The Premier League is finally back, folks. Hip hip hooray. New kits have dropped, signings have been unveiled in more spectacular ways and the first round of games has featured some enthralling football.
But what about the managers? No, not their tactics. Those will be dissected at length across the coming campaign. As will their words in press conferences and their tenure once some inevitably lose their jobs.
Advertisement
We are talking manager fashion. Who is wearing what? And why? And what does it say about them? Well, those are the questions at hand.
Let us go hunting for answers below. Sadly, there is no Roberto Mancini in an Armani suit.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
The Athletic is glad Arteta has ditched the turtleneck.
The turtleneck is a garment for the supremely tactical. The tactleneck (five imaginary points if you got this reference).
Perhaps Arteta himself has realised this as he opened the season in a thin black zip up fleece over a white T-shirt, grey trousers and what must now be referred to as the “football pundit trainer”. You know the type. Slick low top black shoe with a white trim and sole. Perfect for smart-casual events and analysing the game in a studio.
It is a fine, harmless look to go with a fine, harmless team.
Thomas Frank, Brentford
Sometimes Frank will don some typical football shorts and a jacket on the touchline. The coach’s coach. And that is fine, it is after all the business that he is in. But when the serious business begins, he morphs. Frank gives off scientist or artist vibes. Combing back his windswept hair with his hand as he pours over his creation on the pitch.
Such is his attention to his team, fashion is very much secondary. A waste of energy to think about. Just throw on a plain black jumper, some navy chinos and a pair of white shoes and be done with it. It is very much in the wheelhouse of Bill Gates or other big tech moguls who have a wardrobe akin to The Simpsons (that is to say they are forever only in one or two outfits). We respect that.
Frank’s team plays fashionable football on the pitch and he remains understated off it.
Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United
When you have achieved the things Bielsa has in football, when you have Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino (among many others) hailing you as a football father figure, when you breath new life into Leeds United and get them playing scintillating football in the Premier League once more, you can wear whatever you want. Simple as that.
Advertisement
Bielsa sports a club tracksuit pretty much everywhere he goes. He wears it on the touchline and, in 2019, he wore one to Leeds’ 100-year anniversary gala.
The man himself elevates the tracksuit to something more. Maybe it is the source of all his power.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United
Black suit, white shirt and a skinny red tie. What else is there to say? The look is a classic. The Manchester United blazers are clean. Every manager who has held the job since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 has looked good in one.
Solskjaer looks like a proper Man United manager. Coupled with improvement throughout his tenure, the suit just adds the extra bit of va-va-voom on the touchline. He could stand to lose the zip-up jumper underneath the blazer which he sometimes wears, but that is a minor complaint.
British weather sometimes necessitates an extra layer, let’s be honest.
Brendan Rodgers, Leicester City
The grey suit, white shirt and navy tie is harmless. A simple black leather belt with a gold buckle adds a splash of colour that does not take away from the clean fit. The slickest pair of plain black Oxfords, polished to a mirror sheen. Rodgers looks like a bank manager in the get-up. He certainly means business. His FA Cup and Community Shield victories with the Foxes display that.
The cuffs on his shirt are large and a touch ostentatious. Bit like Harry Hill’s collar. But it works. It is drip or drown, and Rodgers is certainly drippy.
Bruno Lage, Wolves
When Lage stood on the touchline at Leicester in his thin grey jacket with the big pockets over a grey polo top, slim-fit black trousers and a pair of black trainers, he gave off Tim Westwood energy. If he has a side hustle as a DJ, it would not surprise The Athletic.
Stick a pair of large headphones on him, with only one of them actually over his ears, and boom, you got yourself a stew cooking.
Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea
Tuchel is clearly trying to wear as much of the Chelsea club shop as possible. Black Chelsea branded tracksuit bottoms, grey Chelsea branded tracksuit top, Chelsea branded cap. He will even break out the Chelsea branded snood and quilted coat once winter sets in. He is a marketer’s dream.
Tuchel’s kicks deserve close examination, however. This man has himself a serious collection of Nike sneakers. Everything from Air Jordans to Air Max and a variety of running shoes. The black and grey Nike running trainers he wore during Chelsea’s 3-0 opening day victory over Palace were lovely.
Patrick Vieira, Crystal Palace
The white Puma shoes that Vieira rocked in pre-season were the better footwear option than what he wore on the opening day, in this Athletic writer’s opinion. Elements of Vieira’s fashion debut worked, other bits looked a bit clunky. A nice, plain-grey polo top with navy slacks and some black Adidas shoes. The polo shirt gets two checks. Smart-casual and goes well with the navy trousers he is wearing.
The Pumas would have gone better with this fit because, if nothing else, they are more low-top. The slightly higher top of the shoes he wore against Chelsea are nice. But we know he has better in his footwear arsenal (nice little pun work there).
Xisco Munoz, Watford
He looks like he was dragged straight from the set of The Godfather. You could see Munoz standing in Don Vito Corleone’s office. If Watford make enemies, they will also become his enemies. That white shirt is so crisp. Not a single crease. Black suit and tie combo is a timeless. But he keeps it casual with his footwear. The casual black loafers with the thick white sole are a twist on the football pundit special.
Dean Smith, Aston Villa
No suit for Dean Smith to start this season. Instead he followed in many of his peers’ footsteps and went for a more casual look. Sadly, his Aston Villa team followed suit and produced a casual performance against Watford for the first hour.
The black, long-sleeved polo shirt, dark grey trousers and brown brogues were fine, if a little uncoordinated.
Go back to the suit we say — he always gave off “best man at your wedding vibes” with it. That is to say smart, yet not overshadowing the real superstars of the day.
Boss. ⚫️ #WATAVL pic.twitter.com/6BOmJ3xmTR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 14, 2021
Rafa Benitez, Everton
Benitez is back on Merseyside. But with the blue of Everton rather than the red of Liverpool. While managing in China, the Spaniard took a much more casual approach to his attire. Baggy, untucked black shirt with black trousers and shoes.
The return to the Premier League meant it was time to break out the three-piece suit and brown leather loafers. Rafa can still turn it on when he wants too. The loose fit trousers mean the shoes do not really get to shine, which is a shame. Because they are slick. Straight out of the wardrobe of a man who spent summer evenings walking around El Retiro Park hand in hand with his wife.
Advertisement
The leather brown footwear add a dash of extra colour to his navy blue three-piece number, coupled with a sky blue shirt and dark blue tie. Tuck the glasses into your inside blazer pocket, Rafa. You got this one right.
Ralph Hasenhuttl, Southampton
Some of Hasenhuttl’s pre-season fits were unbelievable. He looked like he was releasing his inner rascal. Untucked shirts with the sleeves rolled up and tan chinos, the absurdly delightful loose-fitting tartan trousers with a wallet chain on them, with low cut sneakers and no socks. A lot going on there. Golf at noon but skateboarding in the evening. Yes. Yes to it all. Bring the noise, Ralph.
What a shame it was then that he reverted back to the old tracksuit number for his side’s 3-1 defeat at Goodison Park. There is not that much to say about it. It is a black club-branded tracksuit. It works. But we have seen more from the big Austrian and The Athletic, for one, demands he bring the bolder outfits back.
Sean Dyche, Burnley
Sean Dyche is another member of The Simpsons wardrobe club. The Athletic is almost certain he has worn the same shirt and trousers combo for the last decade. With the nifty little club-branded tie for a dash of colour. A pair of black Oxfords and… is that… a digital watch?! It is. A modern one, but a digital watch nonetheless. Gosh, I hope it has a calculator or stopwatch function on it.
No frills at all in this outfit from a man who is quintessentially no frills.
Graham Potter, Brighton and Hove Albion
Either he has stolen Thomas Frank’s look, or Frank has stolen his. They are identical in their fits. Maybe this is the starter pack you get given when you sign up to the “progressive football manager” module.
Black jumper, with a white tee underneath, black trousers and — oh, hello pundit trainer, nice to see you again.
Daniel Farke, Norwich City
There is something nicely hipster about Farke’s look. The casual black shirt with no tie and the top button undone. Easy-going vibes. The thin, waterproof, press stud coat that you have absolutely seen at festivals partnered with a bucket hat.
The drawstrings raised an eyebrow. Could Farke actually be wearing a pair of smart joggers? Perhaps. The chunky silver bracelet timepiece on his left wrist tells you he enjoys some sophistication, much like the tactics of his Norwich team.
Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool
We know the Klopp attire by now. Club branded tracksuit with a club branded cap. He does look swish in a suit but… it just is not Klopp. He is a relaxed guy, you know. Most of the time, anyway.
You go over to his house to listen to The Beatles, watch Indian cinema and maybe go to The Cavern Club afterwards. Sure, the dress code is usually no hoodies and no trainers — which, by the way, are the cleanest pair of white and red Adidas sneakers you are likely to see — but this is Jurgen Klopp. He can flash those big white pearls in his mouth and charm his tracksuited self in, much like his Liverpool teams have charmed their way into our hearts with their superb football.
Steve Bruce, Newcastle United
Hey now, check out Steve Bruce with the fresh black Puma kicks. The Magpies manager is not going to light up any catwalks, but he knows what’s up. The club-branded waterproof pullover is not half bad either.
It is reminiscent of Duke of Edinburgh award expeditions. The large pocket at the front is perfect for storing the keys, small first aid kit, snacks and a torch. A practical garment, which fits Bruce’s persona down to a tee. Pragmatic with flickers of flash… sometimes.
David Moyes, West Ham United
Right, OK, bored of club-branded tracksuits now. It is understandable that the pandemic made these garments fashionable work attire, but this is getting ridiculous. Football is no longer working from home, folks. We can wear suits with reason again. Moyes himself was in a black suit pre-game. He made a sweeping and swish entrance, then put his gym gear on.
Sorry for that rant. Anyway, the West Ham club tracksuit is perfectly fine. What else is there to be said? The black Umbro trainers really tie together the hands-on coach look.
Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham Hotspur
Espirito Santo understands he is a ruggedly handsome man. The shaved head, the salt and pepper beard, the slightly brooding demeanor which can sometimes come across as cold. So a pair of cream Adidas sneakers, navy chinos and bomber jacket along with a navy polo shirt (polo shirts also seem to be in for football managers. We can get behind that) is just really cool.
Add a swanky black leather-strap watch to proceedings and you want to sidle up to the former Wolves boss at the barbecue, pass him a cold one and start comparing 4x4s.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City
The drawstring sneakily poking out from just underneath his cream round-necked jumper informs you enough that for Guardiola, comfort is king. He is also sporting a white undershirt — white undershirt, black trousers and the football pundit trainer looks to be the alternative football manager attire next to club tracksuit — and some smart black shoes.
Guardiola has long since ditched his suit get up in favour of a more relaxing attire. Probably figured his work spoke enough for itself at this point. Why must he still dress to impress?
(Top Photo: Tom Slator/Getty Images)