Soccer

Football Manager-inspired: 30-year-old coach without UEFA licence has longest unbeaten run in Europe

A French club now have the longest active unbeaten record among Europe's top five leagues. An interesting fact is that they have the youngest coach in any of the major professional leagues who began hismanagerial career onthe Football Manager video game.

A match ball with the Champions League logo
© Matthias Hangst/Getty ImagesA match ball with the Champions League logo

Analyzingthe 2022-23 season, we may highlight Liverpool‘s decision to keep Jurgen Klopp as manager after the team’s dismal performance under his watch. Graham Potter is another example, as,despite the abysmal performances, the English boss is still widely seen as Chelsea‘s manager for the next season.

However, when the head coach is fired, the assistant managers suddenly become the most powerful people on the team, despite the fact that they were never even noticed before.The job isn’t always a bed of roses; once the infamous “new manager bounce” wears off, a team’s old problems can resurface.

However, in the case of Will Stilland Reims, he has bestowed the club with a run of form that has destroyed the narrative of mediocrity that had surrounded the club in recent years. Thus, all the above-mentioned managerspalein comparison to what the french Ligue 1 team are doing for their coach.

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Which club has the highest unbeaten streak in Europe’s top five leagues?

Will Still of Reims. (Sandra Ruhaut/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Will Still of Reims. (Sandra Ruhaut/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

With their current streak of 18 unbeatengames (nine wins, nine draws), Reims hold the longest ongoing undefeated record among Europe’s top five leagues.The 30-year-old is the youngest manager in the major professional leagues, having begun his career on the Football Manager video game.

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The Belgian lacks the requisite experience to lead a team in the major leagues as he doesn’thave a Uefa Pro Licence. So, Reims must pay €25,000 each time they play a game. But, the gains they have gained,more than offset the regular cash outlays.

Just before the season began, Still was named the team’s assistant manager. He was promoted to the position of caretaker manager when Oscar Garcia was let go as manager. Yet, following a winning streak of five games, Still was promoted despite not having any prior experience as a manager.

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Since his employment, Reims have gone unbeaten in league play, making them the only undefeated team in any of the top five European leagues. In addition, they have allowed just seven goals over this span, worse than onlyBarcelona and Newcastle.

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