In yesterday’s post-match commentary, Man City‘s new manager Enzo Maresca said that his team “completely deserved to win” against Bournemouth. Deserved might be a bit strong considering they didn’t score until the 84th minute, but hey, what do I know! I write about clothes. Which leads me onto what Maresca did deserve some recognition for: his Prem debut trousers.
Instead of the near misses and a brand new buzzcut, I was zeroed in on Maresca’s trousers on the touchline. They pooled perfectly over his shoes with a half trouser break (the small, only slightly noticeable crease at the front), which suggests he spent good money on a good tailor. They have a single pleat down the front that helps add a little flow and drape so that he can comfortably parade the technical area. But surprisingly – especially compared to the slim-fit tracksuit bottoms he wore when playing Arsenal a few weeks ago – he’s gone wide-leg.
But one manager in wide-legs doesn’t a trend make. And, really, it’s the hope that kills ya. That being said, there has been a shift in football style over the last few months. Managers are no longer disregarding the appeal of slouchier, more relaxed fits when picking game fits. Maybe they’re starting to recognise that they’re comfortable as well as cool? Whatever the reason, it seems that managers’ universal endorsement of ill-fitting, skinny trousers has come to an end.
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It started during the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s manager, Sergej Barbarez, didn’t have many opportunities to show off his trouser collection but he always went wide when he did, often wearing them with a double-breasted blazer. Who knew the 54-year-old had style game? The same goes for Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest manager of the tournament, who wore a lovely navy pair when his team lost to Paraguay on penalties. Then there was Sabri Lamouchi, who got sacked immediately after his team Tunisia lost 5-1 to Sweden. Painful, but it would have been more so if done in a slim-fit.
Slightly more successful is Cesc Fabregas, who got Como 1907 to the Community Shield final and did it in a pair of olive green wide-leg trousers. The internet, on fire, called him the better-dressed manager of that game. A win, even if his team lost. Last year, Pep Guardiola was in wool wide-legs and Brunello Cucinelli Gurkha trousers.
The thing is, although the wide-leg silhouette has been cool for regular dudes for a minute, it’s taken some time for football managers to catch up. (It’s been so slow that, if the runways are anything to go by, the menswear pendulum is already starting to swing back to skinny.)
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