Klopp and Guardiola Nominated for FIFA Manager of the Year Award

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

The duelling Premier League managers are two of ten finalists for FIFA’s The Best manager award.

FIFA have unveiled the ten finalists for their manager of the year award, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach for 2019, and as was the case in the Premier League last season, it appears a battle between Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to win top honours.

The finalists were selected by a group of jourbalists and experts chosen by FIFA, and the award is meant to span the 2018-19 league seasons and 2019 summer tournaments—with both club and international team managers making the cut.

Along with Klopp and Guardiola, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino made the list for his efforts taking Spurs to the Champions League final in Madrid. Ajax boss Erik ten Hag and River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo are the other club managers.

They’re joined by five national team coaches, with Copa America winning Tite likely the leader of that group and joined by Portugal’s Fernando Santos, Peru’s Ricardo Gareca, Algeria’s Djamel Belmadi, and France’s Didier Deschamps.

It’s Klopp and Guardiola, though, who are clear favourites for the 2019 award, and the Liverpool boss’ Champions League triumph to go along with a 97-point season in the Premier League almost certainly gives him the edge.

Fans who sign in to FIFA’s site can vote for the winner, with the fan vote counting for a quarter in the final poll—equal weighting to the coaches, team captains, and journalists who will also vote on the winner.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com