It’s time that time of year again! This blog has answered the age old question once again – where are the current Premier League managers in CM9798? It is brave doing this in the middle of sacking season but let’s brave it. You can see the same article from last year here but let’s crack on.

Arsenal – Freddie Ljungberg (for now)

With Unai Emery only recently binned, it is with great relief that the Arsenal board are in no rush to find a replacement. Emery himself is in the game at Toledo and his temporary replacement is a bit of a club legend. Step forward former midfielder and underwear model Freddie Ljungberg

In game, he is a promising Swedish winger as seen in KingOfTheRooks’ Turnips on Tour. He has very high potential and is definitely one that the researchers got right, even if I don’t remember his set pieces being that good.

Aston Villa – Dean Smith

Here we have Dean Smith, now Aston Villa manager, Like most of the Leyton Orient team he is very handy, his high stats for heading, tackling and positioning making him far better than a 3rd division defender.

His influence of 20 makes him captain material and no doubt will help him in a managerial capacity also.

Bournemouth – Eddie Howe

Ah, young Eddie. He’s doing a great job at Bournemouth but back in 1997 he was barely on the radar as a 19 year old defender. Howe has been a regular when I’ve ran this piece in previous seasons so I’ve nothing new to say except he gets better as a manager with every passing year and I’ve still never seen him in the dugout on CM9798, but then I don’t often get through 15 or so seasons.

Brighton – Graham Potter

Graham Potter hasn’t exactly taken the traditional route to Premier League management. Honing his skills in Sweden, he is now doing a good job at Brighton. Back in 1997, he was a young left back at West Brom.

He doesn’t really amount to much in game with very average stats but most importantly, he shares my birthday!

Burnley – Sean Dyche

Voice of an angel Sean Dyche is up next. Flair of 16. Just let that sink in. Dyche was apparently quite the utility man in his day and was part of that Chesterfield team that made the FA Cup semi finals the previous season.

Again I’ve never really seen Dyche end up in management in the game but you’d be looking at 10 or so seasons for that.

Chelsea – Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard is a Chelsea legend as a player and is well on the way to backing up his playing achievements as a manager. It’s easy to forget though that way back in 1997, he was a West Ham lad.

Lampard is a funny one in game, he has some incredible stats mixed with some fairly poor ones. As a result his development is not always brilliant and you don’t really know which one you will end up with.

Crystal Palace – Roy Hodgson

Ah Roy. He’s always here. After replacing Frank De Boer as Crystal Palace manager last season he went on to keep them up and is battling to do the same this season. Back in 1997 he’s Blackburn manager and from experience usually ends up at Chelsea when Vialli quits. He doesn’t make Tore Andre Flo take the corners though, so that’s something he developed over time.

Also, I’ve never seem him end up with the England job. Just a passing comment.

Everton – Marco Silva

Marco Silva is only just 20 when CM9798 loads up and is a right back for Belenenses. That name sounds made up, but I assure you it isn’t.  Anyway, he’s got potential has young Marco.

Who knows how much longer Silva has in the job. My guess would be not long. He’s already been at Hull and Watford but I think it’s fair to say his stock is falling in England. The next few weeks will be interesting.

Leicester City – Brendan Rodgers

There’s no Brendan Rodgers in game so…here is his goalkeeping coach, Mike Stowell.

Sorry Leicester fans, it is as good as I can do.

Liverpool – Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp is doing great things at Liverpool but as a defender in CM9798 he is average at best. That aggression of 10 is kind, we’ve all seen mad Klopp. Also stamina of 8 is ironic given his gegenpressing ways. Klopp did go on to manage Mainz which lead him to Dortmund where he really came to flourish as a coach.

Manchester City – Pep Guardiola

Guardiola was excellent as a player and somehow even better as a manager. He is quite possibly the best player we have in the list today. As you’d expect, creativity, passing and technique are all very high. What else can you say really?

Manchester United – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Another barely still in a job is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He manages the club he plays for in 1997 which is about the only positive I can say about this man. I don’t like him but I will concede he was a bloody good finisher.

I don’t think anybody would have predicted 23 years ago that he would go on to manage the club but how long he remains in charge for is an ongoing debate.

Newcastle United – Steve Bruce

Bruce has managed just about everybody and always go into management in the game, so I guess many will have predicted that Geordie Steve Bruce would end up in charge of Newcastle eventually.

He’s a defender at the end of his career in game and would go on to manage Birmingham along with most of the football league.

Norwich City – Daniel Farke

Norwich City are the least “in the past” club in the league. All their staff are modern to the point where literally none of them are in CM9798. Manager Daniel Farke certainly isn’t. I’ve got nothing.

Sheffield United – Chris Wilder

Chris Wilder the manager is very highly thought of. He’s doing a great job at Sheffield United having also performed well at Northampton. Chris Wilder the CM9798 right back is not held in the same regard, though he isn’t awful. There’s quite a few high stats in here:

You can guarantee if he was a centre back he would be overlapping.

Southampton – Ralph Hassenhuttl

I really didn’t expect to find Ralph Hasenhuttl in the database…especially not at Lierse in Belgium. I’m quite impressed by him, in that he is some sort of creative beanpole target man.

I guess he is 6 foot 3 so I suspect he was good in the air in his day. Whether he is in this countdown next year is another matter.

Tottenham Hotspur – Jose Mourinho

Mourinho himself isn’t in CM9798 so I’ve had to cheat and offer you Tottenham’s Technical Director. Steffend Freund, everybody.

Watford – Hayden Mullins (Caretaker)

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt older than 18 year old Hayden Mullins now being old enough to be put in temporary charge of Watford. The Hornets have just sacked Quique Sanchez Flores who himself replaced Javi Gracia in August. Mullins is little more than a promising defender who is always in the right place…when he has the ball? Just don’t ask him to do anything out of possession. It is not yet clear who will take up the job full time.

West Ham – Manuel Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini was between jobs in 1997 but rather than leave you Hammer-less, here’s goalkeeping coaching Vincente Valero.

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Nuno

I’ve made so many safe pair of hands jokes about Nuno which nobody gets (or maybe people have just grown tired of me, you can’t rule that out) so here he is. A GOALKEEPER. SAFE HANDS. He’s only 21 back in 97/98 and hadn’t really gone on to much but his stats suggest he could be good in future…though really who wants an injury prone goalkeeper? That’s just asking for trouble.

If nothing else, he now has a big grey beard and I tell you what, he looks a lot older than 44. Because he is. That date of birth is wrong and he’s actually 46 in January.