The current football season has seen a marked difference in terms of managerial stability. Last season saw an astonishing 14 Premier League managers leave their jobs, but this year, with a third of the season gone, no dismissals have taken place. While prime sacking season is still upon us, and the January transfer window may bring a change of mindset, there are reasons why greater stability prevails this season.
One caveat to that argument is the departure of Julen Lopetegui from Wolves just before the season began. Lopetegui stated that financial constraints were intolerable, and he consequently refused an opportunity to manage Saudi champions Al-Ittihad. While Wolves have done a good job under Lopetegui’s successor Gary O’Neil – the team currently sits 12th in the table, though would be in the top half were it not for three poor penalty decisions against them – the possibility remains that Lopetegui could replace any Premier League manager sacked this winter.
Last season, by the time of the November international break, six managers had already exited their jobs. However, by contrast, patience appears to be the order of the day this year. Only Chelsea and Manchester United appear lower in the table than they would like to be. While it’s possible that Erik ten Hag will replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United when Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of 25% of the club is complete, club owners seem more inclined to wait for improvement.
Burnley have also failed to impress, but are still invested in Vincent Kompany, who is given credit for transforming their style of play last season. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United and Luton may have expected to struggle, but both have seen results improve, so Paul Heckingbottom and Rob Edwards will likely remain in post until further notice. Bournemouth have suffered under Andoni Iraola after the club replaced Gary O’Neil in the summer, but the club’s league position has been exacerbated by the tough fixtures listed on their season schedule.
There may be a degree of learning from last year’s events behind this season’s greater stability. Changing the manager is unlikely to achieve significant improvements. This could be why Leeds, Leicester, and Southampton all changed manager twice and still faced relegation.
Of course, the likelihood is that football will resort to its previous default when crisis hits: try changing the manager. However, right now, there are no obvious candidates for imminent sacking – though that’s not to say that won’t change as the season unfolds
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