The sport of football has changed in recent times. While always a difficult business, it often now seems less forgiving with managerial changes and high profile sackings becoming a lot more common. While many of the normal public find it hard to feel sympathetic towards some of these managers as they get multi million pound pay offs, it can have a profound effect on the managers themselves and their confidence.
The aftershock can affect the clubs for a while and sometimes they may wonder if they have made the correct decision. Players can be fickle and hold too much power these days, a wish for a new manager may actually backfire in the long run. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at a few managers who could become favorites for the sack at every casino online if the season does not start off very well..
Jose Mourinho
Mourinho seems to be a big name manager who is slowly fading into obscurity. Having had a stellar start to his career, guiding Porto to success on the domestic and European stage, famously eliminating Manchester United during their march to Champions League glory, he would secure a move to manage in the Premier League. This move would start heavily trophy laden spells at Chelsea, followed by Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
A return to Chelsea, which started well, seemed to signal the beginning of his downfall. Rifts began to emerge and he was sacked. He got his dream move to Manchester United, which many felt came too late and disappointed there too. Moving to Spurs, he didn’t last long and he has now been given the opportunity to coach Roma in Serie A for the foreseeable future. While expectations here are not big, many see it as a fall from grace for Mourinho and not many big clubs seem interested anymore. This season is of vital importance to his managerial career.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The man brought in to replace Jose Mourinho now faces a tough season himself. Originally tasked with bringing back entertaining football after the dull style of Mourinho had led to supporters being unhappy, things have slowly but steadily improved under the Norwegian, who being a legend at the club from his playing days has serious credit with the fans and they have shown a lot of patience as the rebuilding job is quite large after the heady days of Sir Alex Ferguson.
It has been steady progress for Solskjaer, improving from 6th in his first half season to 3rd in his first full season, behind strong Liverpool and Man City sides. Finishing in second this year, the signs are good yet the feeling remains he just doesn’t have enough to cut it at the top. Losing the Europa Cup final to lowly Villareal certainly has not helped his cause. Another trophyless year could see the Old Trafford outfit starting another search for their saviour.
Ronald Koeman
Originally hired as a stop gap measure as the club was going into free fall, Koeman seems to be safe at the moment.
Yet, this is Barcelona, one of the greatest clubs in the world and if results don’t go his way, he will be heading for the exit. If Barcelona had been able to recruit their former midfield maestro Xavi as their manager, Koeman would probably not even be there.
Unable to guide them to La Liga glory despite being in a good position throughout the season has led some to question him. Victory in the Copa del Rey has not done much to ease this. A humiliating loss to PSG in the Champions League extended their horrific run of form in the knockout stages of the competition. Fans will expect more this year, but Koeman does not have it easy as his best players are ageing. Yet, returning to using Messi in a false 9 position, may prove to be a wise decision.
Simone Inzaghi
A surprise departure by Antonio Conte left the current Serie A Champions, Inter Milan, without a manager.
While not a novice in the game, having managed fellow Italian club Lazio for the previous five years, only three trophies won in that spell may not inspire too much confidence in Inter Milan fans, who possibly felt with Conte at the helm they could enter a period of dominance. It’s important that Inzaghi starts well, or the critics will be circling.
Mikel Arteta
Former captain of Arsenal and fans favourite, Arteta returned to the club as manager after the dismissal of Unai Emery. He had spent a few years as assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and most people felt the time was right for him to make the step up to being the boss. However, initial optimism has now worn off and two years of finishing in eighth place may not cut it much longer. Expect a rocky season ahead at The Emirates.
Enjoying the Managerial Merry Go Round
While there’s no doubt the above mentioned names will be under fierce scrutiny this year, there’s no reason why you should not have a little fun at their expense. Simply browsing through any online casino site, will give you a glimpse at the best odds on which managers will be sacked and who could possibly step in. If results don’t go their way, keeping an eye on how these managers are doing could see you pocket a few quid during the season. If they do get sacked, they may not be the only ones getting a big payday!
Summary
There have been some early appointments this summer with returns being made by Carlo Ancelotti and Max Allegri to Real Madrid and Juventus respectively. These decisions do not guarantee success and lets hope their legacies are not tarnished by poor second stints at the clubs. Mauricio Pochettino of PSG, was also courted by previous club Tottenham, but decided against an emotional return.
The pressure faced by managers these days is immense. It’s hard to know in this big money, results orientated business, how long to actually stick with someone. There was a section of Arsenal fans who grew weary of Arsene Wenger some years ago, demanding change and things have never been the same. Sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for. Good managers are hard to come by these days.
