The Real Madrid trainer and the Barcelona boss are among the candidates in the running to win our end-of-season award
La Liga has been decided. The best team, in the end, was Real Madrid. The capital club beat Barcelona to the title while Valencia came in third and Malaga claimed fourth and the last Champions League place. Europa League winners Atletico Madrid followed in fifth, Levante finished sixth to qualify for European competition for the first time in its history, while Zaragoza, Rayo Vallecano and Granada all avoided relegation on a dramatic last day which saw Villarreal condemned to the drop.But who was the best coach? Goal.com looks at La Liga's best trainers from 2011-12, with the winner revealed in the coming days. Have your say in the comments section and vote in the poll below. Here are the nominees.
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PEP GUARDIOLA | Barcelona
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The best coach in the history of Barcelona is ending his four-year spell at the Catalan club. Pep leaves the Blaugrana behind after four fantastic seasons at Camp Nou, although his side suffered more than before this term as it finished second to fierce rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.
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| Adrian Boullosa, Goal.com Spain In just four seasons at Camp Nou, Guardiola has claimed three Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, two Champions Leagues, three Spanish Supercopas, two UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups. Win the Copa del Rey on May 25 and it will be 14 titles for Pep as coach at the Catalan club. Impressive. |
Guardiola is exhausted, but will leave with his head held high: he has created a dream team around his star player, Lionel Messi, and has consistently managed to get the best out of his brilliant Argentine forward.
Pep announced his departure late last month and will leave the club he loves in the hands of his assistant, Tito Vilanova, who is set to take over from his friend in the summer.
But Barca's season, which has already yielded a Spanish Supercopa, a Uefa Super Cup and a Club World Cup, is not over yet as Guardiola looks to add the Copa del Rey to his haul of 13 trophies in the last four years. Win or lose, his legend status is guaranteed.
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MANOLO JIMENEZ | Zaragoza
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When Manolo Jimenez arrived at Zaragoza earlier this season, it was seen as an act of faith. The Aragonese appeared condemned to relegation as they occupied last position in the table; confidence was low and conflicts at an institutional level further complicated an already desperate situation.
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| Adrian Boullosa, Goal.com Spain Manolo Jimenez avoided the drop for Zaragoza against all odds. Acting as both mediator and motivator, the former Sevilla coach inspired an improbable comeback. |
"I am ashamed," he said. "But only rats jump from sinking ships." He was determined to continue and those strong words produced the required reaction from his players. The comeback started in earnest.
Zaragoza found form all of a sudden and a series of victories gave the club a chance with several rounds of the Primera Division remaining. Still, however, survival hopes were slim. But an incredible five wins from its last six matches saw the Aragons secure survival as Villarreal went down on a dramatic final day of action. And much of the credit for its preserved Primera Division status must go to Jimenez.
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JUAN IGNACIO MARTINEZ | Levante
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Luis Garcia received high praise after leading Levante to salvation last season, so replacing him looked anything but easy for incoming boss Juan Ignacio Martinez.
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| Adrian Boullosa, Goal.com Spain With just€23 million euros, Levante's spending budget is the lowest in La Liga, some 20 times less than that of Madrid and Barcelona. Malaga, Atletico, Sevilla and Valencia were able to spend four times as much. |
The club even briefly led La Liga at one stage and kept its run going long after others had written them off to remain in the Champions League places after Christmas. It was only after a run of defeats that they eventually started dropping down the table.
Still, the Valencia-based side continued to punch above its weight right until the end of the campaign and ended up in the Europa League thanks to an impressive 3-1 win at home to Athletic Bilbao on the last day of the season. An unexpected but thoroughly deserved success story.
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JOSE MOURINHO | Real Madrid
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Real Madrid needed a special season after three years living in the shadows of Barcelona, and Jose Mourinho delivered it, leading the capital club to the Primera Division title at the second time of asking. And it did it in spectacular style.
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| Adrian Boullosa, Goal.com Spain Madrid's media blackout allowed Mourinho to get on with his work behind the scenes and shield himself behind assistant Aitor Karanka. The 49-year-old stayed silent in tricky times and that helped his side focus on the task in hand. |
The Portuguese had always claimed his second season in charge would be an improvement on his first, and after winning the Copa del Rey in 2010-11, the former Chelsea and Inter boss attained an even bigger prize this term.
Having confirmed he will stay on for a third season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mourinho can now work without pressure, in full knowledge that the seeds of success are already sown in Spain.
The 49-year-old will look to bolster the squad with at least two additions this summer as Madrid seek to strengthen its hold domestically and regain the bragging rights once and for all in Spanish football. A 10th European Cup success for Madrid is also in Mourinho's sights in 2012-13.
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DIEGO SIMEONE | Atletico Madrid
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Diego Simeone arrived as a supposed savior for Atletico Madrid following the forgettable reign of Gregorio Manzano. The Argentine immediately tightened things at the back and Atleti showed a marked improvement as it made its way up the table.
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| Adrian Boullosa, Goal.com Spain Simeone has quickly instilled his philosophy at Atletico, which is now playing with a high-tempo game, with complete commitment and doing damage on the counterattack. At times, it has looked devastating. |
However, over a whole season things would surely have been different and Simeone will be charged with leading the side back into Europe's elite next term.
There was plenty of continental cheer for Atletico, though, as Simeone's side won the Europa League by beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest earlier this month.
Now the key will be to build on that success, although the first priority will be retaining the services of star striker Radamel Falcao, who could leave the club this summer due to a lack of Champions League football at the Vicente Calderon.
