Harry Diamond
The 2010’s has proved to be a memorable decade for English football, the Premier League trophy exchanging hands between four clubs and a huge eight managers over the course of the past ten seasons.
Legendary figures Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger brought their respective dynasties as Manchester United and Arsenal to an end, whilst an emerging batch of managerial greats including the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp entered Premier League dugouts.
As we approach the end of the year and with it the decade, we’ve decided to look at some of the most successful managers from the seasons gone by.
Here are the five Premier League managers with the best points-per-game record ratio this decade…
Roberto Mancini – 2.038 points-per-game
The former Manchester City manager would be the man to end the club’s long wait for silverware, overseeing the early period of their billionaire takeover and establishing the blue half of Manchester amongst English football’s elite.
After delivering the FA Cup in 2011, Mancini would guide City to the Premier League title the following year, Sergio Aguero’s iconic stoppage-time goal sealing the championship on the final day of the season against QPR.
Mancini would spend four seasons at the Etihad before his dismissal in 2013, averaging 2.038 points-per-game and securing three top-four finishes.
Jurgen Klopp – 2.143 points-per-game
Despite being the only manager on this feature to have not lifted the Premier League title, Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool four years ago was the catalyst for the club’s ascent back to the elite of European football.
The German would inherit a struggling team and finish eighth in his first campaign, before restoring the Reds as Champions League regulars with back-to-back top-four finishes.
From there, the club’s improvement has continued at a rapid rate, finishing as runners-up last season with a record points haul of 97 points, losing just once all season and beginning the current campaign in similar fashion
The Reds are currently runaway leaders at the top of the division and on a club-record 34 game unbeaten league run, Klopp’s side on course to end their long wait for a league title, the 52-year-old having amassed an impressive 2.143 points-per-game over the course of his career in English football.
Antonio Conte – 2.145 points-per-game
One of three Chelsea managers to have lifted the Premier League over the course of the past ten seasons, Antonio Conte sits ahead of Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho as the most successful title-winning manager at Stamford Bridge this decade.
The Italian would spend two successful seasons in charge of the Blues, winning the league title in his first season by finishing on 93 points, seven clear of nearest challengers Tottenham.
Conte’s second season would see FA Cup success but was hindered by in-fighting as the club slumped to a fifth-placed finish, though his record remains impressive, his 2.145 points-per-game ratio the third highest of any manager in the past decade.
Sir Alex Ferguson – 2.273 points-per-game
The greatest manager in Premier League history unsurprisingly features on this list, despite bringing an end to his glittering career in the Manchester United dugout in 2013.
Ferguson would win the latter two of his 13 league titles during the 2010’s, seeing his side crowned champions in both 2011 and 2013 to see United break and extend the record for most top-flight titles in English football.
United would finish second in each of the other two seasons Ferguson was in charge for, the Scottish great averaging 2.273 points-per-game and continuing his record of never finishing lower than third in the Premier League era.
Pep Guardiola – 2.374 points-per-game
Manchester City would emerge as a genuine force over the course of the past decade, though they would establish themselves as the dominant force following the arrival of Pep Guardiola as manager in 2016.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach had won a wealth of honours prior to his arrival in English football, securing six league titles and two Champions Leagues during spells at two of Europe’s elite.
After a season of adaptation at the Etihad which saw City finish third, the club would embark on two of the most historic campaigns in the history of English football. The first of those would see the club become the first side to reach 100 points, breaking a host of records including most wins, most goals and most consecutive wins.
City would follow up that success with a domestic treble the following season, again delivering a huge points haul to seal the title, finishing with 98 points following another near flawless campaign.
Guardiola’s impact has been huge since his arrival in Manchester, his points-per-game ratio the best of any manager in the past ten years.
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