Have you heard
the one about
the Dutchman,
the Frenchman,
the Portuguese,
the Chilean and
the Northern
Irishman? Well, pay attention because this
little story is actually no laughing matter.
Of all the subplots surrounding Saturday’s
launch of the new Barclays Premier
League season, the one that is perhaps
the most compelling – to me at least --
concerns a truly heavyweight clash of the
coaches.
Between them, the men who manage or
coach the five most likely title contenders
can boast a healthy 22 domestic titles
which were earned in leagues ranging
from England to Ecuador. Only one has
never won a league before, and he came
desperately close last season.
Perhaps even more than any superstar
player signing, the recruitment of
manager Louis van Gaal by Manchester
United has captured Premier League fans’
imaginations.
Fresh from his strong showing with
Holland at the Fifa World Cup, the super-
confident 63-year-old has already
convinced some pundits and fans that he
can drag the Red Devils from last
season’s seventh-place fiasco to title glory
this term.
Van Gaal has won seven domestic league
titles, four of them in his native
Netherlands, two in Spain and one in
Germany and he seems determined to add
England to that list, sooner rather than
later.
Despite his late arrival from Brazil, he
has already overseen a successful pre-
season, remodeled United’s Carrington
training facility and is presumably about
to mastermind a late-August transfer
market flurry of signings.
The Van Gaal management model is a
blend of meticulous preparation, maverick
media manipulation and unshakeable self-
belief.
Sound familiar? Well it should because it
rubbed off on another serial title winner,
Van Gaal’s former protégé at Barcelona,
Jose Mourinho.
The two men won’t come face to face in
league action until October 26 at Old
Trafford, but it will be fascinating to see
how both react between now and then
when asked the inevitable questions about
one another.
For his part, Mourinho is unlikely to
antagonise Van Gaal in the way he does
with Arsene Wenger or Manuel Pellegrini,
nor will he be able to adopt the faintly
patronising terms he uses when discussing
Brendan Rodgers.
Instead, he will most likely point out that
United’s absence from European
competition gives them an advantage.
Chelsea have been bolstered by some
healthy summer signings and look likely to
be the team to beat if Van Gaal is to get
his United reign off to a winning start.
Again, though, we are not just talking a
two-man tussle this season. One simply
cannot overlook Manuel Pellegrini and one
cannot overstate the significance of his
landing the Premier League title at the
first attempt, even if City’s considerable
riches –financially and personnel-wise –
helped massively.
The Chilean has now won titles in Ecuador,
Argentina and England and his calmness
amidst the maelstrom of a Premier
League title battle may once more turn
out to be his greatest asset, particularly
given the distinctly different personalities
of rivals Van Gaal and Mourinho.
All three should be wary though of the
wily Frenchman waiting in the wings.
Seemingly galvanised by Arsenal’s long-
overdue addition to its trophy cabinet,
Arsene Wenger has been talking about the
club having turned a corner. He now has
even more pace at his disposal in the
shape of Alexis Sanchez and his club can
boast three 2014 World Cup winners.
There can be no doubt Arsenal have the
players to win the league but can Wenger
keep his key men fit at crucial times?
Can he find a way to avoid the now-
traditional winter collapse and – most
crucial of all – can he himself keep his
composure in the face of the provocation
and mind-games that will most assuredly
be part of this season’s clash of the
managerial titans?
Last but certainly not least, the man with
no silverware to his name, yet arguably
one of the brightest young coaches in
world football. Brendan Rodgers has had a
long summer break to come to terms with
last season’s near miss, and also to plan
for life after Luis Suarez.
He appears to have spent that thinking
time wisely. With money to spend, he has
done just that with the likes of Emre
Can, Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren
already looking like smart buys.
While he demonstrated a surprising
willingness to tinker with his tactics last
season, Rodgers has a clear-cut idea of
how he wants Liverpool to play and we can
expect greater consistency this season in
terms of tactical shape, even if we will
see slightly more squad rotation.
The likes of Coutinho, Sterling and
Sturridge are improving all the time and
it is only the fact that Rodgers must
juggle domestic and European demands
that leaves pundits reluctant to put the
Reds among the title favourites.
Elsewhere, among the ranks of the
“gaffers” this season, one can expect
Roberto Martinez to continue his superb
work at Everton and it will be fascinating
to see how Mauricio Pochettino handles the
challenge at White Hart Lane.
After a tortuous campaign last time out,
both of his own making and thanks to
some less-than-committed players, this
should be a happier season for Newcastle
United’s Alan Pardew.
Can Gus Poyet, Steve Bruce and Mark
Hughes build on ultimately positive
campaigns for Sunderland, Hull and Stoke
last time out?
How will Ronald Koeman fare in his first
season of Premier League football? Again,
it’s a managerial subplot to savour.
There will be strugglers and we know
there will be managerial casualties sooner
rather than later (in fact, Tony Pulis
became one even as I wrote this) but it is
great to start a season accentuating the
positives rather than the negatives when
it comes to the men in the dugouts.
Just for now, let’s forget the “sack race”
and look forward to the real race, the
race for the title.