Liverpool
boss
Arne Slot
is just one game away from becoming only the eighth manager in the modern era to secure theampionship
League Cup
in their debut season as manager.
The EFL Cup stands as the first significant honor in England’s football schedule, offering a prime chance for a newly appointed manager to leave their mark. Notable figures from clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Manchester United are some of those who have managed to secure this achievement.
However, does winning the League Cup indicate potential for greater success in the future? We have examined the cases of the seven managers during the Premier League era who claimed victory in the League Cup upon their initial attempt.
Gianluca Vialli
Not only was Vialli new to management, but he’d yet to retire from playing when he led out Chelsea against Middlesbrough in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup final.
The 33-year-old Italian striker had only been in the post of player-manager for about a month, and his very first game as a coach was masterminding the Blues’ 3-1 second-leg comeback in the semi-finals against Arsenal.
Vialli – who finished their top scorer that season with 19 goals in all competitions – played no part as extra-time goals from Frank Sinclair and Roberto Di Matteo settled a hard-fought 2-0 victory for Chelsea against a stubborn Boro outfit.
Chelsea went on to finish fourth that season and also won the Cup Winners’ Cup. Vialli remained in the post for another two seasons and added the UEFA Super Cup, Charity Shield and FA Cup to his own honours list as a manager,
solidifying his legacy as a Chelsea icon
.
George Graham
In contrast to the rest of the individuals on this list, Graham had prior experience with management in English football before guiding Tottenham to victory in the League Cup in 1999, thus breaking Spurs’ eight-year championship drought.
By then, the Scotsman had become quite an experienced veteran, having previously claimed the trophy twice with Arsenal along with winning the FA Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, and two league championships prior to setting down his marker again.
immensely boring foundations
For David O’Leary’s children at Leeds United.
Spurs poached Graham from Leeds in the September of the 1998-99 campaign and within a few months he delivered silverware, leading Spurs to a classic Graham 1-0 victory over Martin O’Neill’s Leicester City at Wembley.
They also beat Manchester United in the quarters, denying Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils a clean sweep of all four trophies that year.
However, no additional trophies were won after that, and George was let go due to a contract violation in March 2001 as Tottenham continued their trend of finishing in the middle of the table for yet another season.
Jose Mourinho
The League Cup was the first trophy that Mourinho lifted in both of his stints at Chelsea, as well as Manchester United. It might’ve been the case at Tottenham, but he was sacked on the eve of the final against Manchester City in 2021.
In each of those cases – bar Spurs – further silverware would follow. Two Premier League titles, a second League Cup and the FA Cup in his first spell at Stamford Bridge, another Premier League title in his second, and the Europa League at Manchester United.
It’s often said that Mourinho views the League Cup as an important springboard for greater achievements, helping to set a winning, trophy-hungry mentality.
“Lots of teams have followed us since then when we took the League Cup as a real competition, as a real challenge. It is a big competition,” Mourinho told reporters ahead of his third League Cup triumph with Chelsea in 2015.
Juande Ramos
Like Graham before him, Spanish coach Ramos swiftly delivered the League Cup after being parachuted in following a poor start to the campaign.
He replaced Martin Jol in the dugout in October 2007 and soon oversaw a memorable cup run, including an unforgettable 5-1 mauling of Arsenal in the semi-finals before an against-the-odds 2-1 comeback victory over imperial-era Chelsea in the first final at the new Wembley.
Ramos also steered Spurs from 18th to 11th that year, but he ended up leaving the club in an even worse position the following year and was sacked with the club bottom of the table, four points adrift in October 2008.
Nevertheless, he can regard himself as the final manager to claim a title with Tottenham and the individual responsible for bringing Luka Modric aboard. That’s not too shabby.
Michael Laudrup
It was always somewhat strange to see the renowned Danish midfielder sitting in the dugout at the Liberty Stadium.
But his Swansea City side were a breath of fresh air in 2012-13. They finished ninth in the Premier League and Michu was at his Barclaysman best, scoring 22 goals in all competitions.
They knocked out Liverpool and Chelsea (
Who could overlook Eden Hazard’s red card?
) before trampling all over League Two Bradford City’s fairy tale with a resounding 5-0 defeat – a result that still stands as the highest-scoring League Cup final in history.
Sadly, his sophomore campaign didn’t measure up to the first one. Michu stopped scoring goals, and Swansea got tangled up in a fight against relegation. Laudrup was let go in February 2014—replaced by the team captain from their League Cup win, Garry Monk.
Manuel Pellegrini
Manchester City were dreading experiencing yet another major upset similar to their surprising FA Cup loss against Wigan when they made their first cup final appearance since then. This concern arose after Fabio Borini scored an early goal for Sunderland, putting them ahead in the 2014 League Cup final.
However, when Pellegrini took over from Roberto Mancini, this revamped City team demonstrated their strength by mounting a comeback to secure a 3-1 victory. Yaya Toure’s powerful long-range strike ignited the second-half turnaround.
Additional proof of their resilience emerged during the following months when they maintained their composure throughout an exciting title contest against a Liverpool team led by Luis Suarez. They eventually edged out Brendan Rodgers’ Reds by two points, securing victory in each of their final five games of the season.
Another League Cup was won in 2016, however, the Chilean player’s final few seasons did not quite live up to expectations. It felt like a dull waiting period leading into the Guardiola era.
QUIZ:
Guess The Wikipedia Footballer: Can you name these 10 League Cup winners?
Erik ten Hag
“It’s an incredible sensation,” Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes remarked following his team’s triumph in the League Cup final against Newcastle in 2023. This victory put an end to a six-year title drought for the club.
We’ve been waiting for this moment. Fans like us, along with the clubs, have come together at last to claim our trophy, and I believe we deserve it.
It has been an incredible time, securing the first trophy of the season, yet our appetite remains unsatisfied as it’s not sufficient for this club. We aspire for greater achievements since our benchmarks require more. My focus has always revolved around lifting titles, and now that we’ve achieved one, I’m content yet eager for more. I desire significantly more.
How have things gone since then? It’s a bit complicated.
That was about the point that Ten Hag’s stock was at its highest. The infamous 7-0 defeat to Liverpool followed shortly after and their Premier League form never really picked back up from there.
Still, the Dutchman did lead United to the FA Cup final a few months later – and got revenge over City in the 2024 rematch.
READ NEXT:
Where are they now? Liverpool’s XI from Jurgen Klopp’s first final in 2016
TRY A QUIZ:
Can you name every team to play in a League Cup final since 1990?
