Managers who play the most attractive brand of football

Skills

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Guardiola is obviously right up there. Arguably no manager ever has managed to put together teams who score as much goals as him.

Klopp's football can be thrilling at times, and at its best is probably the most dynamic, and action packed version of the game at display.

Hansi Flick anyone? His iteration of Bayern was probably my favourite one in the last 10 or so years. Probably even more fun than Heynckes' treble winning team. It's high octane football, with an extremely aggressive high line - which must make you shit it, if you're actually supporting them. But at the same time, the rewards on the other end are incredible.
 

do.ob

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Is there a difference between attractive and successful anymore for top coaches? To be successful you need have solutions with the ball and use some form of organized (Gegen)pressing. Which is probably what most people do associate with attractiveness. Most of the difference is just whether they focus more on the pressing aspect or the possession aspect of the game.
 

paulscholes18

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Bielsa's teams are always a good watch with their man to man marking, and free flowing aggressive attacking style when in top form.

Julian Nagelsmann. Always liked the way he sets his sides up, showed that playing with a back 3 doesn't always mean being defensive.
 

thegregster

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Attractive football was killed by pressing. It doesn't exist anymore.
 

yumtum

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Surely this is subjective? I preferred the style of Real over Barca personally.
 

Skills

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Surely this is subjective? I preferred the style of Real over Barca personally.
Is attractive football subjective? For me it's just football that results in your team scoring a lot of goals.
 

tomaldinho1

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It’s very clear right now teams who can press at a high level really are in the ascendancy and are most ‘fun’ to watch.

There are so many pressing systems, it’s upsetting we simply haven’t seemed bothered but hopefully that is now going to change. Given there seem to be no elite managers available immediately, I think it’s logical to bring in a high risk coach now, basically someone who has built to high press team before but likely won’t be long term, to lay the foundations for someone like Poch if they come in summer.

They have to be hands on and a head coach first and foremost and it really doesn’t matter if they have won anything. Think of this hire as the first stepping stone towards getting our version of Klopp, Tuchel, Pep. There just has to be some proof of work at the highest level and not just them saying they’ll build an attacking, high press team and then just trying to figure it out as they go.
 

Skills

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Is there a difference between attractive and successful anymore for top coaches? To be successful you need have solutions with the ball and use some form of organized (Gegen)pressing. Which is probably what most people do associate with attractiveness. Most of the difference is just whether they focus more on the pressing aspect or the possession aspect of the game.
There are successful coaches who don't play attractive football. Allegri being one for example
 

yumtum

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Is attractive football subjective? For me it's just football that results in your team scoring a lot of goals.
Well, a team could play beautiful football with high possession but be really unlucky in front of goal, and on the opposite end of the scale a low possession team could score with their only chance?

I'm assuming the question related to build up play?
 

Skills

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Well, a team could play beautiful football with high possession but be really unlucky in front of goal, and on the opposite end of the scale a low possession team could score with their only chance?

I'm assuming the question related to build up play?
Well yes. Let's say teams who create a lot of goal scoring opportunities. But let's be honest, a team that creates a lot of chances but doesn't finish them would very, very quickly become an extremely frustrating team to watch. And frustrating football and attractive football don't really go hand in hand.

The most exhilarating thing that happens on a football pitch is a goal. The teams that create and score the most goals are the most attractive to watch. As a neutral you tune in to watch goals, and as a supporter the thing that gives you the biggest buzz is watching your team put the ball in the opposition goal.
 

Blood Mage

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Klopp and Nagelsmann play the most entertaining football for me. But Pep is the best tactician of his generation.
 

harms

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Is there a difference between attractive and successful anymore for top coaches? To be successful you need have solutions with the ball and use some form of organized (Gegen)pressing. Which is probably what most people do associate with attractiveness. Most of the difference is just whether they focus more on the pressing aspect or the possession aspect of the game.
Conte, Zidane, Simeone and a few others are highly successful but hardly set up their teams to play entertaining football.
 

harms

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Pep, Klopp, Nagelsmann, Gasperini, Flick, Ten Hag, Bielsa… Tuchel’s football is nice when a team plays like he wants it to.
 

Dan_F

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Attractive football was killed by pressing. It doesn't exist anymore.
Agree with this. Winning the ball high up the pitch is key to so many modern systems, but I wouldn’t ever really call that attractive, despite it being highly impressive from a coaching point of view.
 

JJ12

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Klopp and Nagelsmann play the most entertaining football for me. But Pep is the best tactician of his generation.
Pep doesn’t really have a plan B though. And he outthinks himself in some big games, like the CL final.
 

Borys

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Hate to say it but I enjoy Pep style the most. His City side is not only good at scoring goals*, but he has an exceptional defensive record in the last few years. He has a big squad of very good players obviously, but just a few you can call world class. Pep created a system which makes all players look good.

*actually they are great at creating chances rather than scoring goals, probably due to Pep allergy to strikers.

I hate playing Pep teams.
 

do.ob

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Conte, Zidane, Simeone and a few others are highly successful but hardly set up their teams to play entertaining football.
Simeone and Allegri look like relatively clear exceptions to what I wrote. I'm less sure about Zidane or Conte.
 

Cassidy

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Is attractive football subjective? For me it's just football that results in your team scoring a lot of goals.
You answered your own question
 

Skills

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Pep doesn’t really have a plan B though. And he outthinks himself in some big games, like the CL final.
Really? I don't think that's correct. He's one of the most flexible coaches around in terms of his team's set up.

The second statement though correct contradicts with the first. I think his flexibility results in him tinkering too much when he's just sometimes better off sticking with his plan A
 

L1nk

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Klopp's early Dortmund were still one of the most entertaining teams i've seen in terms of just ruthless aggression and teamplay, he's adapted a little at Liverpool and I don't think it's as entertaining, though arguably more successful


At the moment it's probably Ten Hag or Nagelsmann for me
 

Cassidy

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Is there a difference between attractive and successful anymore for top coaches? To be successful you need have solutions with the ball and use some form of organized (Gegen)pressing. Which is probably what most people do associate with attractiveness. Most of the difference is just whether they focus more on the pressing aspect or the possession aspect of the game.
Yes, some top coaches have very defensive styles.
 

charlenefan

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Despite how successful Pep and Klopp have been in the PL I still find the football played in some other European leagues more attractive, watching other sides in the UCL they just appear to be a class above the English sides on the ball still. Where I feel the PL sides are better though is defensively hence the greater success in the competition in recent years

In terms of the PL though I'd say Liverpool score more pleasing on the eyes goals than anyone but their actual football is obviously just a lot of long balls and crossing
 

Sviken

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Klopp's teams remind me most of what we were under SAF, so I'll go with him even though I love the utmost domination Guardiola's teams have over the pitch when they're on their game.
 

youngrell

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Klopp has certainly changed to a more conservative/successful approach to the high octane stuff his teams played previously. I can't really say I find the way Liverpool play to be extremely entertaining.

Pep's teams can also bore you to tears on times, but I always feel impressed by how well drilled the system is as they continually score similar goals. It's very effective but again, wouldn't class it as overly attractive.

Systems seem to be the way forward in modern football, but I tend to prefer a bit of variety and individual skill on the whole.
 

NotoriousISSY

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I enjoy watching a team dominate the pitch territorially and simply wear down their opponent as much as I enjoy all out attack.

Pep has dismantled the best and worst of United since 2009 and I've never felt bitter about it - I've just wanted us to get to that level with a true footballing philosophy.
 

Oranges038

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Pep doesn’t really have a plan B though. And he outthinks himself in some big games, like the CL final.
He did resort to some Stokesque style of launching long throws and high balls into the box in his last CL final. That might count as a plan B.
 

youmeletsfly

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I really liked how Jupp Heynckes set up his Bayern team back in the day, especially against teams that pressed aggressively. He somehow found a way to move the ball nicely and quickly past the press and from there on it was all out attack.

From the current crop of managers I like Peter Bosz, Pep, Klopp, even Conte. It's true that "aesthetic" football was kind of killed by high press, but you still see it here and there.

For me what counts is seeing a coach's plan/idea taking place on the pitch, seeing the patterns and the movement. I also like seeing a team being able to adapt to the opposition on the pitch and I think Zidane's Madrid was the perfect example of that.
 

Champ

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Pep is a mastermind, a true connoisseur or posession based football, I for one absolutely loved watching Peps teams, until he joined City!!

As for the most attractive, it's highly subjective, but I actually enjoyed some early games of Uniteds under LVG, we had style, grace, wing play and always dominated games, sadly it turned into a rather blunt way of playing as it progressed.

I absolutely love Luis Enrique and the way he has Spain playing, again a very similar posession based football to Pep, but with more verticality, a lot more cut and thrust about it.

Leonardo Jardim at Monaco played some very exciting football, some young players at his disposal, he got them playing attacking fluid football with every player working hard for the team.
 

adexkola

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I've enjoyed the Liverpool - City games in recent years, the high quality in terms of tactics, players, and excitement is a testament to the qualities of both managers.

Bielsa is up there. Gasperini in Italy. Sarri's Napoli were always good for a watch.
 

WeePat

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I've enjoyed the Liverpool - City games in recent years, the high quality in terms of tactics, players, and excitement is a testament to the qualities of both managers.

Bielsa is up there. Gasperini in Italy. Sarri's Napoli were always good for a watch.
I pretty much agree with this.

I did enjoy Pep's Barca and Klopp's Dortmund more than their current teams though. Sarri's Napoli were unreal.

Graham Potter's football is very pleasing to watch. I really want to see him try his hand at coaching a bigger club with higher quality players.
 
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DWelbz19

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Pep with Sterling and Sane on the flanks >>
 

adexkola

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City always seem better when the outside right in right footed and the outside left is left footed, i wonder why he sometimes changes it around.
Depending on the opposition, ball retention is more key to minimize transition opportunities for the other side, according to Pep.

For example, Sterling was great yesterday, however there was an occasion where a failed dribble of his led to an opportunity for Everton to break on City.

I agree with you in the sense that they are at their dynamic best with a right footer on the right and a left footer on the left.