The Premier League season is over with Manchester City winning a historic fourth title in a row.
Pep Guardiola has again proven himself as one of the best managers to have ever lived, but is he deserving of the manager of the season award?
The Hayters TV team pick their choices for the award and why…
Pep Guardiola
Nick Callow: They keep coming for the Man City boss, but he keeps fending them off. He has the most funds at his disposal but look how he uses them and how he gets his players to maintain a winning mentality. Special mention for Mikel Arteta for pushing his old colleague to the final day of the season, but nobody really doubted Pep’s ability to get his side over the line for a record fourth time. And a nod to Ange Postecoglou for cheering up Tottenham fans in his first season and then winning over Arsenal fans for the way he ended the season. Unique managerial skills.
Gerry Cox: The best manager in the Premier League is the one who wins it, especially when it is his fourth successive title. Emery and Iraola have done better than expected, Glasner has transformed Crystal Palace, while Klopp and Arteta both pushed City hard. But he is top of the lot.
Stan Smith: Guardiola made history by claiming his fourth successive league title, a feat that has never been achieved before in English football. The hangover from last season’s treble, the loss of key men, and the lengthy injuries sustained by star players, all ensured that this season was not an easy one for the Catalan. Honourable mentions are deserved by Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery, who have performed fantastically well in their own respective clubs, however I find it impossible to overlook Guardiola for this award.
Nazira Yusuf: Four consecutive Premier League titles, and six in seven years. That record alone encapsulates why he is the finest manager in the Premier League and is well-deserving of the award this season, having led City to their historic fourth Premier League title in a row after defeating a tenacious Arsenal side. Andoni Iraola and Unai Emery have both improved their teams, with one confidently securing safety and one well deserving of Champions League football, while Gary O’Neil has done well at Wolves. Although Klopp and Arteta both pushed City hard, Guardiola demonstrated why he is the best.
Unai Emery
Dan Bennett: Very few people would have fancied Aston Villa to qualify for the Champions League this season and what the Spaniard has done at the club is nothing short of remarkable. The second half of the season has been more difficult but Emery had his side in the title race during the first half of the campaign and has turned the club from relegation contenders to a top-four side in a short space of time.
James St Denis: Shrewd business in both transfer windows, as well as the improved performances from sub par players, the Basque coach has guided the Villains to Champions League football on a budget far inferior to rivals around them. Although their form tailed off towards the end of the campaign, Emery’s side still has enough in the tank to get over the line to finish fourth place.
Nathan Edwards: Aston Villa have had an incredible season, battling against the Premier League giants to finish in the Champions League for the first time in 41 years and Emery was the biggest reason for the achievement. He has turned Villa into a difficult team to beat, just ask Arsenal and Manchester City, and this feels like it could just be the start for the Villains under Emery.
Andoni Iraola
Andrew Smith: Eyebrows were raised when Bournemouth decided to swap Gary O’Neill for Andoni Iraola at the start of the season. The Cherries then failed to win any of their first nine matches, but Iraola was able to turn things around. In his debut season in England, Iraola has led Bournemouth to an 11th place finish and has collected 48 points, which is the club’s record Premier League points tally. It’s even more remarkable considering that the Spaniard has been coaching the whole season without his first-choice assistant due to a failed work permit. Iraola was also named on the five-man shortlist for Premier League manager of the season along with Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery. That nomination alone tells you all you need to know about the job he’s done at Bournemouth this season.
Oliver Glasner
Dan Ludlam: The impact Glasner has made at Crystal Palace in such a short period of time has been sensational. A team bereft of confidence, lacking ideas and stuck in old ways, Glasner has transformed Crystal Palace into one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League. The Austrian will be keen to build on the club’s 10th place finish and Palace will do well to keep hold of Glasner for the long term as major clubs have already taken an interest in the 49-year-old.