When gaffers face-off

Football fandom in the country is all set to see EPL theatrics as the best managers battle for glory

While most football fans will have their eyes glued to the action taking place on the field during the EPL (English Premier League), a refreshingly electric battle will be playing out in the dugout. The world’s greatest managers will be fighting it out, and footie fans are licking their lips in anticipation. This season’s EPL managers or gaffers seem to be the most anticipated part of the EPL 2016!

Managers — Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonie Conte and Klopp of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, respectively, have given EPL the world stage, attracting the best talent. With Jose’s drama and Klopps fun-loving approach, Pep’s precision and Conte’s bursts, spectators are in for quite the ride! And the fun doesn’t just end there. “This EPL season is already one of the most debated topics on social media with people discussing Antonio Conte and labelling him ‘Italian Mourinho’ because of his authoritarian approach and wondering if Jose is the right choice for ManU after he was sacked by Chelsea,” opines Aditya Prabhu, a football enthusiast. And a number of Bollywood celebs too, are already geared up for the EPL. Abhishek Bachchan, a huge Chelsea fan took to Twitter to encourage people to join his fantasy football league. “To all the #epl and football fans. Come and join my #FantasyPremierLeague and let’s see how we do,” the actor tweeted. Ranbir and Arjun Kapoor too love their football and their teams.

Not just celebrities, but a number of sports people like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Dhoni too, are big fans of the sport. Another sports person and Arjuna awardee, ace swimmer Rehan Poncha opines “Being a Manchester United fan, I am looking forward to seeing the team playing as a unit and scoring some impressive goals. It has been a while since United lifted the league cup and I think this season, we are definitely challengers for it. Most top teams in the premier league have made improvements in their squad so competition will be healthy. And I expect to watch the nail-biting games and a great season of football. For me, the Manchester rivalry between City and United will be the most interesting. Both teams have new world class signings as well as managers. If anyone is to lift the trophy this year, I’d put my money on one of them.”