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Managers are the first to be criticised for their teams' poor performances. A manager is the face of the club, and as such he is the first person to deal with both positives and negatives.
A manager has to deal with the repercussions of losses as well. At top clubs, the pressure is constantly high, and one poor performance can spell trouble. As such, managers walk a thin line, and have to be careful with how they conduct themselves and ensure that the team does well every time.
On that note, here's a look at four high-profile managers who are under pressure at the moment:
#4 Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
A casual observer of football might presume that Mikel Arteta has been consistently under pressure. That's because his time at Arsenal continues to be a rollercoaster of emotions.
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A reliable player for the club, Arteta was heavily linked with the club's managerial role after Arsene Wenger stepped down. However, the club chose to appoint Unai Emery, and Arteta joined Manchester City as an assistant to Pep Guardiola. Arteta enjoyed an excellent spell at City, where he was widely praised for his contributions.
Understandably, Arsenal fans became excited after his appointment in 2019. He led the club to FA Cup and FA Community Shield success in 2020. But ever since then, things have not gone according to plan. Arteta has polarised opinions among the fans as well.
Arsenal were abysmal last season, finishing eighth in the league and failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in more than two decades. Despite spending big this summer, the Gunners are ninth in the league after seven games this season.
#3 Nuno Espirito Santo (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham Hotspur's managerial hunt this summer must have been an exciting watch for the neutrals. Linked with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca, Gennaro Gattuso and Hansi Flick, the London club finally appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their manager.
Santo left Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer. Under him, Wolves had risen from a Championship club to a Premier League regular. However, concerns were raised about his style of play, with Santo preferring a defensive brand of football at Wolves.
After a good start to the season, Tottenham Hotspur have regressed. They are 12th in the league table, and have lost their last three league games. Harry Kane is yet to score a goal in the league. So one has to wonder where his head his after the gruelling summer transfer saga with Manchester City. The football being played by Spurs at the moment is seemingly bland too, so fans are getting fidgety.
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#2 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as the permanent manager of Manchester United in 2019. But questions are still being raised about whether he is the right manager for the club.
One cannot deny the progress at the club since Solskjaer's appointment. The Norwegian has sold a lot of ageing stars and expensive non-performing arrivals, refreshing the side with world-class players.
The likes of Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes have all been signed under Solskjaer.
Despite that, Manchester United continue to be an inconsistent team. The side regularly relies on individual brilliance to bail them out, and there is no clear tactical plan. Solskjaer's vision for Manchester United is evident, but is he the right man to implement that?
Manchester United are third in the league, and have produced some poor performances recently.
#1 Ronald Koeman (Barcelona)
Barcelona are a mess. When one thinks that the club cannot fall any lower, Barcelona have managed to do just that.
The Lionel Messi saga this summer was embarrassing enough. But now, there are much bigger problems at the club. Ronald Koeman is a Barcelona great who left the Netherlands national team job to take over as manager of the club in 2020. The Dutchman is under extreme pressure now, though.
Koeman has repeatedly made controversial comments in recent weeks. He was reportedly close to leaving the club this summer, but Barcelona could not find a suitable replacement.
They have lost the Champions League group-stage games to Bayern Munich and Benfica, and are ninth in the league table. The performances, in particular, have been shocking to witness. Andrea Pirlo and Xavi have been linked with Barcelona's managerial role.
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