With the English Premier League season very much underway, we have already seen the first manager to lose his job earlier this week. Watford’s Xisco Munoz was harshly fired from his post despite his team sitting at a respectable 14th in the league table. Sometimes change is good, and we will see how his replacement Claudio Ranieri gets on in his latest role. That being said, there are other managers who may follow suit. Naturally, every manager is always under pressure due to the fact they have different levels of targets. For example, Daniel Farke of Norwich is surely tasked with avoiding relegation, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United will be required to mount a series title challenge. At this moment, we can already see who is the most under pressure, and speculate who will be next to leave.
Who Will Be The Next Premier League Manager To Be Fired?
Daniel Farke, Norwich
Daniel Farke won promotion in his second season at Norwich, and became an instant hit with the fans. However, their first Premier League season under him was more than underwhelming as they were instantly relegated. The Norwich board remained faithful with their manager and he rewarded this faith with an immediate return to the Premier League with a club record 97 points. However, it seems that Norwich, or Farke, is just not cut out for the Premier League. After 7 games, his side sit rock bottom with a solitary point, which was only achieved in the 7th game against a fellow relegation battler. It will surely be a matter of time before Norwich realize that only a change in management will prevent continuation of their promotion-relegation yoyoing.
Steve Bruce, Newcastle
Steve Bruce is another very much under the scope. His team have also started very poorly, sitting second from bottom with only 3 points. Owner Mike Ashley actually put some money into recruitment this summer too, bringing in Joe Willock from Arsenal for £25 Million. Perhaps this didn’t go far enough, as the squad does look thin. Money has been spent in recent seasons though, but poorly. Perhaps the person in charge of transfers should be first to go, come on Joelinton for £40m, really? It is hard to blame Bruce for all the results, seeing how poorly the club is run and how attempts to sell the club keep falling through. However, his style of football is too defensive and negative, and it really isn’t paying dividends. A change of tactics is needed, or perhaps a change of manager?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United
On to the other end of the table, we scrutinize Manchester United, more specifically, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United have not had a bad start to the season. They are currently sat in 4th place, 2 points from leaders, Chelsea. Also the season is very long, in a few games United could easily be top once again. That being said, United have a tough run of games upcoming, playing Leicester City, Atalanta, Liverpool, Spurs, Atalanta again to then play at home to rivals City. It is possible that if this run goes poorly, he might face the hammer. People are more disappointed in United so far, because their recent run of games didn’t match expectations. It is felt that points were certainly dropped against Aston Villa and Everton, two games where United should definitely win at home. Some late winners against Villarreal and West Ham might keep Solskjaer in his seat for a little while longer, but with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane this summer, results are expected in every single game for United. Perhaps someone more experienced with a higher stature is needed. Antonio Conte, Zidane, is that you?
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal
It is sad to see the downfall of Arsenal, a once great side. It is actually ironic seeing that Arsenal fired legend Arsene Wenger because he couldn’t seem to get higher than the regular top 4 finish. For Arsenal to only plummet further after his departure, you can really see how great a job he was doing getting top 4 every year. Arteta has had time at this point, and this season is a must for improvement. Arsenal are in their first season without any European football for a very, very long time. They have one of the youngest teams in the division, but surely enough quality to march back up the table. This is backed by an impressive 3-0 win against North London Rivals, Tottenham, last week. However, a return to reality occured when they were held 0-0 at Brighton; a result where Brighton would actually feel unlucky not to have won. A nice run of wins would surely do Arsenal and Arteta well, but if the wishy-washy form continues, Arteta could be heading back to sunny Spain sooner rather than later.