Monday 8 May 2017 17:27, UK
The La Liga season is reaching its climax - but which manager has done the best job in Spain's top flight this season?
There's no room for Luis Enrique or Diego Simeone on Guillem Balague's five-man shortlist, but who do you think deserves the prize?
Take a look through Guillem's selections and don't forget to cast your vote at the bottom of the page...
He is probably never going to be named the tactician of the year, but somehow Zinedine Zidane has found the secret formula to keep a whole collection of massive egos as happy as Larry in the Real Madrid dressing room. Even James Rodriguez, who certainly wasn't particularly happy, is back on board, as is Isco.
In fact, if you compare the goal contributions of Real Madrid's back-up attackers with the output of Barcelona's second-choice forwards, it's clear to see how well Zidane has used his squad.
Alvaro Morata and Isco are both into double figures for goals, while James and Marco Asensio have also made important contributions. Zidane's work this season might well be enough to earn Real Madrid their first league title since 2012 - and there could be more European glory too.
Next up is Jorge Sampaoli. His stay at Sevilla will be short and sweet after it was announced he will take the Argentina job at the end of the season, but while we are ultimately all a bit disappointed that his Sevilla side did not launch a more sustained bid for the title, he has nonetheless taken the side to a different level this season.
Sampaoli has helped the team secure impressive wins over Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid with an attractive style of football. Indeed, there has been a clear shift in style since the days of Unai Emery, with Sevilla dominating the ball under Sampaoli. It's a shame he won't be there to see where they go from here.
Also on my list is Mauricio Pellegrino, who has done wonders taking a newly promoted, totally changed, Alaves side with 11 new players and not much money to a respectable mid-table finish.
They have been experts at making the most of the few goals they've scored this season, with a win over Barcelona and draws in both matches against Atletico Madrid catching the eye.
Pellegrino might well have concentrated on achieving a better finish but he eased up in the league once his side had earned a place in the Copa del Rey final that they will contest against Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon on May 27.
He would certainly have settled for that at the beginning of the season. But will he be there next year or has he got bigger fish to fry? I think he could go.
For tiny Eibar to have gone close to European football this season is a marvellous achievement and a tribute to the managerial skills of the much-travelled Jose Luis Mendilibar.
Eibar are the smallest club in La Liga, with only 5,300 regularly attending their Ipurua stadium, but they finished 14th last year and this time, while a European place is highly unlikely, they are on course for a top-ten finish in Mendilibar's second season at the club.
Work rate, collective responsibility and everyone punching above their weight have been the secrets of their success.
My fifth and final pick is Eusebio, who has performed wonders with Real Sociedad since taking over from David Moyes in November 2015. He took charge when they were near the bottom of the league and led them to ninth last season.
This year he has carried on where he left off and has taken the team to a new level that could well see them return to Europe, especially if Barcelona beat Alaves in the Copa del Rey final.
All that is made even more impressive when considering he has achieved it with largely with homegrown players. Real Sociedad made just three signings last summer - all free transfers - but they still compete at a very high level.
Other contenders who have not quite made my top five are Asier Garitano, who is agonisingly close to keeping Leganes in La Liga. It's something not many people thought he would ever do, but it would be just what he deserves after taking the Madrid side from the third tier to the top table in just three seasons.
Meanwhile at Athletic Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde has once again performed minor miracles when you consider how difficult the club's policy on Basque players makes it. Athletic have been the top Basque side this season, with four clubs from the Basque country in La Liga. It speaks volumes for both his and the region's passion for football.
Finally, I'd like to mention Eduardo Berizzo, whose Celta Vigo side sit comfortably in mid-table as they prepare for their Europa League semi-final second leg against Manchester United. Don't forget he also took Celta to a Copa del Rey semi-final this year.
But who do you think deserves the prize? Have your say below and join us again next week as we discuss who deserves the player of the year prize.
