5 best managers outside Europe’s top 5 leagues

Tactically sound managers are crucial to the success of football teams as they are charged with getting their players ready for every game.

Football managers are tasked with varying duties, including providing tactical instructions to the players and getting them in the right psychological state.

To the casual fan, coaching seems easy enough. However, every game comes with its own different demands, and it is the manager's job to prepare specific tactical details.

Every manager has their own unique styles, with some preferring possession-based systems, while others are more concerned with having compact teams.

The bottom line, however, is achieving victory, and some coaches have proven more adept at getting the job done than their counterparts.

The top five leagues of Europe are the melting pot of the best talent across the world, and it comes as no surprise that attention is mostly focused there.

The prestige, fame, and financial rewards attached to coaching in the top five leagues automatically attract the best managers. The likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Julen Nagelsmann, Jurgen Klopp, and Mauricio Pochetino are all revered as some of the best coaches in the world.

However, there are a handful of highly talented managers who are proving their mettle away from the glare and focus of the top five leagues.

Here, we shall have a rundown of the best five managers outside Europe's top five leagues.

#5 Jesse Marsch (Red Bull Salzburg) - Austrian Bundesliga

Jesse Marsch has made his name for himself as the manager of RB Salzburg

The United States is historically not known as a strong footballing nation in the men's game, with their major focus being on other professional sports.

However, the Stars and Stripes have seen an increase in their representation in mainstream Europe over the last few years.

Players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams, and Sergino Dest have helped raise the profile of American football with their displays on the field.

However, another man is also setting the trail with his exploits on the dugout.

Jesse Marsch initially made a name for himself in the MLS (where he has the most wins in franchise history for the New York Red Bulls).

He was appointed by the Big Apple side's German sister club RB Leipzig as assistant manager in 2018, before departing to join yet another Red Bull club, RB Salzburg.

With the Austrians, Marcsh helped the club in their first foray into the UEFA Champions League group stage.

He registered a memorable 6-2 victory over Genk in the cub's first-ever Champions League game (with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick).

Salzburg also played out a thrilling seven-goal thriller with defending champions Liverpool, while they held Napoli to a draw.

On the domestic scene, the club won a double, while they are setting the pace on the standings this season.

The 47-year-old deploys a high-pressing system that sees his team put their opponents on the backfoot. It also translates into several chances created, with matches involving his side often ending in high-scoring whitewashes.

Under his tutelage, Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino excelled, before sealing moves to bigger European clubs.

At this rate, it might not be long before one of Europe's bigger sides come calling for Jesse Marsch.

#4 Pitso Mosimane (Al Ahly) - Egypt Premier League

Pitso Mosimane made a name for himself in the South African Premier Soccer League, following his record-breaking stints with SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns.

The 56-year-old manager won two major trophies with the former, while he achieved immortality with Sundowns by guiding the club to 11 major trophies, including one CAF Champions League and five PSL titles.

Three of the latter came consecutively, with Mosimane overturning a 13-point deficit to bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs to win a 10th league title on the final day of last season.

Following his exploits in his native country, Africa's biggest club Al Ahly came calling, and he once again proved his mettle by guiding the Red Devils to a treble.

Although the league had already been won by the time Mosimane took over from Swiss manager Rene Weiler, he managed the last seven games of the season and did not lose any.

He oversaw a 5-1 aggregate victory over Wydad Casablanca in the semi-final of the CAF Champions League. Ahly consequently saw off arch-rivals Zamalek in the first incarnation of the Cairo Derby in Africa's showpiece club decider.

Mosimane also won the Egyptian Cup, registering three consecutive 2-1 victory in the knockout rounds of the competitions before dispatching Tala'ea El Gaish in penalties in the final.

#3 Steven Gerrard (Rangers) - Scottish Premiership

Steven Gerrard has repositioned Rangers as the premier force in Scottish football

Having retired from active football in 2016, Steven Gerrard spent one year as Liverpool Under-18 coach before being appointed manager of Scottish giants Rangers in 2018.

The Glasgow side had spent the last decade in the shadows of arch-rivals Celtic following their insolvency in 2012.

However, under the management of Gerrard, the Gers have closed the gap on the Bhoys and are currently the form team in the Scottish top flight.

The 40-year-old helped Rangers register their first victory over Celtic since 2012 in his first year in charge, while he also recently defeated their city rivals in three consecutive games.

They had started the current season with a 28-game unbeaten run in all competitions before falling to a shock 2-1 defeat away to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup.

Rangers are, however, still undefeated in the league and currently have a 23-point lead over Celtic (who have three games in hand), which all but guarantees a first league title since 2011 and 55th overall.

It is, however, not only domestically that Steven Gerrard has proven his mettle. The Ibrox side have also regularly punched above their weight in the Europa League and have qualified for the knockout rounds in each of the last two seasons.

This term, they impressively topped a group also containing European heavyweights Benfica, while they saw off Galatasaray in the qualifying stage.

Under Steven Gerrard's watch, several players like James Tavernier, Joe Aribo, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi have blossomed.

It is widely believed that Gerrard is Liverpool's manager-in-waiting, and his performance in Scotland has boosted his reputation massively.

#2 Marcelo Gallardo (River Plate) - Argentine Primera Division

Marcelo Gallardo is River Plate's most successful manager of all time

After a relatively successful career that saw him represent River Plate across two different spells, Marcelo Gallardo was appointed as manager of Los Millonarios in 2014.

He has since gone on to become the most successful manager in the club's illustrious history, with 12 major trophies won.

His high point came when he led River Plate to the 2015 Copa Libertadores title, a feat he repeated three years later.

The latter was won by defeating arch-rivals Boca Juniors in the final - the first to be played outside South America at the Santiago Bernabeu - following crowd trouble in Buenos Aires.

Gallardo guided River to the final a year later but fell to defeat against Brazilian side Flamengo.

His performance has led to widespread praise across the world, and he has been heavily linked with the Real Madrid job, indicative of the high regard to which he is held.

#1 Erik ten Hag (Ajax) - Netherlands Eredivisie

Dutch manager Erik ten Hag has earned rave reviews with Ajax

Erik Ten Hag captured the imagination of football fans around the world when he guided an extremely youthful Ajax team to the semi-final of the 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League.

The Dutch outfit recorded many scalps along the way including Real Madrid and Juventus. They were 30 seconds away from the final before a last-gasp Lucas Moura goal eliminated them.

Despite their heartbreaking elimination, Ajax won the heart of fans all over, and Erik Ten Hag saw his profile rise.

The 50-year-old manager had earlier guided the Amsterdam-outfit to their first domestic double in 17 years. They were also in pole position to successfully defend the Eredivisie title before the season was voided due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This term, Ajax have continued from where they left off and currently set the pace on the standing with a four-point advantage at the summit.

Ten Hag is grounded in the Johan Cruyff coaching philosophy, and it comes as no surprise to see his Ajax team reflecting his possession-based teachings.

Their standout performance under the former Utrecht manager came when they whitewashed VVV-Venlo 13-0 away from home on matchday 6 of the current season.

The Ajax manager has been linked with major jobs in the top five leagues, including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Without a doubt, Erik ten Hag is currently one of the best managers outside mainstream Europe.