunting Europe and who’s battling to avoid relegation.
During this final push, when fixtures are most congested and the pressure most noticeable, managers reveal why they’re in the hot seat. It’s during this final push that the cream rises to the top and the weak stumble.
With the end of the season nearing, and plenty to talk about, who have been the Premier League’s best-performing managers of the 2023-24 season? We have our say.
The 10 best Premier League managers of season 2023-24
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10. Marco Silva
Put simply, Fulham have been good this season. Not mind-blowingly amazing, but really good. They’re a well-coached side by Marco Silva, have scored the tenth most goals this season and conceded the ninth most. They are exactly where they should be. That in itself deserves credit, especially considering the number of sides (Chelsea, Manchester United) who are nowhere near where they should be.
A sign of Silva’s influence over the team has been the improvement of certain key players. Willian has, at times, looked better than at any time since he left Chelsea, Raul Jimenez remembered the kind of striker he was, Tosin Adarabioyo is finding his feet in the Premier League while Rodrigo Muniz has exploded onto the scene in the back half of the season.
All eight of the Brazilian’s Premier League goals this season (accurate at the time of writing) have come since the beginning of February. Joao Palhinha’s yet to be mentioned, but the Portuguese is one of the strongest defensive midfielders in the English top flight. Kudos Marco Silva.
9. David Moyes
It’s wild to think David Moyes has West Ham sitting seventh after 31 games but sits so low on our rankings. This is less a knock on Moyes and more a credit to other managers working wonders with fewer resources.
Losing Declan Rice to Arsenal before the season was an expected, but major, blow to West Ham. Rice was the heart of their team whose absence formed a gaping hole in their midfield. As is the case when teams lose a big star, the hardest part is replacing them.
Safe to say, Moyes and the Hammers replaced Rice as well as they could’ve, bringing in Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, two guys who combined filled Rice’s role as the ball winner and ball processor. Mohammed Kudus has been a revelation, Jarrod Bowen’s having a career year and Lucas Paqueta has graduated into one of the Premier League’s best creators after a few lean seasons.
But it’s hard to look at the assets available to Moyes and the style of play he’s implementing and think his coaching limits the side’s potential. This sounds crazy considering their position in the table. Moyes has again led West Ham to a fantastic Premier League season, it’s just not been as fantastic as others.
8. Rob Edwards
Let’s be honest, not a single person gave Luton Town a fighting chance of Premier League survival. Most would’ve predicted they finish rock bottom, with some murmuring whether they’d go down as the competition’s worst-ever side.
Yet, one of the most under-resourced sides to play in the Premier League remains in the fight to stay up. After 31 games, Luton sit 18th, three points from safety, but potential points deductions coming to sides above them could elevate them from the relegation zone come the end of the season.
Rob Edwards’ side is well-drilled in maximising their strengths and minimising their opponents. They harass teams, sit in and defend diligently, and throw looping crosses into the box. They’ve beaten Newcastle and Brighton, taken a point from a game against Liverpool and given tough games to Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Given what they were expected to be, it’s safe to say Luton Town, and Rob Edwards, have punched well above their weight this campaign and exceeded just about every pre-season expectation.
7. Andoni Iraola
Let’s not forget, Andoni Iraola’s appointment at AFC Bournemouth was met with initial indifference. Perceived as unproven and appointed despite Gary O’Neil’s success in the 2022-23 season, Iraola began life on the English south coast behind the social eight ball.
Hasn’t his appointment proved to be a masterstroke? His Bournemouth revolution has well and truly kicked into life as the 2023-24 seasons progressed. It took 10 games for the Spaniard to record his first Premier League win. In the 21 games since, they’ve collected 38 points, only Villa, City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more in that period.
A core component of Emery’s managerial style is getting his team pressing and on the front foot. They’ve created more goal-creating high turnovers (seven) than Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa and won more attacking third tackles than every team except Spurs and Liverpool.
Iraola’s transformed Dominic Solanke into someone viewed as not Premier League standard into one of England’s most complete forwards. It’s no wonder Barcelona are reportedly assessing him as Xavi’s potential replacement.
6. Gary O’Neil
Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea (twice). One-third of Wolves’ victories this season have come against members of England’s ‘big six’, an impressive record for any side let alone one who lost three key players (Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, Matheus Nunes) at the start of the season.
Gary O’Neil’s Wolves are a brilliant team. A resolute defensive unit, their 47 goals conceded (at the time of writing) is the seventh-best record in the Premier League, Wolves under O’Neil have proven harassing pressers; they’ve forced opponents into six goal-ending high turnovers this season, only five sides have more.
It’s easy to read such praise of their defensive system, and see the plaudits received by the likes of Max Kilman and holding midfielder Joao Gomes – capped by Brazil for the first time in 2024 – and think this resilience comes at the expense of their attack.
In reality, nothing can be further from the truth. Under O’Neil, Pedro Neto’s returned to his best, both Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha have had career years and Pablo Sarabia has been a constant nightmare for defenders.
5. Unai Emery
Since Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa, they’ve been one of the top sides in the Premier League. 2023-24 has been no different. A mix of smart recruitment and brilliant coaching has Villa poised for a return to the Champions League next season. If this dream is realised, it would mark Villa’s first appearance in Europe’s premier club competition since they made the European Cup quarter-finals in 1982-83.
Unai Emery has been at the heart of everything good about Aston Villa this season. Once the butt of many, many jokes during his unfortunate spell in charge of Arsenal, Emery’s transformed his reputation around in recent years. His Villa side is well drilled, with every player understanding their role with and without the ball.
This is best evidenced in their offside trap, arguably Europe’s best, which has seen Villa catch more players offside than any other in the English top flight. This requires clear managerial communication and a deep trust of the manager from the players. Villa possesses both in spades.
Going forward, Villa’s wonderful attacking talents have the freedom to rotate into space, fluidity to exploit these openings, and the talent to finish chances they’ve created. Emery’s Villa are a dual-threat attacking outfit, capable of threatening on the counter and through sustained possession; according to Opta stats, Villa have produced 73 build-up attacks and 77 direct attacks this season.
4. Ange Postecoglou
Has there been a more disrupted squad this Premier League season than Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham?
After starting the season as the Premier League’s form team, the Australian lost his attacking heartbeat, James Maddison, to a long-term injury before each of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Yves Bissouma, Heung-Min Son, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur, among others, either fell injured, got suspended, or departed to represent their nation at AFCON or the Asian Cup.
Despite all this, Postecoglou, in his first season managing in one of Europe’s top five leagues, has revolutionised and revitalised Tottenham, implementing a high-octane, attacking style of play fans have cried out for in recent years. Spurs are not perfect, that much is a fact. Nor, for that matter is there manager.
Critics rightly note the Australian lacks a plan ‘B’, which can act to Spurs’ detriment, particularly in a 4-1 loss to Chelsea in November, when Postecoglou insisted on a high defensive line despite injuries and red cards limiting his side.
And yet, for all his perceived flaws, a Spurs side that has been more unsettled than settled this season continues their upward trajectory, remaining within touching distance of European football. And we didn’t even mention all this has been achieved without Harry Kane, the club’s highest-ever scorer.
3. Pep Guardiola
What can be said about Pep Guardiola that hasn’t already been said? He’s arguably the greatest manager of all time and the greatest Premier League manager ever. His impeccable record speaks for itself.
Unfortunately, he’s been outshone by two other Premier League managers this season. After a historic treble in the 2022-23 campaign, Guardiola’s City have seemingly plateaued in 2023-24, particularly during the middle of the season. In six games between 12 November 2023 and 16 December 2023, City won just once, drawing four and losing 1-0 to Aston Villa.
A large part of their stagnation this season has been injuries, as well as the departure of key figures of their recent dominant spell, notably Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez. At times, Pep’s had to contend with the injury absences of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Ederson and John Stones.
At the same time, the personnel brought in to replace City’s injured stars and Gundogan and Mahrez have failed to match the club’s lofty standards. Despite this, City are still in the hunt for a second consecutive treble, and shouldn’t be ruled from achieving it.
2. Mikel Arteta
After faltering towards the back of their 2022-23 Premier League title challenge, many wondered if Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could bounce back in the current season. Fair to say, they have. Over the summer, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber arrived, strengthening an Arsenal side previously viewed as feeble.
Timber went down in their opening match against Nottingham Forest, but both Rice and Havertz have proved exceptional pieces of business as the season’s developed. Rice in particular has taken his all-round game to a new level. Often deployed further forward, Rice’s six goals and six assists are single-season career highs. His fluidity to drop into whichever role and space Arsenal need has proven critical throughout the season.
A key difference between Arsenal’s 2023-24 team and previous years is their defensive solidity, aided by the consistent presence of William Saliba and Gabriel. At the time of writing, no side has conceded fewer goals than Arsenal’s 24, with their 13 clean sheets also a league-high. This hasn’t come at the cost of their attacking output. Arsenal is the Premier League’s top scorer with 72, with their 3.97 goal-creating actions per 90 also more than any other side.
After being perceived as out of the title challenge midway through the season, Mikel Arteta’s side has been inspired since the dawn of 2024, pushing themselves within touching distance of their first Premier League title in two decades.
1. Jurgen Klopp
For the last nine years, all the good at Liverpool first flowed through Jurgen Klopp. The German arrived at a slumbering English football giant and transformed them into a heavy metal footballing colossus stopped only by the might of Pep’s Manchester City; the greatest Premier League team of all time.
Midway through the 2023-24 season, Klopp announced this would be his final as manager of Liverpool, citing a need for a break. Since his shock announcement, Liverpool has lost just once – against Arsenal – in nine league matches, winning seven and drawing another, against title challengers Manchester City.
Not only had Klopp expertly managed the emotional climate of his final Liverpool season, but done so while maintaining high performance levels, even when faced with significant injuries. Over recent months, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Diogo Jota, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah have all spent sustained spells on the sidelines.
That hasn’t slowed Klopp’s side, with the manager adapting his approach to ensure Liverpool’s output remains optimal. All this has placed Liverpool in the driving position to win a second Premier League title ever. If they do, their victory will be as much due to Klopp’s brilliance as any other factor.
