Great Managers Who ‘LACKED AURA’?

It’s often forgotten that some of the most successful managers of all time were methodical, quiet types who lacked the bombast and charisma of your Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho types.

Who were ‘The Quiet Ones’?

A THREAD 🧵 Bob Paisley – The Reluctant Genius

Bob Paisley never sought the limelight, yet he became the most successful British manager of his era. Unlike his predecessor, Bill Shankly, who was a charismatic force of nature, Paisley was quiet, reserved, and often seemed uncomfortable in the public eye. But beneath his modest exterior lay a footballing genius who took Liverpool to unprecedented heights. While Shankly had built Liverpool’s foundation, Paisley elevated them to a European powerhouse, securing six league titles and three European Cups in just nine years. His ability to transition Liverpool into a ruthless, efficient machine without the need for grand speeches or media battles made his success all the more remarkable.

Paisley’s strength was his deep tactical understanding and unparalleled eye for talent. He made seemingly understated signings—Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen—that turned into club legends. His teams were defined by their intelligence, fluidity, and an ability to win without fuss, mirroring his own personality. Where other managers sought control through intimidation or sheer presence, Paisley operated in the background, subtly guiding his players to play the Liverpool way. His success was so seamless that it was sometimes overlooked, as he never courted attention or sought to build a personal legacy.

Even in retirement, Paisley remained understated, resisting the urge to claim credit for Liverpool’s dominance. He proved that a manager didn’t need an overpowering aura to build a dynasty—just a deep understanding of the game, an ability to evolve, and a quiet confidence in their methods. Though often overshadowed by more outspoken figures, his record remains untouchable: he is still the only British manager with three European Cups. While others may have been more charismatic, few were as quietly effective as Bob Paisley.

Decade Dominance: Identifying the STRONGEST ERAS for Each Position in Football

Which era's had the best goalkeepers, RB's, CBs, LBs, CDMs, CMs, CAMs, RWs, LW's, CFs... we compare various decades to see which decade produced the cream of the crop for certain positions.

A THREAD The 1960s are widely regarded as the golden era for goalkeepers, thanks to the immense impact of figures who not only defined the role but revolutionised it.

Legendary keepers such as Lev Yashin, the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or in 1963, and Gordon Banks, England’s World Cup hero in 1966, set new standards for shot-stopping and leadership from the back. Brazil's Gilmar, a key figure in their 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories, was integral to the development of the modern goalkeeper. His influence stretched far beyond Brazil, as he was known for his composure under pressure and his ability to command the area, setting a benchmark for keepers worldwide.

The 1960s saw goalkeepers evolve from just shot-stoppers to pivotal figures in defensive organization and playmaking.

In Europe, the 1968 European Championship saw Dino Zoff emerge as a key player for Italy, cementing his place as one of the most reliable goalkeepers of his generation, though his peak came in the 1970s and 1980s. Similarly, Sepp Maier, whose peak came in the 1970s, began to make his mark in the 1960s. Maier's influence on German football grew as he became known for his intelligent positioning, shot-stopping, and ability to play out from the back—traits that would define goalkeeping in the following decades.

While the 2000s provide strong competition with keepers like Buffon, Kahn, and Čech, who became the foundation of their respective teams and won major tournaments, the 1960s remain the benchmark for goalkeepers' innovative impact on the game.

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United | Tactical Thread

➡️ Ugarte MOTM
➡️ Bruno good positions but wasteful, got better
➡️ Trent was abysmal (head in Madrid?)
➡️ Jones lacked presence compared to Mainoo
➡️ De Ligt dived in when he should have stood tall
➡️ CB goal threat

#LFC #MUFC In terms of the passing networks, United had correctly identified Liverpool's right flank as a defensive weakness and in possession everything was geared to go down that side. Paradoxically it meant Diallo was less involved than in previous games but this meant United were more unpredictable and it allowed players like Dalot to shine.

Liverpool, didn't do anything drastically difficult in terms of shape but with Trent hurting them so much off the ball, they couldn't get into a settled controlled rhythm and they had to fight fire with fire throughout the game.

From moments of magic to eras of dominance, these teams shaped the history of African football. Let’s explore seven legendary sides, the players who defined them

Africa's Greatest Teams Ever - A Thread🧵

#AFCON 𝐀𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟐-𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟎

This golden era for Algerian football began with one of the most iconic World Cup upsets in history: Algeria defeating West Germany 2-1 in their opening game of the 1982 tournament. Led by midfield maestro Lakhdar Belloumi and clinical forward Rabah Madjer, Algeria’s class of ‘82 proved that African teams could not only compete with the best in the world but beat them.

Though they were controversially eliminated due to the infamous "Disgrace of Gijón" match between West Germany and Austria, their performance was a watershed moment for African football. Madjer’s performances in ’82 meant a move to Europe, where he immortalised himself in both African and European folklore winning the 1987 European Cup with Porto.

The team’s success continued through the decade, culminating in their first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in 1990. With a talented squad featuring the tournament top scorer Djamel Menad and backed by passionate home support, Algeria defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy on home soil. This period solidified Algeria’s place among Africa’s footballing elite. Algeria also achieved their highest FIFA ranking of 15th in 1982 following their World Cup heroics.

Sell Stars, Build Culture, Win Trophies

With Amorim looking to cut Rashford, we look at transfers where managers took bold action, wielding the axe on big names they saw as cultural roadblocks—resetting team dynamics and steering their clubs back to success.

⚔️🏆

[A THREAD] Pep Guardiola's Cultural Reset: The Birth of Tiki-Taka and the Rise of Messi

Ronaldinho, a Ballon d’Or winner, was a magician on the pitch but had fallen victim to complacency and off-field distractions. His brilliance was now overshadowed by late-night parties and waning fitness. Deco, an equally gifted playmaker, was also seen as emblematic of the squad’s fading focus. Guardiola’s decision to part ways with both was met with skepticism. How could Barcelona survive, let alone thrive, without these talismans?

But for Pep, their exits weren’t just tactical—they were symbolic. Their departures sent a message that no one was bigger than the team and that a new era would prioritise discipline and hard work over reputation.

In their place, Guardiola turned to players who embodied humility and dedication. Chief among them was a young Lionel Messi, whose prodigious talent was matched by an unassuming demeanor. Alongside Messi, other homegrown talents like Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets formed the backbone of the team. These players weren’t just technically gifted; they were steeped in the club’s philosophy, having been groomed at La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy.

This new group of “choirboys,” weren’t about the flash of the individual but the harmony of the collective. Under Guardiola’s guidance, they would come to redefine football itself.

Guardiola’s cultural overhaul bore fruit almost immediately. In his first season, Barcelona won an unprecedented treble: La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. Their style of play was mesmerising, dismantling opponents with precision and fluidity. Ronaldinho and Deco’s brilliance was soon a distant memory, eclipsed by the systemic dominance of Guardiola’s tiki-taka machine.

More importantly, Guardiola had re-established Barcelona’s identity. The club became synonymous with elegance, discipline, and a commitment to nurturing homegrown talent.

Liverpool 2-0 Man City | Tactical Thread

➡️ Silva was City's deepest mid? Pep has lost the plot
➡️ Fired up Trent, dominates passive Szoboszlai's zone
➡️ Van Dijk humbles Haaland + dominates set pieces
➡️ City no vertical penetration in wide areas
➡️ Akanji positioned too high As we can see from City's position/pass network, that there is zero width down the right. Everything seems geared to getting the ball to Nunes... but why is Pep treating an out of position B2B as his new Eden Hazard?

A bizzare move which proves he's not in his right mind atm.

Man City 0-4 Tottenham | Tactical Thread

➡️ Walker is finished - STOP STARTING HIM!
➡️ Pep's OOP Structure is abysmal, no CDM??
➡️ Kulusevski bullies Gvardiol by making him defend
➡️ Haaland needs to trust his right foot
➡️ In possession City did look slick but lost confidence City started well but for me Haaland's lack of willingness to use his right foot meant that some great opportunities were squandered and this then allowed Spurs to stay in the game.

He refused to use his first touch to push the ball into space in front of him and kept working it back onto his left which allowed Spurs time to get back in and make blocks.

Ruben Amorim's DEBUT - What to expect TACTICALLY?

➡️Pentagon Press (3 forwards, 2 CM) backed by WB
➡️Ugarte unleashed as ball hunter
➡️Feed Forward - CF centric service plan
➡️Rest Defence (5-4-1)

Full Video:

#MUFC

[A THREAD] 👇 Amorim presses in a very structured manner. It is called a 'pentagon press' where he uses a 5 man unit to hunt for the ball... the CF supported by the two inside forwards, which is then supported by a second wave of two midfielders who vacate the space in midfield. It can lead to potential gaps between midfield and defence.

The near side wing back also supports the press whilst the other side moves back to form a back 4.

"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"

What happens to those who follow greatness? Some crumble under the weight of expectation, others thrive. A rare few step out of the shadows to forge their own legacies.

Shadow Managers - A thread🧵 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 – Sunderland

Campbell followed Tom Watson, Britain’s first great football manager. Watson turned Sunderland into a powerhouse, known as the “team of all talents.” He elevated the manager’s role from administrative to visionary.

When Watson left for Liverpool, Campbell stepped in but couldn’t maintain Sunderland’s dominance. He left with no titles, forever overshadowed by Watson’s legacy.

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal | Tactical THREAD

➡️ Cucurella seems to have Saka's number?
➡️ Gusto's best defensive performance?
➡️ Odegaard invisible but decisive, Palmer the opposite
➡️ Caicedo stepped up as defensive shield
➡️ Raya swept to perfection
➡️ Rice at LCM is too vanilla Arsenal erred today by using Rice as a LCM off the ball, which meant he couldn't get to grips with Cole Palmer who arguably had his best big match display this season in terms of 'involvement'.

Having said that, Cole Palmer didn't make the most of it with some poor decision making in key moments but it was overall a step in the right direction as he didn't ghost but tried to impact the game.

Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea | Tactical Thread

➡️ Palmer ghosts (played in front of Ugarte/Casemiro) ➡️ Mazraoui inverting sets traps for Madueke
➡️ Hojlund made it stick too much (release earlier)
➡️ Maresca stop A team v B team
➡️ Chelsea vulnerable out wide

#CFC #MUFC Palmer was given a free ride against Newcastle, with plenty of space to operate in.

In this game, United had two defensive minded players in midfield (but both with a tendency to leave space in behind). Palmer failed to exploit this space, dropping too deep to connect player and letting United midfield get set up.

Maresca needs to show some more balls or inventivenss here and be prepared to take Palmer off, or combine him with anoher playmaker in these type of games where he is stifled especially bigger games where space is at a premium.

Ten Hag 's 7 DEADLY TACTICAL SINS

❌ Large distances in midfield (3-1-6)
❌ Lack of quality overlaps
❌ CB's either too slow or feeble
❌ CF's starved or undercooked
❌ Lack of legs/positional IQ at CDM
❌ Bruno, Rashford - Hollywood Ball
❌15 min press

A THREAD 🧵

#MUFC How often did we see United play this absolutely moronic 3-1-6 shape in possession where there was zero relationisim in the midfield region, no chance for the deepest midfielder to find consistent options to pass it to and create some triangles... a key concept for when a team is trying to control chaos.

Eriksen, Casemiro, Mainoo... all suffered at times as the sides deepest pivot only to see their partners flying forward to pick up pockets of space with no real chance of the ball getting there and watching their team mate swarmed under pressure.

Not to mention this also left the team pretty vulnerable on the counter which we will touch upon later.

Ten Hag’s #MUFC tenure vs Arne Slot brief #LFC reign is a wonderful study in the importance of good coaching.

Failure to sign Zubimendi - was easy for Liverpool’s build up to take a hit and for them to lose ‘control’.

Instead Slot coaches his way out of it.

A THREAD 🧵 Ten Hag’s terrible player profiling especially in the midfield region has really haunted Manchester United during his entire reign.

The 6 region has completely baffled him on and off the ball.

Yet this is the area of the pitch where the modern coach most needs to excel in since the rise of Guardiola…

Klopp-Ball to Slot Ball…

5 KEY DIFFERENCES we’ve observed since Arne took the post.

A Thread 🧵

#LFC #LiverpoolFC We touched upon this previously but it seems super fast starts to rattle the opposition are Klopp’s bread and butter whereas Slot tends to want to digest the action before unsheathing his sword…

https://twitter.com/pythaginboots/status/1828343857722884293

A key difference between Arne Slot and Klopp?

Intensity of 1st half vs 2nd half.

Klopp used energy of the crowd to win the first 15 minutes and ride the momentum for remainder of game whereas Slot prefers surgical approach first before loosening handbrake.

A THREAD (w Data)🧵





Due to the small sample size, we looked at Slot time with Feyenoord to see if this was a coincidence or if this is a deeper principle he has always abided by. The numbers shocked us…

Feyenoord definitely stepped it up more second half compared to first half…

The COSTLIEST transfer errors by GREAT managers …

A THREAD 🧵 The sale of Jaap Stam. Jaap was the world’s best centre back during the treble season but a season later he was sold (not quite in his prime but still operating at a world class level).

Early in the 2001–02 season, Stam was controversially sold to Lazio in Italy after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly upset by allegations Stam had made in his autobiography Head to Head about the club. Stam made numerous statements in the book about his views on opposing players, and alleged that Ferguson's approach to buy him was done without the permission of PSV. Later, Simon Kuper reported that contrary to initial belief, Ferguson had noticed that Stam's tackling numbers were declining and simply assumed the defender was past his playing peak.Laurent Blanc was signed as his replacement.

In 2007, however, Ferguson described the decision to sell Stam as an error: "At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit. We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level."

With highly organised in possession structures the norm, it is tough to distinguish different strategic approaches.

3 philosophies have stood out though:

➡️ Pinball Possession (Slot)
➡️ Prescribed Possession (Pep/Arteta)
➡️ Specialised Possession (Maresca)

A Thread 🧵 Pinball possession is where there’s a swarm of players who seem to partake in fast paced possession, feels relationist - distances seem small but the intensity is high and intent to get the ball forward quickly without resorting to long balls.

Risks are taken in build up play, to get the ball forward quickly along the ground, sucking in the press and playing it through the lines with speed is key.

This can look chaotic and requires a high level of technique especially in deeper areas as there is nowhere to hide in possession.

Slot and Ange Postecoglou fall into this category for me. Can be beautiful to watch and feels relentless but also reckless.

Greatest Ever WING DUOS …

A THREAD 🧵 Where else to start but ‘Robbery’…

One thing you’ll realise about most of these wing pairings is this uneasiness of an alliance, great wingers are by nature quite selfish and used to being the star player of their side from a young age and want to ball hog so having to share the limelight with another can be quite a emasculating process.

Whilst Robben and Ribery to the outside observer was an unreal wing pairing and full of chemistry, in truth they set up camp on opposite flanks demanding that they get the lions share of possession - fortunately their team mates did a wonderful balancing act and allowed them to hit a zenith in football that they wouldn’t have been able to do without each other.

Robben, a left-footed right winger, was known for his trademark move of cutting inside from the right flank and unleashing powerful shots with his left foot. His incredible dribbling, pace, and finishing ability made him a constant threat. Ribéry, a right-footed left winger, brought creativity, agility, and exceptional ball control. His ability to beat defenders and provide precise crosses and key passes complemented Robben’s direct approach perfectly.

Together, they helped Bayern Munich win numerous titles, including multiple Bundesliga championships, DFB-Pokal trophies, and the coveted UEFA Champions League in 2013. That season, they were pivotal in Bayern’s historic treble-winning campaign, which also included the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles.

Calafiori to Arsenal… Tactical Analysis

🔴What strengths does he bring?
⚪️What would he improve?
🔴How does he fit?
⚪️What does he not bring to the table?

A THREAD 🧵 Strong in the air, Calafiori has duelled with the likes of Osimhen and lived to tell the tale so in terms of a combative POV he should handle the physical tussles of the Premier League…

Ugarte to United… Tactical Analysis

What strengths does he bring to Manchester United? What would he improve? How does he fit? What does he not bring to the table?

A THREAD 🧵

#MUFC I have likened him to a Gattuso/Kante style of CM, he’s a rabid ball winner who seeks and destroys. If given a role where he can be freed up to hunt for the ball, he can be a menace… one of Europe’s leading ball winners statistically whilst at Lisbon

SLOW players blessed with PERPETUAL MOVEMENT...

i.e. players who may have lacked pace, but through intelligence, footwork, agility and most importantly STAMINA/MOVEMENT (i.e. constant offering for the ball) could wield their influence on the biggest of stages.

A THREAD 🧵 Kroos is the modern poster boy for proving that even in this so-called space age of fitter, faster - it doesn't necessarily mean better. There is still space in the game for a human snail to lord it over gym-forged Adonis' through his insatiable desire to get on the ball and calculate the right pass, time and time again.