EPL 2016/17: 5 managers who have ruined their reputation this season
The Premier League as a whole hasn’t really lived up to the big budget hype again as we only have to look at the final four in both European competitions to see that English clubs continue to fall behind their continental contemporaries.
Of the list you’re about to read, only one manager is from the British Isles, suggesting that, in fact, the problem could lie not just with the number of foreign players that now populate every team, but also foreign managers – managers who have seen their reputation plummet this season for a variety of reasons.
With the amount of money now being pumped into the game at the elite level, the pressure at the top-end is as intense as it has ever been. Clearly, some managers need to buck their ideas up in 2017/18 or they could find themselves plying their trade elsewhere, or on the scrapheap.
#1 Jose Mourinho
The Special One? Don’t make me laugh. What on earth is special about a manager who publicly criticises his staff, who routinely deflects blame onto referees and opposition managers or otherwise when things haven’t gone well, crows about an unbeaten run that, whilst lasting over 20 games, was pretty worthless when you look at the detail?
Manchester United began that run in sixth position and ended it in fifth. Most games were bore draws and certainly not in keeping with what those at Old Trafford expect.
A vast outlay at the beginning of the season required an immediate return. Not labouring to the finish line in the hope of Champions League football. In many respects, Jose’s brand of football at United has been no better than Louis van Gaal or David Moyes’. The Red Devils have only scored 51 goals in the league – even Bournemouth in 11th place have more.
After a horrific final season at Chelsea, and with his Real Madrid tenure also coming to an abrupt end, one has to question just how relevant Mourinho is as a manager now. It looks like he’s finally been found out.