Discussion Hub

Discussion Hub is a general discussion community aiming to provide a fun and laidback environment with a touch of old school. We have a diverse memberbase with people from all over the world and tons of content for you to get involved in and share your perspective. We’d love for you to become a part of our awesome community.

Do footballers make great managers?

Henrywrites

Active Contributor
Member
3

Joined
Oct 1, 2023
Messages
392
Reaction score
51
The game of football just like other sports are filled with players that aim to become managers one day after playing actively. We have seen managers such as Pep Guardiola, the current Manchester City, move from playing to becoming one of the successful managers around. Do you agree that it is easier for players to become managers?
 
I would say it's a 50/50 probability for players who become managers to be successful. Older players who retired from playing 20 to 30 years ago do well as managers unlike players who started coaching few years ago. Frank Lampard is an example of new managers who used to be players but failed as manager.
 
I would say it's a 50/50 probability for players who become managers to be successful. Older players who retired from playing 20 to 30 years ago do well as managers unlike players who started coaching few years ago. Frank Lampard is an example of new managers who used to be players but failed as manager.

I am still of the opinion that England don't have great managers. Just take a look at Spanish managers, I am talking about ex players, and you will notice that they perform better. Managers such as Pep Guardiola, Zebri of Brighton and Xavi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen are all Spanish.
 
In half of the cases changing the manager of the football team does not seem to be an adequate solution. First of all, this is anger and fear for supporters because they have lost an important match. Second, why do they not assume players' responsibility and a weak team is changed by other players next time instead of changing the manager each time?
 
I am still of the opinion that England don't have great managers. Just take a look at Spanish managers, I am talking about ex players, and you will notice that they perform better. Managers such as Pep Guardiola, Zebri of Brighton and Xavi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen are all Spanish.
The only thing which England knows how to do very well is use their press to over hype both players and coaches. Any one makes any little impact will be carry over the whole place by the press. This is what gives the false reputation their player managers are doing well.
 
The perfect example would be from the case of Maradona. Maradona was a great footballer. He won world cup for Argentina. However, when was hired to coach Argentina's national team, he failed to give them the taste of victory. Great g=footballers do not make great managers. Being a manager is a different game.
 
I would like to say that it's based on individual qualities. This is because there are some great players whom have the real qualities of being a great coach or manager. Xabi Alonso is a very good example of the kind of player I'm talking about. Before he went to manage Bayern Leverkusen, Jose Mourinho said he was going to be a great coach. In all the top 5 European leagues, it's only his team that is unbeaten in all competition this season.
 
In my opinion, this era of cool coaches is already over. A lot of cool managers have already retired and now there are only a few who are still trying to show the game that was 10 years ago, but they will eventually end their careers and I don't know what to expect from those new trainers
 
A person who is going to be a good manager will always be a good manager irrespective of the person being a footballer before or not. The person's experience in playing football might play a role in how the person is going to be successful as a manager but it is always a 50/50 chance.
 
I have also seen great players like Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville become flops as managers. It is not about being a great player but how much you have given yourself to study football. That's what Guardiola does that has made him a great manager. Being an expert footballer is not enough to achieve success in managing teams.
 
It is true that there are a lot of cool trainers, but they lose their skills very quickly and there are no new cool trainers left, and the new ones do not learn so quickly and so coolly. I think you can count all the top coaches on your hands
 
In most cases yes, footballers actually turn out to be good Managers, cause they have lived it, they tend to understand the players a lot better. Then again a manager can be great even without being a footballer in the past.
 
I don't necessarily agree that it's easier for former players to transition into managerial roles. While having played at the highest level provides invaluable insight into the game, managing requires an entirely different skillset. Things like tactical knowledge, man-management, media relations, and handling pressure are huge challenges.
 
Statistics have shown that footballers do not necessarily make great managers. A prime example is Frank Lampard, he was a legend at Chelsea being their highest goal scorer. He also did well for the England national team, but as a coach he has not actually done great things. But he still young compared to other coaches so maybe he can always get better.
 
Back
Top