The Premier League this season is host to some of the best talents in world football on and off the field.
There a number of star players who keep the league exciting while there are also a few top class managers who will be hoping to take their side all the way this season.
To recognize the effort of the managers on the touchline, FIFA has been awarding the Men’s coach of the year award for a long time now and there is some stiff competitions this season.
They have recently released a shortlist of 10 managers who could win the award this season and there are some top class managers fighting for the title this time around.
Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid coach, who helped them to their 11th Champions League title last season is hot favorites to take away the prize after his efforts at the club have made them a stronger side.
Champions League finalist’s Atletico Madrid will be cheering for their manager Diego Simone, who made it into this list. Simone has also started the new season in fine form and is a genuine contender for this award.
Fernando Santos, the mastermind behind Portugal’s success in the EURO16 in France earlier this year is expected to provide tough competition to the duo while Barcelona’s Luis Enrique and France’s Didier Deschamps also made the list, making this award one of the most competitive this year.
Chris Coleman, the Welsh boss, deserves a separate mention as his efforts saw the Wales national side go to the semi-final of the grand competition earlier this year.
The Premier League unsurprisingly, has the most number of managers nominated for this award and here are the 4 managers who are on this list:
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool):
Standing strong and helping the Reds reach the top of the table early this season, Klopp, has surprisingly made it into this list, without any kind of a success whatsoever throughout the season. He took the team to the finals of the League Cup and the Europa League and is now competing for the title this season making him a decent choice for this award.
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City):
The former Barcelona man helped Bayern Munich to yet another Bundesliga title last season and broke a number of records on his way there winning the league by a massive 10 points. Though he was unlucky in the Champions League, he has started the season with Manchester City in decent fashion and deserves to be on this list.
Claudio Ranieri (Leicester City):
The mastermind behind the fairy tale at the King Power last season, Claudio Ranieri, was a must in this list by FIFA. He took a mediocre club to the summit in England and has changed the way the world looks at the sport after his side, one of the least expensive ones in the Premier League went all the way last season. Surely he is a genuine contender for this award.
Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur):
The Spurs have been in sublime form throughout the year and have more collected more points than any other team in the league this year. The manager almost took the side to a title victory last season and is yet again looking strong at the top of the table. He has accumulated a young side playing some interesting football and deserves to be on this list.
The winner will be determined by votes from national team captains and coaches, selected media and an online fan poll.
Candidates: Chris Coleman (Wales), Didier Deschamps (France), Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich, Manchester City), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Luis Enrique (Barcelona), Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham), Claudio Ranieri (Leicester), Fernando Santos (Portugal), Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)