Top 5 managers of the Premier League season
The nominees for the Barclays Premier League Manager of the season for 2014-15 were released on Thursday with the only surprise exclusion being the self-proclaimed “best manager in the league” John Carver. Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho led the way after leading … Continue reading →

The nominees for the Barclays Premier League Manager of the season for 2014-15 were released on Thursday with the only surprise exclusion being the self-proclaimed “best manager in the league” John Carver.

Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho led the way after leading the Blues to a first title in five years, followed by Nigel Pearson, whose Leicester City side completed a dramatic comeback to escape relegation and stay in the top-flight.

Also on the list were Southampton’s Ronald Koeman and Swansea’s Garry Monk, both of whom did fantastic work at their respective clubs, despite predictions of doom at the start of the season, while Arsene Wenger completes the five man shortlist.

Here’s my assessment of each of the shortlisted candidate along with my verdict for who deserves the award the most.

5. Arsene Wenger

Unlike the other men on this list, Wenger has been nominated for Premier League Manager of the Year for no apparent reason except, perhaps, to make up the numbers.

From European mediocrity to lack of a concerted push for the league title, it’s hard to see any significant improvement from the North London side compared to last season.

Sure, they’ve had a good run since getting knocked out of the Champions League in February, it came too late as the eventual champions, Chelsea, were already well out of reach.

This is the one reason why Arsenal haven’t won the league in 10 years. Wenger has not managed to keep his side consistent throughout a league campaign and they only seem to perform well when the pressure is off and they haven’t got anything to play for.

They could still end the season with an FA Cup title if they beat Aston Villa in next week’s final and while that is better than what most clubs have managed, their lack of improvement from last year puts Wenger well out of the equation for manager of the year.

4. Nigel Pearson

From being touted as the favorite to be sacked at one point in the season to making a manager of the year shortlist, Pearson’s first year in the Premier League has seen a lot of ups and downs.

Despite being criticized by the media for his admittedly bizarre outbursts, he didn’t allow it to faze him and fully deserves all the credit for masterminding Leicester’s incredible turnaround.

As late as March, the Foxes looked dead and buried with upcoming fixtures inspiring no confidence, but they went on an incredible run that saw them pick up six wins from their last eight games and propel them to 14th place and subsequent safety.

Pearson must be duly credited for keeping his players behind him and deflecting pressure in a way that has allowed them to achieve Premier League survival.

3. Ronald Koeman

Ronald Koeman has exceeded expectations tremendously in his first season in English football after guiding Southampton to their highest league finish in the Premier League era.

After a mass exodus of Southampton’s best players and manager Mauricio Pochettino, who went to seek greener pastures, many predicted a difficult season and a potential relegation battle for the Saints.

Instead, Koeman has proved the naysayers wrong by going even better than his predecessor and achieving a Europa League spot is still well within reach going into the last game of the season this weekend.

By bringing in quality replacements for the players who left the club, Koeman has reinvigorated the squad and instilled a winning mentality that has seen them hover around in the Champions League spots and scare some of the bigger sides for most of the campaign.

A patchy run in recent times has seen them drop down to seventh but even so, his adaptability and attention to detail should serve them well for years to come.

2. Jose Mourinho

Chelsea have returned to the pinnacle of English soccer after five years of domestic mediocrity and all the credit must be given to the man in the dugout, Mourinho, whose summer additions to the side has compensated for last year’s disappointment and landed a third winners medal on a personal level.

Although his side have been labeled boring by some, the truth is that Chelsea have been simple too good for everyone else and that criticism is just ridiculous for a side that has monopolized top spot from start to finish, scored the second highest number of goals and conceded the least number of goals in the division.

Mourinho is a winner and this season’s league title coupled with a Capital One Cup triumph has vindicated the decision to bring him back to Stamford Bridge after leaving the club in acrimonious circumstances in 2007.

The only valid criticism, perhaps, is his surprising lack of tactical awareness in the Champions League but that aside, there really is no one better than the “Special One” in the land.

1. Garry Monk

After succeeding Michael Laudraup in February 2014 as interim manager, Monk successfully rescued Swansea from relegation waters last season and he was promptly handed a permanent deal despite his inexperience.

14 months on, Monk has certainly surpassed all expectations at the Liberty Stadium and has led the club to their highest ever finish and record points total in the Premier League.

His tactical preparation for games has been exemplary and he has managed to get his side playing an attractive and entertaining brand of football despite operating on a tight budget and losing his best player, Wilfred Bony, to Manchester City in January.

The work he’s done at Swansea is nothing short of magnificent and for someone who’s made the transition from player to manager pretty quickly, he deserves all the praise he’s getting and a Manager of the Year award to go with it.