Celebrating Football’s Greatest Ever Managers & Tacticians

Throughout history, the beautiful game has been filled with managerial masterminds who know the game inside out.

These coaches have managed to achieve greatness after etching their names into history due to their tactical nous and their ability to reign supreme in the biggest competitions around.

Pep Guardiola is a modern-day example

These days, modern football has clearly evolved to become a far more tactical offering than it used to be.

One of the main instigators of this clear change is Pep Guardiola, with his philosophy helping to bring a treble to Manchester City, a team Premier League 2024/25 betting has priced at 9/2 to win both the Champions League and England’s top-flight this season.

They’re a formidable side and Guardiola is the main reason for that.

The former Barcelona manager’s City players are well-versed in what their demanding coach wants from them.

With his teams combining technical ability with unwavering positional discipline, they’re incredibly tough to beat, hence why so many Premier League predictions suggest that a fifth title win in a row is on the cards.

Pep Guardiola isn’t the only astute tactician to have graced the game, though.

In fact, the tiki-taka endorser clearly took inspiration from those before him.

Let’s take a brief look at some of them below.

Johan Cruyff

A true legend of the sport, Johan Cruyff’s impact on the beautiful game can still be felt today.

A manager who inspired the aforementioned Pep Guardiola, Cruyff’s managerial style revolved around his strong belief in the ‘Total Football’ legacy that was left by his mentor, Rinus Michels.

Cruyff’s teams were comfortable on the ball and specialised in intricate combination plays and an ability to unlock defences with the most stunning of passes.

Cruyff certainly wasn’t an advocate of the more physical game that was typically on display, instead wanting to play a style that he truly believed in.

Cruyff therefore opted to employ a flexible 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 system, something that is commonly seen today.

From Ajax to Barcelona, the Dutchman’s tactics have helped make the game what it is today.

Rinus Michels

A man Johan Cruyff was inspired by, Rinus Michels is arguably football’s most astute tactician ever.

The pioneer of ‘Total Football’, his attack-minded philosophy created plenty of entertaining spectacles and brought the very best out of the players he worked with.

Working at Ajax, Michels’ sides deployed a flexible 4-3-3 formation that many teams back then simply couldn’t handle.

With Johan Cruyff at the heart of his plans, Michels established a winning formula.

The man who delivered Holland’s 1988 European Championship win, Michels is a hero in the Netherlands.

His belief in an all-energy pressing game is something we see carried out all around the world today.

Bill Shankly

A legendary name associated with Liverpool, Bill Shankly made just as much of an impact as Jurgen Klopp did.

When Shankly joined the club, the Reds had an outdated training ground, and an ugly style of play, and competing in Europe was unknown to the club.

When Shankly left, though, Liverpool had a brand-new Melwood training base, he implemented a continental style revolving around possession-based football and strategies, and he built a team of intelligent players.

It bucked the trend at the time, with Bill Shankly largely being credited with revolutionising the game back then.

Special mention must also go to Victor Maslov, Helenio Herrera, and Herbert Chapman.