Euro 2024 coaching guide: Who has the best coach at the Euros?
It is just days until the first ball is kicked in the 2024 European Championship. Twenty-four national teams and over 300 players will compete for the grand prize.
As expected, hundreds of articles and opinions have been written on which star players will shine in Germany over this one-month period.
However, very little has been said about the abilities of the coaches who train and select these players. For very obvious reasons, the focus is often on the pitch and on the star football players, who create magic, and we forget the coaches who call the shots and carry perhaps the greatest responsibilities in a football team.
However, it is important to remember these men, as without their football knowledge and leadership, their teams would not have achieved much success.
Football is not won by players alone. It is a complex machine that needs the contribution of several men and women to succeed, chief among them being coaches.
Several top coaches will be present at the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Although they may not be the reason we are buying Euro 2024 tickets, it is important to highlight their value to the team.
But just as players come in grades, coaches also come in grades. Some players can change the course of a game with one move, and some coaches can win points for their teams with a single tactical switch.
In this article, we rate the 24 coaches in the 2024 European Championship and their coaching abilities.
We have categorised them into grades A, B and C, judging them using metrics like their experience, titles won, win percentage, and the difficulty level of the leagues or teams where they coached before.
Julian Nagelsmann–Germany
Teams coached: RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, Germany
Career Win Percentage: 55.82%
Total trophies: Three
Category: Grade A
At just 36 years old, Julian Negelsmann is the youngest coach in this year’s European Championship. The Germany coach is set to become the youngest coach in European Championship history as he leads Die Mannschaft on home soil this summer.
The former Bayern Munich man will be 36 years and 327 days old when he takes charge of Germany's Euro 2024 opener against Scotland on June 14th, beating Srečko Katanec's record by six days.
Nagelsmann is one of the best coaches around, and his presence in the Germany dugout makes them one of the favourites to win this year’s tournament.
The 36-year-old is among the A-rated coaches in Germany, with his win percentage of 55.82% over the course of his career among the best around.
He has won three titles during his senior management career and looks well able to add to it in his homeland.
Steve Clarke—Scotland
Teams coached: West Brom, Reading, Kilmarnock FC, Scotland
Career Win Percentage: 41.70%
Total trophies: Nil
Category: Grade B
Scotland’s Steve Clarke is one of the lesser-known coaches in Germany due to his modest coaching career.
The 60-year-old has enjoyed little success with top teams, with his most successful spell in management coming in Kilmarnock FC, whom he guided to European qualification in 2017.
Since becoming Scotland's coach, Clark has led Scotland to two European Championships.
The 2020 Euro edition was Scotland's first major tournament since 1998. However, his side crashed out in the group stage, finishing bottom of their group.
Yet Clarke has proven he can be trusted, with Scotland going on a run of six consecutive wins in their qualifying campaign, beating Spain along the way.
He may not be one of the most tactically gifted coaches in Euro 2024, but he has a lot of experience, having worked as an assistant coach for the likes of Jose Mourinho, Kenny Daglish, and Gianfranco Zola.
Marco Rossi—Hungary
Teams coached: AC Lumezzane, Budapest Honvéd FC, Dunajska Streda, Cavese, AC Scafatese, Spezia, Pro Patria
Career Win Percentage: 41.80%
Total trophies: Nil
Category: Grade B
Not many people know Hungary's coach, Marco Rossi unless those who have been following Serie A for many years. The 59-year-old is a football journeyman, managing clubs outside of Europe’s top five leagues for several years.
However, Rossi has proven that lack of popularity does not translate to a lack of quality with the Hungarian national team.
The former Sampdoria player has had a huge influence in Hungary, leading the Red-White-Greens to back-to-back European Championships. Rossi’s side were also one of the first teams to qualify for Germany, finishing top of their group.
Although Rossi's career win percentage is low (41.80%), his win percentage with Hungary is respectable (50.8%). He has a talented and disciplined squad that is considered one of Euro 2024's dark horses.
Murat Yakin—Switzerland
Teams coached: Grasshoppers, Basel, Spartak Moscow, Schaffhausen, Thun, Sion and Switzerland.
Career Win Percentage: 44.7%
Total trophies: Three
Category: Grade B
Switzerland’s Murat Yakin is one of the youngest coaches in this year’s European campaign, but the 49-year-old is one of the most experienced.
He has managed over 420 games at senior level, with a respectable 44.7%, which puts him slightly below the second-tier in our rating.
Murat has won three titles, and his experience in the dugout could be the difference maker in this tournament.
Luis de la Fuente–Spain
Teams coached: Club Portugalete, Spain youths, Spain senior team
Career Win Percentage: 49.87%
Total trophies: Three
Category: Grade B
Luis de la Fuente may not be a popular coach, having not coached any top team in Europe. But the 62-year-old is one of the few coaches in Euro 2024 who has won national team trophies, having won the UEFA Nations League title with the Spain senior team and two European Championship titles with the Spanish youth teams.
La Fuente’s record with Spain makes him one of the top national team coaches in Euro 2024. His win percentage of 69.23% with La Roja is also one of the best around.
Zlatko Dalić—Croatia
Teams coached: Varteks Varaždin, Rijeka, Dinamo Tirana, Slaven Belupo, Al-Faisaly, Al-Hilal, Al-Ain and Croatia.
Career Win Percentage: 45.84%
Total trophies: Five
Category: Grade B
Zlatko Dalić will be one of the longest-serving coaches in the 2024 European Championship, having been hired as Croatia coach since 2017.
Although the 57-year-old has a modest coaching career in club football, he is widely regarded as the greatest coach in the Croatian national team's history due to his success at multiple World Cups, including a runner-up in 2018 and a third-place finish in Qatar last time.
Dalić’s biggest strength lies not in his tactical ability but in his excellent man-management and ability to motivate his players.
With a 50.6 win average in over 80 games with the national team, Dalić is one of the best coaches in Euro 2024.
Luciano Spalletti—Italy
Teams coached: Empoli, Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese, Roma, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Inter Milan, Napoli, Italy
Career Win Percentage: 51.65%
Total trophies: Eight
Category: Grade A
Italy’s Luciano Spalletti is one of the most decorated coaches who will be in the dugout in Euro 2024. The former Napoli coach is a born-winner and a highly experienced coach who has overseen over one thousand senior games over a span of over 25 years.
The 65-year-old most successful spell in club management came in Napoli and Roma, winning two Coppa Italia titles with the latter and a Serie A title with the former.
Spaletti enjoyed a 65% win percentage with both Roma and Napoli, so he comes into this tournament with one of the most impressive CVs among his peers.
Spalletti loves an attacking 4-3-3 formation, and his Napoli side last season proved he understands how to play beautiful football when the tools are present.
However, his Italy team seems to be low on morale and attacking quality. Yet five wins and just one loss in nine games (D2) with 17 goals scored shows that Spalletti can work his magic with the Euro defending champions.
Albania—Sylvinho
Teams coached: Lyon, Corinthians, Albania
Career Win Percentage: 37.88%
Total trophies: Nil
Category: Grade C
Albania’s coach Sylvinho was a popular player during his playing career, but very few people have heard anything about his coaching career.
The Brazilian managed only seven games as a first-team coach in Europe with Lyon before returning to his native Brazil with Corinthians. And although he recorded less than 37% win percentage with both teams, that was still enough for the Albanian FA to hand him the keys to the national team.
He has repaid the faith of the Albanian people by leading them to the European Championship for just the second time in their history.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona defender has been impressive in his management of Albania, winning six of 12 games (D3, L3), which gives him a modest 50% win percentage with Albania.
The 50-year-old may not be an A-rated coach, but he has proven to be persistent. Despite Albania's lack of squad depth and poor quality, Sylvinho has managed to punch above his weight with the Red and Blacks.
Matjaž Kek—Slovenia
Teams coached: Maribor, Al-Ittihad, Rijeka, Slovenia
Career Win Percentage: 55.87%
Total trophies: Seven
Category: Grade C
A quick look at Matjaž Kek’s coaching career suggests that he is yet to be tested at the highest level in Europe.
But Kek is no newbie and has been in management for decades, initially leading the Slovenian national team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The 62-year-old is in his second stint as Slovenia's boss and has proven his quality by leading the nation to its first Euro participation since 2000. That Slovenia finished second in its group, level on points with Denmark is a testament to how good Kek is.
Kasper Hjulmand—Denmark
Teams coached: Nordsjælland, Mainz 05, Denmark
Career Win Percentage: 42.34%
Total trophies: Two
Category: Grade B
Denmark’s Kasper Hjulmand is one of the coaches you should be on the lookout for in Euro 2024.
The Danish coach has been around for five years, leading Denmark to two major tournaments.
Although they had a poor outing in the World Cup, finishing bottom of their group, Denmark under Hjulmand enjoyed a remarkable run in the 2020 European Championship, finishing in third place.
With over 50 games under his belt with the national team and a 50% win rate, Hjulmand’s experience could give him an edge in this year’s European Championship.
Dragan Stojkovic—Serbia
Teams coached: Nagoya Grampus, Guangzhou R&F and Serbia
Career Win Percentage: 47.92%
Total trophies: Two
Category: Grade C
Serbia's Dragan Stojkovic is one of the few managers in the 2024 European Championship with a few years of experience managing in Europe.
The 59-year-old cut his teeth managing in Asia. He also has the rare privilege of being one of the only managers to have served in football management with a stint as Red Star Belgrade’s president and the Serbian FA president.
Although Stojkovic has enjoyed little attention coaching in Europe, he has a respectable record with Serbia, leading them to the 2022 World Cup, with his team putting up a decent outing despite finishing bottom of their group.
That said, the 2024 European Championship will serve as a litmus test of Stojkovic’s coaching prowess.
Gareth Southgate—England
Teams coached: Middlesbrough, England
Career Win Percentage: 46.10%
Total trophies: Nil
Category: Grade B
England's head coach, Gareth Southgate, will be one of the most popular coaches in Germany this year, having managed the Three Lions coach since 2016.
He has since led England to three major tournaments but without winning any. His England side was knocked out in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup before losing to Italy in the 2020 European Championship.
Last World Cup, Southgate led the Three Lions to the quarter-finals despite some brilliant performances in Qatar.
However, despite his apparent failures and near misses, the England boss has set himself apart as a brilliant coach with England.
Under him, the Three Lions have become a formidable team and are constantly among the favourites to win any tournament they are participating in.
Although he has a poor career win percentage of 46%, he has the second-highest win percentage of any England manager, with his 61.3% win average behind only Fabio Capello among managers who have managed 40 games and above for England.
Winning a major title with England is all that Southgate needs to be counted among the best coaches of his generation. Perhaps with more luck, he will be able to do that this summer and bring football back home.
