Here is the third instalment of my thread on the best managers in Europe, this time on my top five picks from the Bundesliga!

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5. Markus Gisdol (Köln)

Despite a poor end to the season, Gisdol took a Köln side who looked odds-on to go straight back down and kept them up with relative comfort, finishing 5 points clear of the drop zone in the end.

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A particular run of 8 wins in 10 Bundesliga matches between December and March, including against-the-odds wins over Bayer Leverkusen (2-0), Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2), Freiburg (4-0) and Wolfsburg (3-1), proved pivotal in ensuring that Köln stayed up.

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Köln's main attacking avenue under Gisdol was through quick transitions and incisive counters while the opponent was out of shape - and it worked well.

They ended up with 51 goals in total, of which 42 of them were scored in the 23 games Gisdol was in charge.

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Young players like Sebastiaan Bornauw and Noah Katterbach made positive first impressions for die Geißböcke this season, with the youth academy continuing to oversee the development of some quality young talent.

Their recruitment this season also came good.

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Coming in from Anderlecht, Bornauw showcased himself as a tall, physically imposing, no-nonsense centre back who's good in the air.

I was also impressed by the likes of Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier), Kingsley Ehizibue (PEC Zwolle) and Florian Kainz (Werder Bremen) too.

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Though there were some defensive weaknesses in their game this season, to say that there isn't talented defensive players in their team simply isn't true.

The experience and regard with which Jonas Hector and Timo Horn are held in is also important to note.

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Prior to their relegation in 2018, Köln were becoming an established Bundesliga team and improved in their league standing between 2014/15 and 2016/17 (12th-9th-5th).

They have the resources to build on that this time around too, and there are some signs of promise...

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4. Marco Rose (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

After a brief Champions League hoodoo for Gladbach, Marco Rose and exciting, high-intensity style of play have got die Fohlen back where the fans back where they want to be after securing a 4th-place finish in his first season.

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Deploying a system which involves an aggressive press from the front and quick transitions between defence and attack, Gladbach's style of play is gorgeous to watch and a nightmare for opposition backlines when the attackers click.

20 wins suggest that happens often.

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The partnership between French duo Alassane Pléa and Marcus Thuram has proved a match made in heaven, with the ability of the pair to be rapid in transition and find pockets of space the back paying dividends on many an occasion.

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Rose and his coaches have also brought the best out of Denis Zakaria's line-breaking runs and exceptional ball-winning.

Florian Neuhaus is wonderfully creative, while Matthias Ginter and Nico Elvedi have looked as assured as ever in keeping a high defensive line.

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A great team requires cohesion on and off the pitch, and having watched them often this season I get the impression that this is the case.

The press is collective and orchestrated, plus they have a brick wall in Yann Sommer to save them should it not quite work out!

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While the recruitment has been superb, especially the signing of Thuram which proved a real stroke of genius, Rose's played his part in ensuring that the players have warmed to his system and methods as a collective.

Exciting times are on the horizon for die Fohlen.

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3. Christian Streich (Freiburg)

Renowned for his colourful personality and the cult-hero status he holds among the Freiburg fanbase, Streich has guided the club he's been a part of in various different coaching roles for the past 25 years to an 8th-place finish.

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Focused mainly on maintaining a defensive shape that is tough to break down before attacking at pace on the counter, Freiburg conceded 47 goals this season

That's their lowest goals against tally in the top flight since 2015 - oddly, a season that ended in relegation.

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However, a big difference compared to 2014/15 is in the goals for column.

In that season, they scored a total of 36 goals. Compare that to the 48 goals they netted in 2019/20, and their increased effectiveness in front of goal is something that has paid dividends.

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Freiburg are a capable team from set-pieces, with Nils Petersen being a strong player both in terms of his upper-body strength and in the air.

He ended up as their top scorer in league play with 11 goals, of which 3 of them came with his head.

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The creativity of the team is also improved, especially on the left.

Vincenzo Grifo is a technically good attacker who likes to make inverted runs, while Christian Günter's left-sided crosses and byline runs have also caused trouble. 16 assists between them this term.

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Meanwhile, Alexander Schwolow has quietly been one of the best goalkeepers in the league this season with his quick reflex saves and ability to stop close-range efforts catching the eye.

And then there's younger talent in the team like Robin Koch and Luca Waldschmidt.

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Freiburg missed out on Europa League qualification by a solitary point, but the positives far outweigh the negatives with much of that to do with the methods and personality of Streich.

His side have won over a lot of people across the world, including myself!

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2. Urs Fischer (Union Berlin)

The first ever team from the old East Berlin to achieve promotion to the Bundesliga, Urs Fischer masterminded their promotion from the 2. Bundesliga in 2019 before achieving a very solid 11th-place top flight finish in 2020.

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Union are an interesting team with an interesting past, particularly in relation to the anti-communism sentiment of their fanbase during the late 1980s.

Even now, they're a club where the community aspect and ferocious support of their fanbase plays a big part.

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On the pitch, Fischer's Union side is the embodiment of determination and collective spirit, defending in a low defensive block while also being able to counter at pace.

They're not pretty but they are gritty, and it's certainly paid dividends this year.

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They're also a potent team from set-pieces, possessing arguably the best free kick and corner taker in the league this season in Christopher Trimmel.

This is further aided by the aerial dominance of Sebastian Andersson and powerful shots of Marius Bülter in attack.

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Experienced heads in Neven Subotić and Christian Gentner also add to the balance of what is a well-organised and hardworking team.

Their home form also ranks 8th in the BuLi this term - unsurprising when you see the raucous and loud support the fans give the team.

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A win in the first-ever Union-Hertha Bundesliga derby as well as a memorable victory over Borussia Dortmund are moments to savour for a quite incredible club.

Despite limited funds and resources, Fischer has had Union flourishing as a top-flight club in 2019/20.

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1. Hansi Flick (Bayern München)

From the 14th December 2019 to 27th June 2020, Bayern München collected a total of 58 points from a possible 60, scoring 100 goals across the entire season while mercilessly destroying anything and everything that stood in their way.

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Flick's Bayern are a machine more than they are a football team.

High, aggressive and cohesive in their press, excellent at creating overloads in wide areas, comfortable in playing the game in the opposition half and devastating in front of goal. So organised.

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Flick improved Bayern's defence by bringing the best out of Alphonso Davies (converted from a winger to a left back to great effect), David Alaba (one of the best centre backs in the league in 19/20) and Joshua Kimmich (excelled in a deep defensive midfield role).

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He also made Thomas Müller the creative fulcrum of the team, using his expert interpretation of space in the best way as is shown by his breaking of the BuLi assist record.

Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman have also improved their games as inverted wingers out wide.

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Robert Lewandowski has just had probably the best individual season of his career to date, while even Jérôme Boateng has broke out of his stagnation in the last few seasons.

Flick's not been at Bayern long yet it seems as if every player has improved under him.

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With young players like Michaël Cuisance and Joshua Zirkzee showing promising signs in the first team this season, in addition to the signing of Tanguy Kouassi and a strong loan spell for Adrian Fein at Hamburg, the future is incredibly bright for the Rekordmeister.

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The DFB-Pokal win over Bayer Leverkusen is yet another flexing of their muscles.

Bayern are among the (if not outright) favourites to win the Champions League right now, and with good reason given their success with Flick so far.

Write off a treble at your peril.

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