How did they get on? 11 players who went on to face their former manager in the dugout

This coming weekend will see this season’s first Old Firm Derby, with Steven Gerrard facing former manager Brendan Rodgers for the first time.

Brendan Rodgers was, according to Gerrard, one of the finest coaches he ever had. The Northern Irishman was the one who moved Gerrard deeper into a regista role, prolonging his career effectiveness as the athletic feats of wonder were drying up. Gerrard clearly grew as a player under Rodgers, but will be pulling no punches this weekend as his Rangers side will be desperate to make a statement of intent.

But is there much historical precedent for this? How have players done when they’ve gone on to face their former managers? We here at Squawka have had a look and come up with a list of 11 managers who had to face their former managers.

Steve Bruce

vs. Sir Alex Ferguson

Steve Bruce was a legendary defender for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. His rugged defensive instincts and great leadership made him an excellent captain. Sadly when he went on to manage against Fergie, he was hopelessly outclassed. Part of this was never having a team on par with his old boss, but he never even beat him once.

Record vs. Ferguson: 18 games, 0 wins, 4 draws, 14 defeats

Mark Hughes

vs. Sir Alex Ferguson

They say you can be a great goalscorer or a scorer of great goals, well, Mark Hughes was both. Sir Alex Ferguson’s first star striker, the Welshman was incredible on the pitch and began his managerial career in the same vein. It took Sir Alex four tries to beat Hughes, and “Sparky” beat him the very next game (the infamous Bentley hat-trick game). After that promising start, however, Hughes never managed to beat his former boss again.

Record vs. Ferguson: 15 games, 2 wins, 4 draws, 9 defeats

Roy Keane

vs. Sir Alex Ferguson

If ever a player was born to be a manager, it was Roy Keane. If ever a player looked destined to take over from his manager, it was Roy Keane at Manchester United. Yet someone Keane turned out to be a decidedly poor coach. He only played Fergie twice, in the 2007/08 season, and he was beaten on both occasions.

Record vs. Ferguson: 2 games, 0 wins, 0 draws, 2 defeats

Mauricio Pochettino

vs. Marcelo Bielsa

There’s a great story about Marcelo Bielsa being so astounded by the size of Mauricio Pochettino’s thighs that he insisted on signing the youngster for Newell’s. He even called on the defender for the Argentine national team. They have met three times as managers, and Pochettino’s Espanyol acquitted themselves brilliantly against Bielsa’s awesome Athletic Bilbao side, winning one and losing two before “El Loco” was sacked.

Record vs. Bielsa: 3 games, 1 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats

Roberto Martinez

vs. Kenny Jackett

Roberto Martinez played the majority of his career at Swansea under the guidance of Kenny Jackett. The two didn’t always get on, and Jackett dropped Martinez at one point until the Spaniard won him over again. They first met as managers when Martinez was in charge of Swansea and Jackett had moved on to Millwall, and master beat apprentice. But in 2013 when Martinez was at Wigan, he defeated Jackett’s Millwall in an FA Cup semi-final, en route to his first ever major trophy.

Record vs. Jackett: 2 games, 1 win, 0 draws, 1 defeat

Claude Puel

vs. Arsene Wenger

This may confuse many people because Arsene Wenger seems younger than he actually is and Puel seems older than he actually is, but Wenger managed Puel at Monaco and since then they have clashed five times as manager. Wenger usually gets the better of his former player, but Puel has managed a couple of big wins including Wenger’s first FA Cup defeat for three years in 2017.

Record vs. Wenger: 5 games, 2 wins, 0 draws, 3 defeats

Pep Guardiola

vs. Juanma Lillo

Once Pep Guardiola had become a manager, his ascension was so rapid that none of his former managers were relevant anymore – but that didn’t stop Juanma Lillo getting a job in Almeria. Lillo was the inventor of 4-2-3-1 and Guardiola extended his playing career to play in Mexico just to work under Lillo. When they met as coaches, Lillo’s Almeria were hopelessly outgunned but pulled off a minor miracle to draw with Guardiola’s brilliant Barcelona at home (losing 8-0 away the next season).

Record vs. Lillo: 2 games, 1 win, 1 draw, 0 defeats

Phillip Cocu

vs. Louis van Gaal

Phillip Cocu was a PSV Eindhoven legend who Louis van Gaal signed for Barcelona. Cocu was a huge hit in Catalunya and well outlasted his coach there. Over a decade later, Cocu had become PSV manager and took his side to play van Gaal’s Manchester United in the Champions League. He beat his old coach in Eindhoven before pulling off a draw at Old Trafford that put his former coach on the brink of elimination.

Record vs. van Gaal: 2 games, 1 win, 1 draw, 0 defeats

Diego Simeone

vs. Gregorio Manzano

Diego Simeone has a great love for Atlético Madrid and so, when he was near the end of his playing career he returned to the club he had won a title with in the mid-90’s. The coach then? Gregorio Manzano. Years later, with Simeone establishing Atlético as a side not to be messed with, Manzano’s Mallorca came to Madrid looking for a win to help them avoid relegation. They didn’t get it; the game ended 0-0, and condemned Mallorca to doom.

Record vs. Manzano: 1 games, 0 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats

Carlo Ancelotti

vs. Fabio Capello

Fabio Capello took over Milan when Ancelotti was in the winter of his career, a fading force. Injuries had taken their toll, and Capello replaced him in midfield with Demitrio Albertini. Ancelotti must have taken this personally because he has been dishing it out to Capello ever since. They’ve matched wits on the sideline a whopping 22 times and Capello has won just thrice; Ancelotti dominates his former boss.

Record vs. Ferguson: 22 games, 10 wins, 9 draws, 3 defeats

Zinedine Zidane

vs. Carlo Ancelotti

They say you reap just what you sow, and while Ancelotti dishes out the pain to his former manager… well, you can guess what happened when Carletto met his former player (and assistant) in Zinedine Zidane. Ancelotti managed Zidane at Juventus for three years, and had him as an assistant at Real Madrid. But when Zidane was in charge of Los Blancos and they faced Ancelotti’s Bayern in the Champions League… everything from the bounce of the ball to the performance of stars to the referee’s decisions went the Frenchman’s way, and Madrid won 6-3 on aggregate to progress on the way to their second consecutive Champions League.

Record vs. Ancelotti: 2 games, 2 wins, 0 draws, 0 defeats

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