Who Are the Four Managers Still in the Running for the Conference League – And What Have They Already Won?

Fiorentina, Real Betis, Chelsea and Djurgården. These are the four teams that secured their place in the semi-finals of Europe’s third-tier competition last night. The big surprise at this stage of the tournament is undoubtedly the Swedish side, who made the most of a favourable draw to reach the final four. But who are the managers leading these teams? Here’s a closer look.

Raffaele Palladino (Fiorentina)

Who he is – Born in 1984 in Mugnano di Napoli, Palladino began his coaching career in the youth ranks at Monza. He was promoted to the first team during the 2022/23 season, guiding the club to top-flight survival two seasons in a row. Last summer, he was appointed by Fiorentina to succeed Vincenzo Italiano.

Manuel Pellegrini (Real Betis)

Who he is – A vastly experienced manager, born in 1953 in Santiago, Chile. He began coaching in 1988 at Universidad de Chile, where he had previously been a club legend as a player. After years working across South America, he arrived in Europe in 2004 with Villarreal. Five years later, he took over at Real Madrid, though his stint lasted just one season. He then led Málaga, and in 2013 was appointed by Manchester City, where he spent three years, winning a Premier League title and two domestic cups. After a spell in China with Hebei CFFC, he returned to England with West Ham in 2018. Since 2020, he has been in charge at Real Betis.

Palmares as manager:
1 Inter-American Cup (1994, Universidad Católica)
1 Copa Chile (1995, Universidad Católica)
1 Ecuadorian Championship (1999, LDU Quito)
2 Argentine Championships (2001, San Lorenzo; 2003, River Plate)
1 Copa Mercosur (2002, San Lorenzo)
1 UEFA Intertoto Cup (2004, Villarreal)
2 English League Cups (2013–14 and 2015–16, Manchester City)
1 Premier League (2013–14, Manchester City)
1 Copa del Rey (2021–22, Real Betis)

Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)

Who he is – Born in 1980 in Pontecagnano Faiano, Maresca began his coaching career in 2017 as assistant at Ascoli. He later worked under Vincenzo Montella at Sevilla and joined Manuel Pellegrini’s staff at West Ham. In August 2020, he became manager of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, winning the Premier League 2. The following summer he took over at Parma in Serie A, but his spell was short-lived, lasting just over three months. He returned to City in 2022 to join Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff. In July 2023, he took charge of Leicester and led them back to the Premier League. That same summer, he was appointed manager of Chelsea.

Jani Honkavaara (Djurgården)

Who he is – A Finnish manager born in 1976. After a couple of years as an assistant, he started his senior managerial career in 2010. Over 14 seasons in Finland, he won two league titles. After working with former national team coach Markku Kanerva, he began his first spell abroad in January when he took charge of Djurgården.

Palmares as manager:
2 Finnish Championships (2019, 2024 – KuPS)
1 Finnish Cup (2024 – KuPS)