Eddie Howe is now in a more perilous position than Pochettino in the Premier League sack race.
1) Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag
The Champions League had been a fiasco, but Manchester United had been performing well in the Premier League. Then came a 1-0 setback at Newcastle that should have been 6-0, demonstrating that United are far from where they would like to be, and a lifeless 2-0 defeat at West Ham puts them in ninth place. Will Sir Jim Ratcliffe stand by Ten Hag while changing those around him? Does he get rid of the Dutchman, or has the careless lost 50%? Decisions, decisions, but no ‘Mourinho move,’ despite what one grossly and deliberately inaccurate headline would have you believe.
That come-from-behind victory over Aston Villa must have relieved some of the pressure, with Manchester United now within striking distance of the top four.
2) Crystal Palace’s Roy Hodgson
Aside from a draw at Manchester City, the results have been dismal. Steve Cooper is now available. Will they try to sign him before West Ham?
3) Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
No matter how successfully and quickly he boxed off stage one, Howe was always prone to come under fire if there was even the tiniest inkling that he is not the guy to lead Newcastle through stage two of their quest for world dominance. Newcastle have made so many good decisions since receiving all of the money, but you’d think there’d be a desire to bring in a Big Name Manager at some point.As in Jose Mourinho.
Newcastle ascribed Howe’s future conjecture to ‘outside noise,’ although their recent form makes it tough for anyone inside the Toon bubble to ignore it. January could give solutions in terms of transactions, but the Magpies’ matches make the New Year a risk for the manager
4) Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino
After a week in which they overcame Tottenham (despite the fact that it happened to them) and drew 4-4 with Manchester City in a spectacular game that showed the Blues were on their way back, the pressure was relieved. Newcastle then destroyed them. A ten-man victory over Brighton demonstrated guts, but they were weak again against Manchester United, Everton, and Wolves. There has been Carabao Cup progress, and it will be unmistakably amusing if a manager who openly despised domestic competitions while at Spurs ends up unintentionally winning one with this Chelsea rabble.
5) Burnley’s Vincent Kompany
He was under a lot of strain, but a 5-0 win over Sheffield United helped. A point against Brighton was a plus, but they were outclassed at home by Sean Dyche’s Everton. The win at Fulham buys him some time, and there are definitely others in more trouble right now.
6) Nuno Espirito Santo (Forest of Nottingham)
He’s not safe because the owner enjoys sacking, and Forest might easily find themselves in a situation that results in double-sacking silliness.
7) Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder
He was always Plan B for the Blades, but did they have a Plan C?
8) West Ham United’s David Moyes
He’s not anticipated to last until the end of the season, but finishing in the upper half of the Premier League and advancing in the Europa League keep the wolves at bay. The victory over Manchester United is significant.
9) Wolves’ Gary O’Neil
We’re pleased to announce that we were completely incorrect about O’Neil, who has Wolves securely entrenched in mid-table following their victory over Chelsea.
10) Fulham’s Marco Silva
He reportedly turned down a large sum of money to go to Saudi Arabia and has since secured a new contract. Those two 5-0 victories will have done him the world of good.
11) Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth have risen to 12th after a rough start, with just one defeat in nine games, a 6-1 setback at the Etihad an outlier in every sense. Instead of worrying about being fired, he can now see how far he can take this club.
12) Rob Edwards (Luton)
Certainly not. That would be the most contemporary football thing ever.
13). Sean Dyche (Everton)
The points deduction has arguably done more to cement Dyche’s position than anything else. And the four straight 1-0 victories didn’t hurt. The loss against Spurs was probably unfortunate enough not to cause any significant harm.
14) Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postecoglou
Spurs are Spurs, so nothing can be ruled out, and we’re still certain that there will be more bad days than good given the makeup of their roster and Postecoglou’s all-out methods. But the positive vibes had worn off as a 10-game unbeaten streak was broken with three straight losses. Then followed a 3-3 tie at Manchester City, and everything was back to normal in Ange’s world. The ups and downs will continue, but we expect more of the former than the latter, and the crowd – and, more crucially, the media – are fully committed. Three straight wins and a return to fourth place aren’t going to get him fired, are they?
15) Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton)
Definitely not the first manager to leave. Will be toward the top of the betting for any Big Seven job that becomes available. Arsenal, in particular. But it won’t happen, so don’t worry about it.
16) Brentford’s Thomas Frank
He is far more likely to be poached by a rival than sacked, which would already mean he was the next but one manager to depart.
17) Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
There were various points last season when it appeared unlikely that Klopp would still be the manager of Liverpool this season. ‘Is Klopp’s Liverpool Empire Crumbling?’ Liverpool will have to be better than they were for large swaths of last season if they are to progress. Beard-stroking musings should be avoided. And they’re far better than they were for large chunks of last season. Klopp isn’t going anywhere. But he should definitely stop asking for replays because it makes him sound angry.
19) Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
What kind of Saudi offer do you think it would take?
19) Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Definitely not the next manager to go. Will be toward the top of the betting for any Big Seven job that becomes available. Aside from Arsenal. But it won’t happen, so don’t worry about it.
20) Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
The team lost for the first game this season in the Premier League against Newcastle, but they handled it really well. But Arsenal are once again top of the table at Christmas, and Mikel and his project have my complete trust.