Ranking the 5 worst managers in the Premier League this season
With just nine matchdays gone in the Premier League, there's already a clear view of what the table might look like by the end of the season.
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea side have continued to impress since last season's UEFA Champions League title run and currently sit at the top of the Premier League standings with only one game lost. Manchester City and Liverpool are both breathing down their necks, declaring themselves as fierce contenders for the title.
While Jurgen Klopp seems intent on adding another Premier League trophy to Liverpool's cabinet, Pep Guardiola wants to show the world how to win a trophy without a striker.
Guardiola has praised his City players for coming up with a solution after their striker transfer failure #mcfc manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football…
These world-class managers are clearly the best in the Premier League right now, but the less fancy side of this spectrum is already bubbling with sackings and firings.
Sitting in the relegation doldrums are Burnley, Newcastle and Norwich City. None of these three sides have won a single game this season, and while Newcastle's Steve Bruce has already been fired, Norwich's Daniel Farke is reportedly getting dangerously close to the sack as well.
🤦♂️ Last season only the three relegated clubs lost more home games in the Premier League than Everton (9)
👏 This season Everton are the only remaining club to have won all of their home games in the Premier League
🪄 The Benitez effect https://t.co/rRxH3kBGKc
While the season is still mostly in its infancy, some managers like Brighton & Hove Albion's Graham Potter are exceeding expectations already. Meanwhile, Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is struggling at the moment despite having a talented squad at his disposal.
Without further ado, let's rank the five worst managers in the Premier League this season, starting with Xisco Munoz, who has already been fired from his post as Watford's manager.
#5 Xisco Munoz | Watford
The former journeyman winger has had a fairly successful entry into management in comparison to other new managers. He started with Dinamo Tbilisi, a club he had played for during his career and led them to a trophy in less than six months. Following this success, Watford came calling for Xisco Munoz in December 2020.
By the end of the 2020-21 season, he had guided Watford back to the Premier League, where he notched up two wins from seven games. This doesn't sound so bad, considering Watford were just promoted and sat in 15th place on the table at the time of his sacking.
However, it wasn't good enough for the Hornets board as they fired Munoz, citing a "negative trend" in results as the reason in their official statement.
#4 Marcelo Bielsa | Leeds United
When it comes to Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United fans have a lot to be thankful for. In many ways, the tactician was the key to their rise to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, and his legendary "concede many, score many" style gave him a lot of fans. Although he drove Leeds to a ninth-place finish last season, much to the excitement of the Peacocks, a torrid start to the new season has given them little to cheer about.
It's quite clear that Bielsa's tactical style of play has been figured out by other Premier League managers. Rather than scoring as many goals as they concede, just as they did last season, Leeds have lookedd lackluster and uncertain in attack. The side currently lie just outside the red zone, with just one win in nine Premier League games.