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Ranked! The 50 best managers in the world
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  1. Features

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

By Greg Lea published 13 October 2017

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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
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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).

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