Part Two: Who is the best coach for Euro 2024?
The eyes of the footballing world will be in Germany for the next month as 24 European nations compete for the European Championship grand prize.
The over 300 players expected to participate in the tournament have already been announced, and the national teams have set up camp in Germany.
Fans are also in an expectant mood, purchasing their Euro 2024 tickets in anticipation of the event.
With many articles and opinions already in public space about the 24 participating teams and their players, we have undertaken the task of writing about the men behind each team's key decisions—the coaches and managers.
We have already written part one of this article, in which we rate the 24 coaches participating 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.
Michał Probierz—Poland
Teams coached: Jagiellonia Białystok, Cracovia, ŁKS Łódź, Aris Thessaloniki, Wisła Kraków, GKS Bełchatów, Lechia Gdańsk, Poland
Career Win Percentage: 39.46%
Total trophies: Four
Category: Grade C
Poland's coach, Michał Probierz, is one of the least-known coaches in Euro 2024.
The 51-year-old spent most of his playing and managerial career in the Polish Ekstraklasa, making him an unknown quantity to those outside his native Poland.
As a manager, Probierz won the Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup twice, with Jagiellonia Białystok in 2010 and Cracovia in 2020.
But those trophies are about the only positive highlights in his coaching career, with his win percentage of 39.46%, one of the lowest in the tournament.
However, Probierz is still unbeaten as Poland boss (W5, D3), leading the team to the European Championship with a penalty shootout win over Wales.
Ronald Koeman—Netherlands
Teams coached: Vitesse, Ajax, Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia, Az Alkmaar, Feynoord, Southampton, Everton, Netherlands.
Career Win Percentage: 54.10%
Total trophies: Nine
Category: Grade B
Ronald Koeman will undoubtedly be one of the most decorated individuals in the European Championship this term.
The Dutchman had a glorious playing and decent managerial career, winning trophies in most of the clubs he managed.
Many fans will best remember him for his disastrous spell as Barca boss, though, where he broke several poor records, including recording Barca's worst league start since 1992 in his first season, having won only eleven points in the first eight La Liga matches.
But his most recent spell in club management does not tell the whole story, and Koeman has proved that he still has much to offer with the Dutch national team, who he has guided to ten wins in 15 games so far.
Ralf Rangnick—Austria
Teams coached: Ulm 1846, VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, TSG Hoffenheim, Schalke 04, RB Leipzig, Manchester United, Austria
Career Win Percentage: 47.80%
Total trophies: five
Category: Grade B
Despite his disastrous spell at Manchester United, Austria’s coach, Ralf Rangnick, is one of the most respected coaches in Euro 2024.
The German is regarded as the "godfather" of modern German football and is credited with developing Gegenpressing. He has influenced the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Ralph Hasenhüttl and Julian Nagelsmann.
Ragnick has enjoyed success in most of the teams he's managed, including taking Austria to their third consecutive European Championship.
He has Austria playing well, giving them a slim chance of qualifying from their group, even though they have France and the Netherlands to battle with. His presence in the dugout will make a difference.
Didier Deschamps—France
Teams coached: Monaco, Juventus, Marseille, France
Career Win Percentage: 55.44%
Total trophies: Ten
Category: Grade A
No other coach in the 2024 European Championship has the kind of pedigree Didier Deschamps has.
The Frenchman is the longest-serving manager in Euro 2024, having been manager of the French national team since 2012. He has won the World Cup with Les Bleus and reached the finals of the 2016 European Championship and the finals of the last edition of that World Cup.
Having lost to Portugal in the Euro 2016 finals, Deschamps will be desperate to lead France to the only remaining major title he hasn't won as a coach with the national team.
Domenico Tedesco—Belgium
Teams coached: Erzgebirge Aue, Schalke 04, Spartak Moscow, RB Leipzig and Belgium.
Career Win Percentage: 53.66%
Total trophies: one
Category: Grade B
Belgium's Domenico Tedesco is the second youngest coach in the 2024 European Championship.
The Italian-German manager is young, but he has several years of experience and has enjoyed success in most of the clubs he's managed. Tedesco won the DFB Pokal with RB Leipzig, surpassing Julian Nagelsmann, another bright manager, who never won a trophy with RB Leipzig.
The 38-year-old is yet to taste defeat as Belgium's boss, and his tactical brilliance will add to the quality of an already talented Belgium squad. However, his shocking decision to omit Thibaut Courtois from the final squad could backfire.
Francesco Calzona—Slovakia
Teams coached: Napoli and Slovakia.
Career Win Percentage: 35.29
Total trophies: none
Category: Grade C
Those who know Francesco Calzona probably know him best as Maurizio Sarri’s trusted assistant. The little-known Italian cut his teeth in management as an assistant to Sarri at Napoli, where he met former Slovakia international Marek Hamsik.
Hamsik, who played a record 138 times for Slovakia, was instrumental in Calzona's move to Slovakia. However, the decision has raised eyebrows among many fans, especially as the 55-year-old struggled in his only senior management job.
Calzona was Napoli's third manager this just-concluded season, and his record of just three wins in 14 games with the Serie A giants (D8, L3) makes for grim reading.
That said, his tenure in the national team has been better. Slovakia finished second in their group, with only two narrow defeats against standout group winners Portugal. Calzona has also made Slovakia play more entertaining attacking football rather than the defensive low block they are accustomed to.
If his coaching style helps Slovakia qualify for the round of 16, his reputation as a coach will soar.
Edward Iordănescu—România
Teams coached: Fortuna Brazi, ASA Târgu Mureș, Pandurii Târgu Jiu, CSKA Sofia, Astra Giurgiu, CFR Cluj, Steaua București ans România.
Career Win Percentage: 48.94%
Total trophies: two
Category: Grade C
Edward Iordănescu may be highly regarded in Romania, but that is about where his influence in football ends.
The 45-year-old has spent most of his playing and managerial career in his native Romania, winning two trophies in two spells at CFR Cluj.
However, his lack of top-level coaching experience means he is currently rated very low. Expect his name to be more popular should he help guide Romania to the knockout round.
Serhiy Rebrov—Ukraine
Teams coached: Ferencváros, Dynamo Kyiv, Al Ahli, Al Ain and Ukraine.
Career Win Percentage: 63.10%
Total trophies: ten
Category: Grade B
Ukraine's Serhiy Rebrov is one of the few managers who had a glorious playing career and are also making a name for themselves in management.
The 50-year-old is the joint all-time top scorer of the Ukrainian Premier League, having won several league titles with Dynamo Kyiv and Fernabahce. He has also enjoyed success in management with Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencváros.
His decent 63% career win percentage makes him one of the best coaches in the European Championship.
The Ukraine squad is talented and plays their heart out. But Rebrov on the dugout may be the difference between a successful Euro campaign and another disappointment in a major tournament.
Vincenzo Montella—Turkey
Teams coached: Roma, Catania, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, AC Milan, Sevilla, Adana Demirspor and Turkey.
Career Win Percentage: 44.87%
Total trophies: one
Category: Grade B
Vincenzo Montella is one of the coaches to watch in Euro 2024.
The 49-year-old has a glittering playing career and has also coached top teams since retiring as a player. His most successful spell so far came with AC Milan, whom he led to their first title in five years.
As Turkey's boss, Montella began his tenure with three straight wins. But things have turned sour for him since then, and the Crescent and Stars are winless in five games (D2, L3), causing the fans to turn against him.
There is no doubt that Montella is a top coach who has enjoyed success with the teams he's coached. However, achieving something with Turkey would be his most outstanding managerial achievement to date.
Roberto Martinez—Portugal
Teams coached: Wigan, Everton, Swansea, Belgium and Portugal.
Career Win Percentage: 45.35%
Total trophies: two
Category: Grade B
Portugal’s Roberto Martinez is arguably the most divisive figure among the coaches in Euro 2024.
While Premier League fans remember him as the manager who beat a star-studded Manchester City side to the FA Cup title with a Wigan team that was relegated that season, others view him as the coach who failed to achieve anything tangible with Belgium’s Golden Generation.
But regardless of one's perception of him, Martinez has distinguished himself as a top coach. The Spaniard is a good man-manager and top tactician. He was expected to struggle as Portugal coach after replacing legendary boss Fernando Santos.
However, Martinez seems to have already done more than Santos in terms of improving Portugal's playing style, leading the Euro 2016 winners to a flawless qualifier campaign in which they won all their games.
His next target is to win the European Championship with Cristiano Ronaldo and co, as that will undoubtedly place him among the pantheon of great coaches.
Ivan Hašek—Czech Republic
Teams coached: Sparta Prague, Racing Strasbourg, Vissel Kobe, Saint-Etienne, Al-Ahli, Czechia, Al-Hilal, Emirates Club, Lebanon and Czechia.
Career Win Percentage: 43.6%
Total trophies: five
Category: Grade C
Ivan Hašek has been in management since 1999, but his most recent spells were spent outside Europe and in the Middle East.
The 60-year-old is in his second spell as Czech Republic boss and has a 100% win rate so far in this second spell.
Those wins came against lower-ranked opponents, though, suggesting that we have not seen the best of Czechia under Ivan Hašek yet.
That said, Hašek’s experience in the dugout could be the difference for the Czech Republic in this tournament.
Willy Sagnol—Georgia
Teams coached: Bordeaux and Georgia.
Career Win Percentage: 44.27%
Total trophies: none
Category: Grade C
Although he's relatively new to the coaching business, William Sagnol has proven to be a miracle worker.
The Frenchman enjoyed a successful playing career with Bayern Munich, but his coaching career has been somewhat quiet. Before the Georgia gig, his only experience in top-level management was spells as a Bayern Munich interim coach and as head of French side Bordeaux.
However, he has become the first manager in Georgia's history to lead them to a major international tournament, defeating Greece through penalties in the Euro 2024 qualifiers play-off.
With Georgia the lowest-ranking team in this year's tournament, Sagnol has a tough job improving his managerial record. But a 50% win rate with Georgia suggests that no matter what happens in Germany, the 47-year-old will be highly in demand after now.
