WHY SAY ANYTHING?

Mourinho, Guardiola, Conte and Klopp all have it, Pochettino is not far behind and Wenger never had it.

What are we talking about? Well, there probably isn’t one word for it. We are talking about charisma, je ne sais quoi, magnetism, talent, personality, winning mentality and other attributes we can’t even think of at this moment! If there is ONE word which encompasses all of these then please let us know.

Remember, we are not judging the most successful manager here, or the one with the best results on the pitch. This is just a bit of fun to see which one of them is the most complete.

6. Arséne Wenger – Arsenal

He had to be at number six didn’t he? Arséne Wenger would have made it into the top three at one stage of his career although, in fairness, we are not convinced that he was ever a great “manager“.

More of an accountant with an ability for coaching than a manager he was nowhere near ruthless enough. For many years he got by surrounding himself with very, very good players. That time, unfortunately, is long in the past and he is now stumbling from one crisis to another.

Ferguson retired having just won the Premier League title. Wenger should have taken this as his cue and, when Arsenal won the FA Cup last season, he should have retired.

His strange decision-making and lack of empathy with the fans means that, from a mangerial standpoint, he was never very good so, because of this, he has to be placed sixth.

5. Antonio Conte – Chelsea

Chelsea are coming to terms with one or two slight problems at the start of Antonio Conte’s second season and, whilst his talent is beyond doubt, it is the way he deals with these problems which will decide how good a manager, as opposed to coach, he really is.

Having won the title in his first season he has already set the bar at a very lofty height for himself this time out and will have the Champions League to contend with as well.

The jury is still out on whether or not he is a good all-round manager and, because of that, he comes in at number five.

4. Pep Guardiola – Manchester City

Pep Guardiola doesn’t get on with everyone. Some players he has sent out on loan, sold or just dropped don’t have a good word to say about him, (Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to name but two).

He has had success at every club he has managed except Manchester City and he is desperate to put that right.

Is he ruthless enough? Judging by his treatment of Joe Hart and the quick despatching of some of the other deadwood, yes he is. Does he, like Mourinho and Ferguson before him, have a nasty streak, sometimes essential to be a winner? Yes he does.

Yet he has taken over at the richest club in England, with, arguably, the biggest and best squad of players and couldn’t even win a cup!

This will probably change in the very near future but, for the present, he comes in at number four.

3. José Mourinho – Manchester United

José Mourinho can be as annoying as he is talented, as stubborn as he is motivated. He can upset people with a look or a sly comment. This, however, does not stop him being the most successful of the top six managers in England.

He has, over the years, fallen out with a few players. Those same players, although probably not prepared to cross the road to speak with him, would still have only good things to say about him as a manager.

Even so, his numerous tribulations at different clubs mean that he’ll have to make do with third position.

2. Mauricio Pochettino – Tottenham Hotspur

Mauricio Pochettino has improved Tottenham Hotspur almost beyond recognition, yet they still haven’t won anything! Having gone out of both European competitions very early last season his overall credentials are questionable at present. He also will not be helped this year by having to play all the home games at Wembley, a ground where Spurs do not have the best record.

Working under Daniel Levy must also be quite stressful at times when considering the money made available to him and the reported salaries of the players. All of this requires a very strong manager and, up to now, Pochettino seems to be fitting the bill.

He comes in at number two purely because he seems to be able to manage the club with reasonable success despite the presence of Daniel Levy, which must make things more difficult.

1. Jürgen Klopp – Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp almost certainly has everything. OK, so he hasn’t turned Liverpool into world beaters just yet but there are some very big challengers to contend with on that one.

He manages Liverpool almost to perfection. He also appears to be able to mix the nice-guy/nasty-guy in equal proportions and always at the right times.

Having reached two finals during his short tenure, he has certainly got the club going in the right direction and it surely won’t be too long before Liverpool will be putting a trophy or two in their cabinet.

On this basis, he has to be the best all-round manager of the Premier League’s top six.