3 managers who are under pressure

It’s not a nice thing to talk about but unfortunately the process of sacking managers is a recurring theme in football, especially within the top leagues. We are well underway into the 19/20 season and already there is pressure mounting on multiple managers, so we will be looking into four managers who are under pressure, why they are under pressure, and what they need to do to keep their jobs safe.

Unfortunately for Manchester United fans, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been unable to replicate the form and results that saw him move from interim manager to permanent manager. After their defeat away to Newcastle, United find themselves in 12th place and 5 points adrift of 4th place after just 8 games, with their away results playing a key factor in their poor form as they are without a win in their last 11 away games. United’s fanbase is currently divided as some fans believe that Solskjear needs time to remove the deadwood and build his own squad, while some fans believe he isn’t good enough and want a more experienced manager in charge. Obviously, it was a mistake to let the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez leave Old Trafford without bringing in adequate attacking reinforcements as scoring goals has been United’s main difficulty so far this season as they have only scored 9 goals in 8 Premier League games. However, by bringing in Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, United’s defense looks much stronger than it was last season as they have only conceded 8 goals in the league this season, which is less than: Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. In order to rescue United’s season (and essentially his job) Solskjaer needs to bring in attacking and creative reinforcements in the January transfer window with a striker being a necessity. Over the past couple of weeks, United have been linked with Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic as well as RB Salzburg’s young striker Erling Braut Haland. We can’t say whether bringing in these players will rescue United’s season or Solskjaer’s job, but if United don’t strengthen in January then their terrible form is likely to continue.

There’s no doubt whatsoever that Tottenham have vastly improved since Mauricio Pochettino arrived in North London, with the club comfortably finishing in the top 4 and reaching the Champions League final. This season is Tottenham’s opportunity to push on from last season and continue to establish themselves as a top club by either challenging for the title or ending their 11 year wait for a trophy. Despite only being 11 games into the season, it seems unlikely that Tottenham are going to be able to do any of those things after their embarrassing Carabao Cup exit to Colchester on top of only winning 3 of their opening 8 Premier League games. It also looks unlikely that Tottenham will be able to replicate their Champions League form as they are without a win in their opening 2 games, including a humiliating 7-2 defeat at home to Bayern Munich. Consequently, Pochettino has received most criticism for Tottenham’s bad form, and similar to United fans, the Tottenham fanbase is divided, with some fans thinking that Pochettino has taken the club as far as he can, and some fans thinking he is the right man for the job. It’s difficult to say where Tottenham need to improve because in the eyes of many they have a strong team with talented players. One thing that seems to be a big issue, however, is the number of players who are unhappy at the club, with players such as: Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen all being rumoured with moves away from Tottenham during the last summer transfer window. It is rumoured that this has lead to there being a divide in the Tottenham changing room and playing a big role in their poor recent form. It is vital for Pochettino to sort out this divide and return a feeling of team spirit within the squad even if it means getting rid of the players who don’t want to be there, at the end of the day if a player doesn’t want to play for the club the manager needs to let them move on.

Since arriving from Watford in May 2018, Marco Silva’s time at Everton has been very underwhelming. Despite the fact that he has spent around £200 million on transfers during his time at Everton by bringing in the likes of: Andre Gomes, Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Richarlison, Silva’s form at Everton has attracted criticism and pressure from Everton fans. Of course, Silva delivered some good results during his first season in charge, such as a 4-0 win over Manchester United and a 2-0 win over Chelsea. Since the start of the 19/20 season, Everton’s form has been terrible as after 8 Premier League games they find themselves in the relegation with 2 wins and 5 defeats, including defeats to newly promoted clubs Aston Villa and Sheffield United. As a result of their bad start to the season, many Everton fans are calling for Silva to get sacked, with there being rumours of Jose Mourinho returning to management to replace him. It’s difficult to understand why Everton have been so poor so far this season as their squad possesses a large amount of talent and quality, however, one thing that Silva could try is a change in formation. Every game this season Everton have played in a 4-2-3-1 formation with one loan striker up front, with many Everton fans wanting to see 2 attackers upfront, such as Kean and Calvert-Lewin playing together in strike. Since scoring goals has been a big issue this season for Everton as they have only scored 6 goals in the Premier League this season, so playing 2 upfront could help solve that problem and maybe improve Everton’s form and keep the pressure off Silva.