All Football Coach of the Month (Dec): Klopp & Valverde lead nominees

Hello Afers! Welcome to All Football Coach of the Month. We list the best coaches of Europe's top 5 leagues every month. 

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, Real Madrid coach Santiago Solari, Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino and Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac are the five nominees for our Coach of the Month for December voting based on their excellent works last month.

Here are their main stats:

1. Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)

Ruthless Reds won all the 8 games in December, taking a 7-point lead clear at the top in Premier League.

Liverpool came from behind to overtake Man City at the top in Premier League standings with 9 consecutive league wins as the Reds defeated both Man Utd and Arsenal last month.

In Champions League, Klopp's warriors seized the last chance to qualify into knockout stages with a 1-0 home win over Napoli.

2. Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur)

Spurs go third in Premier League table and seized slight hope in Champions League progression.

Tottenham were defeated by Arsenal in the first game of December but they avenged Gunners by eliminating London rivals in EFL Cup. 

In Champions League, a last-gasp draw with Barcelona sent Pochettino's side into the knockout stage.

3. Ernesto Valverde (Barcelona)

Valverde kept Barca unbeaten last month, remaining on the top of La Liga table.

The Catalans continued their dominance in La Liga as they won all the 4 league games last month and headed into Copa del Rey last 16.

In Champions League, Valverde's rotated side were held by Tottenham but they still progressed as group winners.

4. Santiago Solari (Real Madrid)

Solari lifted his first trophy as Real Madrid manager and won all the three league games last month.

Real Madrid returned to La Liga top 4 after winning all the three league games last month and booked a place in Copa del Rey last 16.

In Champions League, however, Solari's side suffered a 3-0 loss at CSKA Moskva but reached last 16 as group winners. Besides, Solari led Real Madrid into Club World Cup glory which becomes his first trophy with Los Blancos first team.

5. Niko Kovac (Bayern Munich)

Kovac had an impressive month bringing Bayern Munich back to second place in Bundesliga table.

The Bavarians reignited Bundesliga title race by winning all the 5 league games in December, sitting 6 points off leaders BVB.

Kovac's men also progressed as Champions League group winners after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ajax in an unbeaten month.

 Feel free to leave your thoughts - and name your best squad under the best coach - with our Line-up Manager in comments section.

See you next month & Happy new year!