Top 5 football managers in Europe in 2025/26

Managers are one of the most important pillars of a successful football team. While players get the majority of the accolades, the coaching team toils in the background with endless analysis, preparation, team selection, and tactics for every single game.

The 2024/25 season witnessed many excellent coaching performances across Europe’s top leagues. However, the ones that gained the most attention and appreciation were the likes of Hansi Flick, who won the domestic treble with Barcelona, Arne Slot, who won the Premier League title with Liverpool, and Vincent Kompany, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich — all of them being in their first season with their respective sides. Meanwhile, Luis Enrique shone most of all, securing a historic continental treble with Paris Saint-Germain.

Four months into the 2025/26 season, here we take a look at five managers who we believe have fared better than the rest so far.

5. Francesco Farioli | Porto 

Francesco Farioli’s Porto are currently unbeaten in Liga Portugal and at the top of the league table, five points ahead of second-placed Sporting, who are the defending champions. Last season, Porto ended up outside the Champions League qualification spots and ended the season without major silverware, which resulted in the departure of Farioli’s predecessor, Martin Anselmi.

Farioli was at Ajax last season but failed to win the Eredivisie title after blowing away a nine-point lead with seven games to go. Taking responsibility for the failure, he resigned from his position.

Since taking over at Porto, Farioli has implemented his tactics well, and the players have also responded well to his style of play. In the UEFA Europa League too, Porto have four wins and a draw from six league phase games and are only two points behind table-toppers Lyon, looking likely to secure automatic qualification to the Round of 16.

It’s never easy for a coach to struggle in their previous job and still get an opportunity with another big team immediately, but something must have impressed the Porto management to hand him the reins right after the Ajax debacle. And their decision has been proven right so far; Porto have 12 wins and a draw in 13 league games.

Although things have been good for the Italian thus far, there is still a long way to go in the season. If Farioli can guide Porto to a league title after last year’s Ajax heartbreak, it will surely be a redemption story worth remembering.

4. Cristian Chivu | Inter Milan 

Simone Inzaghi made a surprising move from Inter Milan to Saudi side Al-Hilal after Inter failed to secure major silverware last season, coming really close to repeating their historic treble-winning exploits from 15 years ago. The Nerazzurri were handed a crushing defeat by PSG in the UEFA Champions League final and were beaten to the Serie A title by Napoli.

Cristian Chivu, former Romania international and club legend who was part of the treble-winning squad from 2010, was appointed as the head coach of the team ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup. Understandably, there were massive doubts regarding his suitability for such a high-pressure job.

However, Chivu has delivered so far both in Serie A and the Champions League. Inter are currently third in the league table, just a point behind leaders Milan and second-placed Roma (both of whom are tied on points after 14 games). In the Champions League, Inter are well placed to secure direct last-16 qualification after four wins from six league stage games.

Usually, it takes time for a new manager to adjust to new surroundings and implement their preferred style of football. It’s even tougher to manage the expectations at a big club when you’re succeeding a successful manager, but Chivu hasn’t looked out of his depth. Though Inter have been defensively less solid this season as compared to recent seasons, they have compensated for it with better attacking numbers, having scored the most goals in the Italian top flight thus far.

Inter continue competing at a high level both domestically and continentally, without the manager making wholesale changes to the starting XI. Chivu has expertly coached the existing players, and if he can translate this excellent start into major silverware come the end of the season, his coaching credentials would certainly reach new heights.

3. Pierre Sage | Lens

Lens have been arguably the biggest surprise package in Europe this season. Playing in Ligue 1 and coached by Pierre Sage, they are currently sitting atop the Ligue 1 table, a point ahead of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Last season, Les Sang et Or finished eighth in Ligue 1 under the leadership of young coach Will Still, which was deemed not acceptable by the club management. In came Sage ahead of the 2025/26 season, who was sacked by Olympique Lyonnais in January after a string of poor results.

So far, the 46-year-old Frenchman has worked wonders. Lens are currently on a six-game winning run in the league and are the most in-form side in the division. What makes this feat even more remarkable is that Sage is utilising the current squad without much financial assistance. Lens sold key players in the summer without replacing them with proven talent. As compared to PSG, or any other top French outfit, Lens’ squad value is way less, and yet the team are punching above their weight and coming out on top.

This season, Sage has displayed attributes that are hallmarks of a top coach. His change of formation from his time at Lyon is proof that he is open to adapting and is tactically versatile. It will be difficult for Lens to maintain their current form over the entire season and keep PSG at bay, but if they do manage to win the league title, which is now an unignorable possibility, it would be a herculean achievement by Sage, one that will forever forge his name into the club’s history.

2. Vincent Kompany | Bayern Munich

Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has been phenomenal since becoming head coach of Bayern Munich. Many were surprised by his appointment ahead of the 2024/25 season, especially given he was relegated from the Premier League with Burnley just weeks before. However, he has proved the naysayers wrong by performing exceptionally well in one of the highest-pressure jobs in football, helping Bayern reclaim the Bundesliga title and reach the Champions League quarter-finals in his first season without a major overhaul of the squad.

This season, Kompany and Bayern have built on their exploits from last season with more purpose. So far, they’ve lost just once across all competitions this season, when they lost to Premier League leaders Arsenal in the Champions League. In the Bundesliga, they’ve been unbeaten so far with 12 wins and a draw and are leading the league eight points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig.

Kompany has instilled an attacking and attractive style of play at Bayern, which can be seen in the number of goals they have scored. Not just that, he has also added balance to the team by tightening up the defence. With the Belgian at the helm, the Bavarians have looked like a massive threat so far not just in the Bundesliga but also the Champions League. A world-class defender and serial winner in his playing days, Kompany is proving that he is an excellent coach as well.

1. Mikel Arteta | Arsenal

Without a doubt, Arsenal have been the best-performing team in Europe so far. Since returning to the Emirates in 2019, Arteta has taken Arsenal from struggling for identity and Europa League qualification to a position of immense strength, lifting one FA Cup and two FA Community Shields along the way.

The Gunners have been title challengers for the last three seasons, having come really close in 2023/24. They’ve also been a dominant force in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals last term. However, they need to cross the finishing line this season, though it is looking like this could finally be their year to achieve major silverware.

Sitting atop both the Premier League and Champions League tables, the Gunners have looked impenetrable this season. Their defence has been impeccable, having conceded only one goal in six games in the Champions League and only nine goals in 15 Premier League games. The addition of astute attacking options in Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyökeres, and Noni Madueke has added a real bite to their forward line, which is paying rich dividends now. Arteta has also bolstered the depth of his squad, bringing in quality players who can make an instant impact from the bench or fill in for injured players.

A lot of the credit needs to go to Arteta for identifying the problems in the squad, envisioning and realising solutions, and instilling a strong sense of belief throughout the team. Arsenal look really close to finally securing the major trophies they have been craving for nearly two decades now, and if all goes well this season, we could very well see Arteta deservedly holding aloft at least one major trophy with the Gunners, if not more.