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Is Nuno Espírito Santo the best manager in the Premier League?

The last two years in the Premier League have been particularly interesting as far as managerial changes go. Interesting, on second thoughts, may not adequately describe these appointments in the Premier League over the last 24 months. On further reflection, it certainly does not do any justice to what can only be described as madness.

That’s not to say that every manager in a job in the Premier League is unfit for their role, but it must be said that a few are wholly undeserving of the position that they find themselves in. For instance, it is hard to advocate for Frank Lampard’s appointment as Chelsea boss or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being given the top job at Manchester United.

Both coaches earned their position because of their status as former iconic players at said clubs, rather than their managerial nous, experience or acheivements. 

If qualifying for the play-offs with Derby is enough to take the reins at a Champions League club, then there will be hundreds of managers scratching their heads as to why they have never been given the chance. Solskjaer’s 2018 appointment as Manchester United’s boss also raised a few eyebrows, given that the only prior Premier League experience he had was with Cardiff as he guided them to relegation.

Furthermore, ask any Everton fan about their time with Marco Silva and you will be told, in no uncertain terms, that the 42-year-old was completely and utterly out of his depth at Goodison Park.

How these men end up in these top jobs can certainly be classified under the mystery section. It does take you back to Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, and his quote: “If you don't know how to do something, say yes and learn how to do it.”

There is one man, however, who is on the opposite spectrum to the likes of Lampard and Solskjaer; and that is Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo. This is a man that did not get his foot in the door by having a past connection with the club, or because he spent many Mediterranean holidays with an owner on his luxurious yacht. On the contrary, Nuno has built his legacy from the ground up after finding the winning formula at Wolves and, right now, there doesn’t look to be a better manager in the Premier League, all things considered.

That is at least the view of José Mourinho when he referred to Nuno as having earned the right to be called one of the best. But let’s take a look back on Nuno’s journey and why it is even more impressive when considering the progress he has made in the Premier League.

Nuno had a dream

Head over to Wolves’ home ground on any match day and you will hear the Molineux faithful in boisterous voices singing about how ‘Nuno had a dream to build a football team’. The 46-year-old is lauded by the Wolverhampton fans after transforming the fortunes of the club. Not only did he manage to take them up from the Championship after storming to the league title during the 2017/2018 campaign but, in the season directly after that, Nuno guided Wolves to a seventh-place finish as they qualified for the Europa League. This season is predicted to be even more successful given that Betway, as of the 24th of February, have Wolves at 8/1 to finish in the Champions League positions in May.

This would involve Manchester City losing their appeal against their recent two-year UEFA Champions League ban, so that the fifth spot in the league becomes up for grabs. It would take a brave man to bet against Wolves grabbing the fifth position given that they are the most consistent team out of all the ones vying for the last spot.

Nuno is one of the best managers in Europe

It has been 968 days since Nuno took over at Wolves and, in this time, he has been in the dugout for 142 games. Wolves have managed to win 75 of these games, have drawn 34,and lost 33, which gives their manager a staggering ratio of 1.8 points per game. It’s safe to say that Nuno hasn’t looked back since getting his first Premier League win.

Those numbers are impressive by themselves, but when you consider that Nuno had never managed in England or the Premier League before this, you’re left wondering if, indeed, Nuno isn’t one of the best managers on the continent.

This notion is based on the premise that the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world and, whilst a minority may not agree with this, it is generally accepted that there isn’t a tougher league on the planet. Take, for instance, the difference between the Premier League and the Serie A, as discussed by these three West Ham players, Anderson, Ogbonna, and Sanchez. They are all in agreement that the pace of play, as well as the physicality of the Premier League, makes it superior to all the other leagues around the continent. That’s not hearsay or opinion, here you have three professionals having played around the continent laying down the law.

The trio goes on to say that a technical game, like the one that is favoured in Sere A, is easier to adapt to because you get a significant amount of time on the ball.

So whilst Nuno isn’t a player in the Premier League, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that managing in it is just as hard. Get your tactics wrong in a league where you have precious little time to think, and you will be out of a job before you can say VAR - just ask Unai Emery.

Portugal hasn’t seen a manager take to the Premier League like Nuno since the days of José Mourinho at Chelsea. It is surely just a matter of time before Nuno is asked to manage one of the biggest clubs in England and, after that, who knows? He may eclipse Mourinho’s record as the most successful Portuguese manager to have worked in the Premier League.