👔 The 9th best manager in the world is … | OneFootball

Our countdown of the top 10 managers in world football continues.

Here is who makes ninth place …

Gian Piero Gasperini

As a player, Gasperini enjoyed a modest career in his native Italy.

Despite coming through at Juventus, the midfielder only experienced top-flight football at the age of 29 after his Pescara side were crowned Serie B champions in 1986/97.

Even his managerial career was fairly unspectacular after spells at Genoa, Inter and Palermo. Then Atalanta came along.

Since his appointment in 2017, the 62-year-old has turned a bottom-half side into top four finishers twice in the last three seasons – all while making €90m transfer profit.

This speaks volumes about his ability to develop players having seen Franck Kessié, Andrea Conti, Roberto Gagliardini and Bryan Cristante all join top clubs for sizeable fees.

But Gasperini also boasts a unique style of man-management that focuses on hard work during training, and creative freedom on matchdays that has seen Atalanta become Europe’s great entertainers.

Before Covid-19 stopped fixtures across football, the Bergamo outfit stood fourth in Serie A having scored 70 goals in 25 appearances – more than any other team.

They were also the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to score seven goals not once, not twice, but three times following wins against Udinese, Torino and Lecce.

And to emphasise the demand on everybody contributing where possible, 11 of their 16 Champions League goals were scored by different players – again more than every other team.

Gasperini has proven that extremes are unnecessary.

Players can thrive without an old-school, totalitarian approach, while also maintaining discipline that strengthens team spirit and expression.

Nobody expected Atalanta to be in this position and that’s perhaps the highest compliment you can pay.