Sean Dyche could be facing the chop at the end of the season. AFP Photo
Paul Kennedy
The managerial merry-go-round will soon be in full pelt. A carousel of changes is just around the corner that’s guaranteed to shake up football, especially in Europe, to its core.
Jurgen Klopp is off. We’ve known that for a while, and there’s a vacancy at Bayern Munich come the end of the season too.
If we are to believe what we read in the papers, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim is hot favourite to replace Klopp, after former Red Xabi Alonso said he was staying put in Germany.
Liverpool also ruled out any approach for Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Now they are the ones we know about. But what other managers could get the chop this summer? I think there’s a fair few with their heads on the block.
Manchester United Erik ten Hag has to be feeling the pressure right now. United sit in sixth, way off a top four spot.
And with Jim Ratcliff taking control of football matters at Old Trafford after buying a 25 per cent stake in the club, he’s going to want to see a return on his investment. And I don’t think ten Hag is the man for the job.
I’m guessing Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino may well be having a few sleepless nights with his team currently sat in 12th spot, behind Bournemouth and Fulham, especially after spending so much money, and I also fear for Everton’s Sean Dyche.
It may be hard to believe for some younger fans, but Everton were once a force to be reckoned with in English football.
In the late 1980s they were certainly among the elite of what was back then, Division One. And coming from Liverpool I have plenty of long-suffering pals who support the Blues.
I watched Everton against Bournemouth last weekend, and I must admit, they were shocking. It’s one thing losing, but doing so by playing a style of football that’s painful to watch, makes it all the more insufferable.
Everton did have 10 points knocked off for breaching the rules, reduced to six on appeal, but further punishment looms large over their spending habits.
They are currently four points off the bottom three, and I still think, even if they are docked more points, they will scrap survival come the end of the season, but that won’t make Dyche’s position safe.
It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, Carlo Ancelotti was in charge at Everton. Begs the question, where did it all go wrong? VNS
OVietnam