5 managers who were sacked too soon by European giants
Managers in football have the most volatile job, especially those at the helm of European powerhouses. A case in point is Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked just four months into the Tottenham Hotspur job.
The likes of Ronald Koeman and Dean Smith have also faced the sack in recent times. Managers generally receive the brunt of criticism following disappointing performances by their teams. It is extremely rare for a manager to last longer than three or four years in the same job in the modern game.
On that note, here's a look at five managers who were sacked too soon by European giants.
#5 Quique Setien | FC Barcelona
Quique Setien held the Barcelona managerial role for all of seven months only. He is regarded by many as one of the worst Barcelona managers in recent history, but Setien was never afforded the time to settle in at the job.
The Spaniard rose to prominence at Real Betis, who were one of the most exciting teams to watch in Spanish football under his tutelage. Setien was deemed to be the perfect fit at Camp Nou, as he was an exponent of the Cruyffian philosophy.
Setien’s predecessor Ernesto Valverde was sacked following a dismal start to the 2020-21 season, and the decision to bring in Setien was one taken in haste. The 63-year old Setien was appointed Barcelona manager midway through the 2020-21 season.
1984,detrás de una de las porterías del Vicente Calderón se encuentran Cabrera,Rubio, Polilla Da Silva y Quique Setien.
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The Spaniard was at the helm for only 25 matches, where he garnered a decent record of 16 wins, four draws and five losses. Setien averaged 2.08 points per match in his seven-month spell at Camp Nou, and arguably earned himself a bit more time.
However, in Barcelona’s defence, they faced a humiliating 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich during Setien’s tenure.
#4 Julen Lopetegui | Real Madrid
From one Spanish giant to another, Julen Lopetegui faced the sack at Real Madrid just three months into the job.
Lopetegui has somewhat redeemed himself in the last two years at Sevilla. He guided the Sevillistas to their sixth Europa League title (formerly known as UEFA Cup). Since his appointment, he has also ensured two consecutive top-four finishes for Sevilla in La Liga.
However, he was not afforded the same amount of time to get things right at the Santiago Bernabeu. Lopetegui got off to a relatively slow start at Real Madrid, winning six and losing as many in his first 14 games in charge as Los Blancos boss. He drew the two other matches.
Spain were 48 hours away from their 2018 World Cup opener against Portugal.
Then Julen Lopetegui accepted the Real Madrid job, prompty sacked by Spain.
Fernando Hierro takes charge. It doesn't go well.
WHAT IF JULEN LOPETEGUI STAYED WITH SPAIN?
youtube.com/watch?v=YTOAQe… https://t.co/A5weZ9TK79
In his first match in charge, Real Madrid lost to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid 4-2 in the UEFA Super Cup. The Spaniard had inherited a team bereft of star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club that summer.
Lopetegui probably deserved more time with the squad to get them firing, which he has been able to do during his current tenure at Sevilla.