Pep Guardiola has been recognized as the best coach of the season in the Premier League. After winning his fourth consecutive league title in charge of Manchester City last Sunday, an unprecedented milestone in the history of English football, Guardiola was the favorite to win what is his fifth award. In this year’s edition, the fact that four of the five nominees were Spanish stood out, thanks to the work of Gipuzkoans Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola at the helm of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, respectively.
The winner of this award, created in the 1993-94 season, is not always awarded to the coach who wins the league, although the title greatly increases the options. With his fifth award, Guardiola (who has won six Premier Leagues in eight years) is still far from Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful coach in English football with 13 Premier League titles and 11 coach of the year awards. Behind them, the Frenchman Arsene Wenger and the Portuguese José Mourinho were recognized three times, one more than the German Jürgen Klopp. In addition, the Italians Claudio Ranieri, for Leicester City’s historic victory in the 15-16 season; and Antonio Conte, winner of the Premier with Chelsea in 16-17.
No English coach has won the Premier League, but two coaches have managed to break the spell of national coaches in the competition. Alan Pardew was recognized as manager of the year for his work at Newcastle in the 11-12 season, while Harry Redknapp did the same with Tottenham in 09/10, in which figures such as Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Kyle were active. Walker.
After receiving the award, Guardiola remembered his rivals. “I would like to share this award, especially with Mikel Arteta, for the incredible work he has done until the last game, pushing us to the limit.” He also had words for who has been his great rival in recent years, Jürgen Klopp, who last Sunday said goodbye to Liverpool as coach. “I would also like to remember Klopp, for the unforgettable battles we have experienced over the years. Also from Unai Emery, for achieving something incredible such as taking Aston Villa to the Champions League. And Andoni Iraola, with Bournemouth, for what he has done in his first season in the Premier League.”
The truth is that all the candidates have done well to win the award. Although Arsenal have once again fallen short of the title for the second consecutive year, Arteta has earned merit to be considered the best coach of the year. The history of the Premier League places the average score to be champions at 88 points, one less than the Gunners have achieved this season. After returning to the Champions League (they lost to Bayern in the quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate), Arsenal has maintained its championship chances until the last day.
Furthermore, they have been the team with the fewest goals scored in the league and their numbers against big-six (City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and United) are a reflection of the team’s evolution: six wins and four draws. After consolidating the 4-3-3, the defensive strength, the good performance of Declan Rice (last summer’s most expensive signing) and the progress of Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Shaka, the work of the coach born in Gipuzkoa also stands out.
The other two Spanish candidates, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola (also from Gipuzkoa), have completed a historic season on the bench at Aston Villa and Bournemouth, respectively. Aston Villa has qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 1983, ending several decades of irregularity in a club that has accumulated promotions and relegations until the arrival of Emery has returned stability to a club that has a Cup of Europa (1981) in its showcases. At his side, old acquaintances from the league such as Monchi (in the offices), and former members of the League such as Pau Torres, Alex Moreno, Diego Carlos and Lenglet, star in the growth of a club that, yes, has invested 382 million of net euros for five years, according to Transfermarkt.
Without the financial muscle of his opponents, Andoni Iraola has also made history with a more modest club, Bournemouth. His good work at Rayo Vallecano has been replicated in his first year in England, allowing the cherries seal their salvation several days in advance and reach their highest historical score in the Premier League: 48 points.
Since the arrival of Rafa Benítez in 2004, Spanish coaches have progressively conquered the Premier League. The winning cycle of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and his six titles in the last eight years is the visible face; but after slipping that 2025 could be his last year, figures like Arteta, Emery or Iraola are postulated as the ideal successors to pick up the baton. If a few decades ago, the Spanish league imported the best foreign coaches, today, coaches born in Spain are a gold mine for the benches of the country where football was born.
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