Skip to main content
FourFourTwo FourFourTwo FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES, QUIZZES
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of 대한민국
대한민국
flag of Türkiye
Türkiye
  • Soccer Cleat Buying Guides
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Video
  • Features
  • Quizzes
  • Clubs
  • More
    • Interviews
    • Features
    • The Magazine Archive
    • Subscribe
    • Lists
    • How to watch
    • About
FourFourTwo Magazine
FourFourTwo Magazine
Why subscribe?
  • Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene
  • 'ACCESS ALL AREAS' pass to exclusive interviews with the biggest and best names in the game!
From$29.99
View
Trending
  • WATCH the UCL
  • Transfers
  • Interviews
  • Messi
  • Ronaldo
  • EPL

Recommended reading

Sean Dyche
Stories ‘There’s a reason why players buy into what Sean Dyche wants – not just starters, the squad. There’s an art to that. His man-management is incredible’: Ex-Burnley star reveals how English manager gets everyone pulling in same direction
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is expected to sanction plenty of sales this summer
Stories 'I was brainwashed by Guardiola, but in a good way. It was like I was at university': Ex-Manchester City star reveals genius of Pep
BBC Euro 2024 Clinton Morrison, pundit for Sky Sports television ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Ipswich Town at The Coventry Building Society Arena on April 30, 2024 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Stories ‘Neil Warnock made us wear shin pads, then launched balls into the sky and told us to go in for challenges. Some of those early sessions were interesting…’: Clinton Morrison recalls his favourite managers
Fulham manager Marco Silva looks on from the dugout ahead of the FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic at the Brick Community Stadium in Wigan, England on 8 February, 2025
Stories 'Silva managed to really maintain the desire to play attractive football, which was really hard over the years': Former Fulham talisman showers praise on 'impressive' Marco Silva
Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe embraces Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United (39) following the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England
Sport 'I have no doubt that we beat Liverpool because of him' Bruno Guimaraes believes Newcastle United were able to end their trophy drought because of ONE person
Stories 'We lost the first league game of the season, then drew with Racing Santander. Spontaneously, I decided to go to Pep's office to reassure him. “Don’t worry,” I told him, “everything will be fine"': Andres Iniesta opens up his early Guardiola pep talk
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta now just has one more shot at silverware this season
Stories ‘Mikel Arteta could have handled the media differently recently – bad PR can take up so much of your time as a manager, but your brains are scrambled’ Ex-Premier League boss explains why Arsenal boss got it wrong
  1. Features

Ranked! Which Premier League manager gives the most inspirational half-time team talks?

By Greg Lea published 13 October 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Sean Dyche, Burnley (0 points)

Sean Dyche, Burnley (0 points)

Dyche has done a terrific job at Burnley, but there's clearly room for improvement in one particular department: remarkably, the Clarets have failed to pick up a single point when losing at half-time in their last 44 top-flight encounters (the data covers matches since the start of 2015/16).

Page 1 of 16
Page 1 of 16
Craig Shakespeare, Leicester (1 point)

Craig Shakespeare, Leicester (1 point)

Shakespeare succeeded in pulling Leicester clear of trouble last time out, but he's yet to record a victory when the Foxes are losing at half-time. To be fair to Claudio Ranieri's assistant, though, the 2016 champions have only trailed at the interval five times on his watch - against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester City.

Page 2 of 16
Page 2 of 16
Rafael Benitez, Newcastle (2 points)

Rafael Benitez, Newcastle (2 points)

Benitez took charge of 10 Magpies matches in the 2015/16 campaign, but he was unable to save the northeast outfit from relegation. He did, though, succeed in turning defeats into draws against Sunderland and Liverpool, as Newcastle impressively came from two down at the break to pick up a point at Anfield.

Page 3 of 16
Page 3 of 16
Marco Silva, Watford/Hull (3 points)

Marco Silva, Watford/Hull (3 points)

Watford have made a tremendous start to the current campaign, which has largely negated their need to come from behind in the second period. The Portuguese did, however, lead Hull to a comeback success against West Ham last season.

Page 4 of 16
Page 4 of 16
Antonio Conte, Chelsea (3 points)

Antonio Conte, Chelsea (3 points)

At first glance, a tally of three points would suggest an inability to inspire comebacks with rabble-rousing or tactics-tweaking, but Conte's figure is so low simply because Chelsea are rarely behind at the midway points of matches - it's happened just seven times since he took charge in summer 2016.

Page 5 of 16
Page 5 of 16
Jose Mourinho, Chelsea/Man United (4 points)

Jose Mourinho, Chelsea/Man United (4 points)

Chelsea's remarkable collapse at the start of 2015/16 meant they were more likely to throw leads away than claw deficits back, but Mourinho has seized four points after losing at half-time while in charge of Manchester United - most notably through a Zlatan Ibrahimovic equaliser against Liverpool in January.

Page 6 of 16
Page 6 of 16
Paul Clement, Swansea (4 points)

Paul Clement, Swansea (4 points)

Clement did a fine job of steering Swansea out of choppy waters last term, with a 2-1 defeat of West Brom on the final day - the Welsh side were behind after 45 minutes - lifting them into 15th spot.

Page 7 of 16
Page 7 of 16
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal (6 points)

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal (6 points)

Arsenal's character and leadership has been continually questioned in recent years, but their middling return of six points when behind at the interval doesn't really provide definitive evidence for either the pro- or anti-Wenger camps.

Page 8 of 16
Page 8 of 16
Pep Guardiola, Man City (6 points)

Pep Guardiola, Man City (6 points)

Manchester City have barely given their opponents a sniff in several of their recent Premier League games, but it's only a few weeks since they trailed Everton at the interval. Guardiola's men fought back to secure a draw on that occasion, and they came from behind to beat Arsenal last season.

Page 9 of 16
Page 9 of 16
Mark Hughes, Stoke (6 points)

Mark Hughes, Stoke (6 points)

Hughes, unlike many managers on this list, has been in charge of a Premier League club for the entire period covered here, which makes his six points seem somewhat on the low side. The Potters' sole loss-to-win turnaround in the second period came on the final day of the 2015/16 season, when West Ham were defeated 2-1 at the erstwhile Britannia Stadium.

Page 10 of 16
Page 10 of 16
Ronald Koeman, Everton/Southampton (6 points)

Ronald Koeman, Everton/Southampton (6 points)

Everton came from behind to get the better of Bournemouth, but the fact that the Cherries only established an advantage in the second half means that victory doesn't count in this list. Koeman's sides have collected six points after losing at the break, though, including a Southampton triumph over Liverpool in 2015/16.

Page 11 of 16
Page 11 of 16
Tony Pulis, West Brom (6 points)

Tony Pulis, West Brom (6 points)

Pulis is another boss who has claimed six points from losing positions after 45 minutes, with the West Brom manager's penchant for a 1-0 win perhaps counting against him in this particular ranking.

Page 12 of 16
Page 12 of 16
Eddie Howe, Bournemouth (7 points)

Eddie Howe, Bournemouth (7 points)

Bournemouth have let winning positions slip twice already this term, but the Cherries have at least snatched seven second-half points when behind at the break since the start of 2015/16. Four times Howe's side found an equaliser; on one occasion, they transformed zero points into three.

Page 13 of 16
Page 13 of 16
Slaven Bilic, West Ham (13 points)

Slaven Bilic, West Ham (13 points)

Bilic has grown accustomed to being under pressure as West Ham boss, so it's just as well he's pretty adept at rescuing ropey situations. West Ham have accumulated 13 points via second-half turnarounds during his time at the club, including a dramatic 3-2 win at Everton in March 2016, when the Hammers were trailing 2-0 with just 12 minutes left on the clock.

Page 14 of 16
Page 14 of 16
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool (13 points)

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool (13 points)

Klopp recently admitted his side's habit of dropping defensive clangers made him "sick", but at least the Liverpool chief has a thrilling attacking force to call upon. The Reds' band of fleet-footed forwards have helped salvage 13 points during the German's tenure, with three half-time 'losses' converted into full-time victories - presumably with the forwards given grateful pats on the back by their relieved defensive colleagues.

Page 15 of 16
Page 15 of 16
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham (17 points)

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham (17 points)

It's official: Pochettino is the Premier League's team-talk king. Tottenham have snatched a remarkable 17 points from the jaws of defeat since the beginning of 2015/16, with half-time deficits turned into full-time leads no fewer than four times. Perfectionist Poch would probably prefer it if his charges started games quicker, though.

Page 16 of 16
Page 16 of 16
TOPICS
Premier League Sean Dyche Craig Shakespeare Rafael Benítez Watford Marco Silva Antonio Conte Paul Clement Jose Mourinho Mark Hughes Pep Guardiola Ronald Koeman Mauricio Pochettino Tony Pulis Arsene Wenger Eddie Howe Jürgen Klopp Slaven Bilić Burnley Newcastle United Leicester City Chelsea Stoke City Swansea City Everton Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United West Bromwich Albion Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal
Greg Lea
Greg Lea
Social Links Navigation

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

Read more
Sean Dyche
‘There’s a reason why players buy into what Sean Dyche wants – not just starters, the squad. There’s an art to that. His man-management is incredible’: Ex-Burnley star reveals how English manager gets everyone pulling in same direction
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is expected to sanction plenty of sales this summer
'I was brainwashed by Guardiola, but in a good way. It was like I was at university': Ex-Manchester City star reveals genius of Pep
BBC Euro 2024 Clinton Morrison, pundit for Sky Sports television ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Ipswich Town at The Coventry Building Society Arena on April 30, 2024 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
‘Neil Warnock made us wear shin pads, then launched balls into the sky and told us to go in for challenges. Some of those early sessions were interesting…’: Clinton Morrison recalls his favourite managers
Fulham manager Marco Silva looks on from the dugout ahead of the FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic at the Brick Community Stadium in Wigan, England on 8 February, 2025
'Silva managed to really maintain the desire to play attractive football, which was really hard over the years': Former Fulham talisman showers praise on 'impressive' Marco Silva
Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe embraces Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United (39) following the Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium on March 16, 2025 in London, England
'I have no doubt that we beat Liverpool because of him' Bruno Guimaraes believes Newcastle United were able to end their trophy drought because of ONE person
'We lost the first league game of the season, then drew with Racing Santander. Spontaneously, I decided to go to Pep's office to reassure him. “Don’t worry,” I told him, “everything will be fine"': Andres Iniesta opens up his early Guardiola pep talk
Latest in Lists
Club World Cup groups
Club World Cup 2025: Every group in focus
Landon Donovan celebrates a goal vs Brazil in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final
Ranked! Top 5 USMNT wins of all-time
Lionel Messi celebrates a goal for Inter Miami.
Ranked! Top 5 Lionel Messi goals with Inter Miami
Senny Mayulu celebrates with a piece of the net after Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 win over Inter in the Champions League final in May 2025.
Homegrown players who scored in European Cup finals
Senny Mayulu celebrates with his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates after scoring his side's fifth goal in the Champions League final against Inter in Munich in May 2025.
One-sided European finals
Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold during the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.
Iconic players leaving their clubs in 2025
Latest in Features
Inter Miami's Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi gestures during the Club World Cup 2025 Group A football match between Egypt's Al-Ahly and US Inter Miami at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on June 14, 2025.
Club World Cup: Inter Miami and Al Ahly talk after their goalless opener
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a header for Barcelona against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome.
The Greatest Football XI of All Time - according to FourFourTwo
Club World Cup groups
Club World Cup 2025: Every group in focus
Alexia Putellas of Spain and Barcelona kissing the the trophy after winning FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia
‘The World Cup became a race against time for me. Now I feel good, in form and super-focused with the mentality that I want to succeed and lift the trophy’ Alexia Putellas on her Euro 2025 dream this summer
Emms’ mother Janice (circled) at the 1971 World Cup
“The whole family were Arsenal fans, but my mum said, ‘I’m supporting Spurs to piss them off!’ She was a striker and modelled herself on Jimmy Greaves” Badminton star Gail Emms on her Lioness star mum’s love for football
Ronaldo Nazario looks at his 2002 FIFA World Cup winners trophy for Brazil during a photo session on March 12, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.
Club World Cup: Who are the DAZN presenters, pundits and commentators?
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Landon Donovan celebrates a goal vs Brazil in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final
    1
    Ranked! Top 5 USMNT wins of all-time
  2. 2
    Club World Cup: Inter Miami and Al Ahly talk after their goalless opener
  3. 3
    ‘The World Cup became a race against time for me. Now I feel good, in form and super-focused with the mentality that I want to succeed and lift the trophy’ Alexia Putellas on her Euro 2025 dream this summer
  4. 4
    “The whole family were Arsenal fans, but my mum said, ‘I’m supporting Spurs to piss them off!’ She was a striker and modelled herself on Jimmy Greaves” Badminton star Gail Emms on her Lioness star mum’s love for football
  5. 5
    ‘It’s always been volatile between Wimbledon and MK, but I don’t mind it. The club’s identity has changed and is a million miles away from 20 years ago’ Dean Lewington looks back at English football’s most controversial rebrand two decades on

FourFourTwo is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About FourFourTwo
  • Advertise with us
  • Worldwide
  • How to pitch to FourFourTwo

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.