5. Kevin Muscat (Melbourne Victory)

Last season was one of mixed success for Muscat and his Victory outfit and there are plenty of challenges ahead, not least of which is the arrival at cross-town rivals Melbourne City of Socceroo great Tim Cahill.

Muscat, the former long-serving national team defender, guided the club to its first ever appearance in the Champions League Round of 16, where it was just shaded by Korea’s Jeonbuk 3-2 on aggregate, but it was a season of struggles domestically.

After finishing sixth in the regular season standings, the club was then eliminated from the finals in the opening week at the hands of Brisbane Roar.

But the 44-year-old did a manful job in juggling both domestic and continental duties and, without the distraction of the latter this coming term, expect a strong bounce-back from Victory and their highly-rated, driven young manager.

4. Totchtawan Sripan (Muangthong)

Old enough to have the experience needed to guide a club like Muangthong, yet young enough to still be Instagramming with the kids, Totchtawan has progressed from being an outstanding player to being a very good coach.

One of Thailand’s most distinguished midfielders, he’s seemingly had a magic touch throughout his coaching career, which began in earnest when he took his hometown club, Saraburi, on a series of promotions from the regional leagues all the way to the Premier League in 2015.

After parting ways with the club early in the season he then dropped down to Division 1 again, promoting Police United to the TPL before being appointed Muangthong boss in late January – the first Thai to helm the club in more than half a decade.

The new man faced a baptism of fire as the club disposed of Johor Darul Ta’zim on penalties in an Asian Champions League (ACL) qualifier in his first competitive match before MTU fell to the might of Shanghai SIPG in the playoff round.

It’s been pretty much smooth sailing in the league for the Kirins though as they’ve lost only three times all season and are engaged in an epic battle with Bangkok United for the title.

Sure, the club has wealth and a roll-call of talented players, but without a steady guiding hand we’ve seen many in this same situation falter and the 44-year-old has earned plenty of plaudits this season for being just that kind of coach.