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The Premier League standings are smoothly taking shape after five enthralling gameweeks. But while some clubs are hitting it out of the park already, others are struggling hard to meet even the barest of expectations.
In the 2022-23 Premier League season, 14 managers were sacked before the end of the season, which included big names such as Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte, and Patrick Vieira. In the season before that, 10 managers lost their jobs, including Marcelo Bielsa and Roy Hodgson.
Managerial casualties are likely to continue this season too. While the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, and Mikel Arteta are currently safe thanks to their past achievements, the same can’t be said about the rest of them.
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So, without any further ado, let’s look at three managers who are likely to get sacked in the Premier League this season:
#3. Rob Edwards (Luton Town)
Luton Town’s rise to the top flight of English football has been nothing short of a fairytale. The 2023-24 Premier League season marked the first appearance of the Hatters in the English top flight. However, it has hardly been a smooth sailing since then.
While Luton Town surprised everyone by winning the Championship playoffs, their struggles in the Premier League are hardly surprising. Games against the clubs currently in the top half of the league have made matters worse, too.
Usually, the first order of business for the recently promoted clubs is to fight for their survival in the Premier League. But, Luton Town are going nowhere under Rob Edwards after failing to secure a single point in their first four games.
For all their achievements last season, Luton Town appear to be out of their depth in the Premier League. They have hardly looked convincing in any of their Premier League outings. And the one time they looked convincing against Fulham, they failed to take their chances.
Although Rob Edwards is not entirely at fault for the abysmal start to the season, time is running out for him. Clubs in England know the importance of staying in the Premier League, and those facing relegation act swiftly to freshen things up.
Last season, Scott Parker lost his job at Bournemouth as early as August after getting the Cherries promoted to the Premier League. The final nail in his coffin was a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. A similar thing could happen to Rob Edwards too.
#2. Sean Dyche (Everton)
As of now, Sean Dyche has the worst winning percentage among Everton’s permanent managers in the last four decades. Out of the 24 games Everton have played under him, they have only won six while losing a whopping 11.
Sean Dyche was hired midway last season to steady the ship after the Toffees found themselves in an intense relegation battle. And even though the Englishman managed to keep them in the Premier League, the results have hardly improved.
Everton had the second-worst attack in the Premier League last season. Only Wolves (31) scored fewer goals than the Toffees’ 34, and the situation has not improved this season as well.
It speaks volumes about the randomness of the game that the Toffees managed to stay afloat in the Premier League last season. Leicester City got relegated despite having the best offense among the bottom half clubs and the best goal differential among the bottom six clubs in the league.
But while the footballing gods may have been kind to them last season, Dyche won’t be as lucky this time around too. Everton is yet to register a win this season, and their goal differential is the second worst in the league, only better than Burnley and Luton Town.
Last season, Everton managed to escape relegation by cutting cords with Lampard and hiring him. It could be his turn to take the fall this season.
#1. Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
After a hugely optimistic first season at Old Trafford, storm clouds have started to gather rather quickly at Manchester United. While controversies off the pitch have been a huge distraction, performances on the pitch have been a huge source of frustration for ten Hag.
In ten Hag’s defense, there have been various mitigating factors that have resulted in such a poor start. Injuries to his first-choice center-back Raphael Varane, left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, and midfielder Mason Mount have made matters worse.
Besides, the fiasco surrounding abuse accusations against Antony and the disciplinary row with Jadon Sancho have compounded the misery for the Dutchman.
However, not even such grave issues can mask United’s inability to compete with the best both domestically and in Europe. Even Brighton were without regular starters like Pervis Estupinan and Solly March. And yet, they played as if they had been training for this their whole life.
Despite scoring thrice against Bayern at Munich, they never really looked like catching the Germans. Heck, the Red Devils were lucky enough to escape with a respectable defeat margin as Bayern hit the woodwork twice while also not looking as convincing as they usually do.
If results don’t improve quickly, Erik ten Hag could be sacked even before Christmas. While he still retains the confidence of a lot of players, results are the ultimate measure of success. And right now, the Dutchman is failing to deliver those.
