The Premier League this season looks to be one of the most exhilarating and unpredictable leagues outside of the top 3 teams, in regards to league position at least. This season feels like years in the making, between coaches finally clicking with their teams or new ones coming in. Who has been the most impressive coach this season so far?
As mentioned above, there are two crops of coaches, newcomers and coaches who have been at their clubs for a couple of years. The likes of Thomas Frank, Eddie Howe and Unai Emery, or the newcomers such as Enzo Maresca, Arne Slot and Fabian Hurzeler.
This has given the league such a dynamic range of exciting styles and approaches, that we are beginning to see manifest into attractive football and most importantly unforeseeable results.
The latest upset came from Brighton’s huge win over Pep Guardiola’s Man City as they came back from a 0-1 deficit, scoring twice in quick succession to grab the three points.
Although this was not the only result, Nottingham Forest defeating Liverpool at Anfield was a shocker. Ipswich Town getting their first win in the league against Tottenham Hotspur away from home was a fantastic story too, and many more.
We will go through some close calls first.
Honorable mentions
Before we can go through who can be said as the best-performing manager so far, several coaches deserve to get a proper appreciation of their work lately.
Beginning with Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth who currently sit in 12th place in the table. The Spanish coach joined Bournemouth in June 2023, shockingly replacing Gary O’Neil at the time.
At the time a lot of eyebrows were raised at the appointment, but the 42-year-old persevered through a tough time. Leading us to a time where they have signed numerous exciting talents, along with beating the top two teams last season, Arsenal and Man City. Therefore, Iraola has done a fantastic job so far.
Moving on to the team that are the joint second-most-scoring side in the league, Thomas Frank’s Brentford. The Danish coach joined Brentford in 2018, as he was previously the assistant coach for the side in 2016.
Bringing them up to the Premier League in 2021, as they achieved automatic promotion from the Championship. Since then, Thomas Frank has understood what his players need and gave them the platform to succeed through realistic playing styles. Therefore, that adaptation has led to them becoming one of the most exciting teams in the division this season.
Finally, the team who moved on from one of the most innovative coaches in the last few years, Robert De Zerbi, Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler. The 31-year-old joined the Seagulls in the summer, coming off promoting second-division side St. Pauli to the Bundesliga.
The transition between De Zerbi and Hurzeler could have been a very uncomfortable one. However, Brighton stuck to their guns and put their faith in the German, as they now sit in sixth place in the league, four points off Manchester City.
It must be mentioned that Enzo Maresca, Arne Slot and Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest have all done a fantastic job so far at their respected clubs.
Marco Silva
This is the coach that very few people are talking about not just this season, but over the last couple of years too. The Portuguese coach joined Fulham in the summer of 2021, inheriting what was a team that can be described as “Not Premier League level”.
Had them stay up for several seasons through sheer adaptability and playing to his players’ needs, Whilst also providing some great football for us to watch.
This season has been quite a reward for Marco Silva, as now during games where they dominate their opponent. They can come out on top due to the improvement of the quality of their squad through new signings.
In addition to the development of players since the 47-year-old arrived at the club, like the likes of Harry Wilson who has developed into a game changer for Fulham.
Leading us to the point where Fulham currently sits in seventh place on 18 points, only a point from Champions League places. That can only be described as a truly deserved start to the season for Marco Silva and his squad.
Summary
There is still quite a way to go in this league campaign, however, it’s extremely important to note and appreciate the work that the low/mid-table clubs go through to develop into competent Premier League sides. This season has only delivered so highly due to these types of clubs.