What do Roberto Di Mateo, Roberto Mancini and Claudio Ranieri have in common? Well, aside from having exotic sounding names, each one has managed, and to some degree, achieved success in the Premier League.
According to the stats, Italy is the third most represented country in Premier League managerial history. With Antonio Conte taking charge of Chelsea at the start of the 2016/2017, 10 Italian mangers in total have taken the helm of a top-tier English club.
Italy Punching Way Above Its Weight
Unsurprisingly, English managers top the table (108) just ahead of Scotland (38), but coming in ahead of Holland, Wales, Northern and the Republic of Ireland on 7 bookings apiece, is Italy. Now, representation doesn’t always equal success. However, there must be something in the water over in Italy because the country’s finest have enjoyed plenty of highs over the years.
In fact, such is the country’s apparent ability to produce high quality managers that any English club with a foreign import will command strong odds with the bookmakers. Of course, without results the odds won’t shift, but if we look at the current Premier League betting odds at Sun Bets, it’s Conte who leads the way.
Italy Leading the Betting Odds Once Again
With an eight point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after 25 games, Chelsea are in the driving seat thanks to Conte, and that’s made them the 1/6 favourites for success this season. Compare that with 9/1 for the reigning champions Man City and 25/1 for third place Spurs, there are no doubts as to who the current title favourites are.
Of course, just because you’re Italian, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win game-after-game. For example, as talented as he was as a player, Paolo Di Canio managed just a 16.67% games-to-wins ratio at Sunderland before he was sacked. At the other end of the spectrum, however, you’ve got someone like Claudio Ranieri who not only had a 52.05% win rate at Chelsea, but took Leicester from 5,000/1 underdogs to Premier League champions in 2015/2016.
Why Italian Managers Thrive in England
Whichever way you slice it, Italian managers appear to be a good omen in the Premier League. The question therefore becomes: why? What makes Italian managers perform so successfully in the world’s toughest football league? Well, before we look at some potential reasons, here are the 10 managers that have taken the Premier League by storm since its inception in 1992:
• Roberto Di Matteo
• Carlo Ancelotti
• Claudio Ranieri
• Gianluca Vialli
• Attilio Lombardo
• Roberto Mancini
• Paolo Do Canio
• Franceso Guidolin
• Gianfranco Zola
• Antonio Conte
Former Players – One obvious trait that Italian Premier League managers have in common is that they were former players. Not only that, but when you look at the list, five played in the Premier League. In fact, even when you’re looking at the playing careers of those who didn’t compete in the Premier League, the rest all enjoyed top flight football in Italy.
Naturally, having first-hand experience of what it’s like to play in the Premier League is crucial, and importantly, something many managers don’t have. Indeed, with the like of Vialli, Di Matteo and Zola all playing for major clubs and tasting league success, it’s easy to see why they’re able to inspire their players to greatness.
Passionate – If there’s one thing Italian managers aren’t short of it’s passion. Whether things are going for or against them, they are typically animated throughout a game. For instance, who can forget the famous incident where Di Canio (then manager of Swindon) appeared to manhandle Leon Clarke?
Despite being new to the side, Di Canio wasn’t prepared to let the striker put in a poor performance against Southampton. Clearly upset as they headed towards the changing rooms, reports say Di Canio and Clarke eventually ended up in a scuffle. Although a PR spin was put on it, the incident only served to show the Italian’s temperament was as fiery as a manager as it was when he was a player.
This kind of desire is something that’s perfect in the Premier League; especially when clubs have to pick themselves up in tough away matches at solid, yet physical clubs like Burnley, Stoke and Hull City.
A Chip Off the Old Block – When it comes to international football, Italy are the kings of just doing enough to win. A single goal is often the margin of victory Italians will look for, and while some will criticise this approach, it’s been hugely successful over the years. When you look at the tactics of a manager like Conte, it’s clear he’s influenced by this “attack, score then defend” mentality.
Indeed, the current 3-4-3 system is one we’ve seen before from Conte at both Juventus and the national team. Flooding the middle of the park with players is a great way to pressure going forward, but also close up shop when you want to defend a lead. Conte has employed this strategy to good effect this season and that’s why his side not only has the best points tally after 25 games, but the best goal average.
Refuse to Bow to Pressure – The final traits that seems to separate Italian managers from other traveling coaches is their undying self-belief and stubbornness. When Ranieri took Leicester on the run of a lifetime during the 2015/2016, there wasn’t one time he listened to his critics or supporters. Instead of bowing to pressure and buying into the hype, he just continued to do what he thought was best at the time.
The end result, as we know, was hugely impressive and yet another testament to the type of character it takes to win the Premier League in the world. Of course, there are no sure-fire bets in football, but the evidence does seem to suggest that if a team wants to do well they need to hire an Italian manager. Indeed, if Conte can clinch the title with Chelsea this season, it will be another feather in the cap of this already accomplished football nation.
Author bio:
Dan Smyth is a freelance writer who specialises in betting reviews and reports across a range of disciplines. From his early days as a poker writer to his current niches in the football and boxing worlds, Dan has an acute understanding of what makes a betting prospect tick.
