La Liga has so much going for it. Its top two clubs are considered the richest in the world over the past 12 months, even if the bigger picture at Barcelona tells a slightly different story.
Then there’s a look at the SBOTOP La Liga 2026 betting odds, which make it clear they are in a league of their own too.
But where do you look when asked who the best managers and coaches in the Spanish top-flight?
After all his achievements in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, the name of Xabi Alonso would have been up there. However, he was abruptly sacked last week after just 28 games in charge – a move that spoke of player power gone mad and reiterated that true power at the Bernabeu does not reside in the technical area.
If Hansi Flick can guide Barca to back-to-back league titles, then he will certainly be added to the mix.
The bosses of the dominant duo, though, are too easy and, quite frankly, too obvious to select, so I am going to look elsewhere.
For me, Espanyol (in fifth) are the team of the season so far. Will they stay there? Probably not. But that is not to say Manolo Gonzalez shouldn’t receive accolades. Remember, Espanyol were in the relegation battle last season and only survived on the final day of the season with a victory over Las Palmas.
Despite losing their best player, goalkeeper Joan Garcia, to rivals Barcelona, Gonzalez and sporting director Fran Garagarza have strengthened Espanyol with smart investment and continuity.
In the first half of the campaign, Los Pericos proved to be one of the most difficult teams to face, and Gonzalez has exhibited a tactical versatility that has surprised many.
I would also like to give a shout-out to Claudio Giraldez, who, at the time of writing, has guided Celta Vigo into seventh spot.
A quick look at the club’s budget and squad led to many tipping the Galicians to struggle this year, but Giraldez has them faring very well and in contention for a European berth.
Before being appointed as the man to save the club from relegation, which he duly did, the highest level of coaching he had previously experienced was in Spain’s third tier with Celta Fortuna, the club’s B team. Now he is considered amongst the best of the rest over the past 22 months.
At 37, Giraldez is also the youngest coach currently plying his trade in La Liga and his team was one of the youngest and most entertaining teams last term, scoring a league fifth-best 59 goals.
A word also for Getafe boss Jose Bordalas. The club may currently be only two points clear of the drop zone, but this is a manager who has consistently kept them safe on a shoestring budget, consistently around the 15th-place mark.
This is his second spell at the club. During the first season, he led the team to promotion in his first season and went on to inspire them to a historic fifth-place finish in 2018/19, securing Europa League qualification where they reached the last 16.
A favourite of mine is the Chilean veteran Manuel Pellegrini who turned Manchester City into an attractive power long before Pep Guardiola arrived in England.
Currently the second longest-serving coach in the league, Pellegrini joined the Andalusians in July 2020 and last season inspired Real Betis to a sixth-place finish, clinching European qualification for the fifth consecutive campaign.
Pellegrini also led his team to their first-ever European final, losing the UEFA Conference League decider against Chelsea. An experienced tactician indeed.
Of course, over the longer-term, the work of Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid for almost 15 years is legendary in one half of the Spanish capital, while Marcelino at Villarreal, currently in third place, has established himself as one of the finest Spanish coaches of the last few years.
The final word, though, has to go to Elche and their manager Eder Sarabia.
Previously part of Quique Setien’s coaching staff at Las Palmas, Betis, and Barcelona, he gained promotion during his maiden season at the club, and the majority would, presumably, have been happy for them to consolidate this term.
Not so Sarabia, who, after guiding them to promotion as they conceded the fewest goals (34) in the Spanish second tier, has them sitting in eighth place in a congested middle part of the table as he looks to establish themselves in the top-flight. The Green-striped ones, as they are known, may only be five points from safety, but at this stage, that is a fine feat.
Some La Liga 2026 highlights over the next couple of months, and they will stay up with something to spare.
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