News of managers falling out with players has been heard over and over again. But managers falling out with the club hierarchy is not something you hear very often. If it's at a big club, there's so much more drama. There have been plenty of reasons for managers falling out; disagreements, lack of funds, falling out with star players, or just poor performances in general. A manager's job is never easy, and expectations go over the roof when you are at one of the top clubs in Europe.
Managers falling out at multiple clubs
Over the past few years, there have been incidents where the same managers had disagreements with multiple clubs in their careers. We bring you a curated list of all these incidents from major clubs in England, Italy, and France.
Without further delay, let's get right into it.
#5 Thomas Tuchel | Borussia Dortmund & Paris Saint Germain
While there is no questioning the tactical genius of Thomas Tuchel, much has been said about his managerial relationship with the clubs he's worked at. Tuchel infamously had a falling out with Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke over transfer plans back in 2017. In the words of Watzke, "Thomas is a difficult person, but a fantastic coach". In an open letter to fans after Tuchel's dismissal, Watzke said it was a question of "reliability and loyalty."
A similar story unfolded later at PSG, where tensions were high between the manager and Sporting Director Leonardo. There was a constant power struggle between the two. The Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich was probably the last straw. Now at Chelsea, a club with a history of firing managers, it will be interesting to see how the story unfolds for Tuchel.
#4 Maurizio Sarri | Juventus
When Maurizio Sarri joined Juventus after winning the Europa League with Chelsea, many eyebrows were raised. Many questioned the manager's pedigree to guide Juventus to glory. While he did win the Scudetto, the Champions League was still an elusive trophy for the Bianconeri. How often does a manager get sacked after winning a title? Ask Sarri.
Many believed Sarri was made the scapegoat for what was poor decision-making from the board. Further, there were rumours of Sarri falling out with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Dybala. This made the entire experience a difficult one for all parties involved. Sarri was eventually replaced by club legend Andrea Pirlo, who failed to deliver the league title to Juventus for the first time in nine long years. To add to the drama, Sarri had an interview following this, where he talked about how his league success at Juventus was not given its due.
#3 Jose Mourinho | Tottenham Hotspur
After Jose Mourinho was announced as Spurs manager, many believed this would be the end of their trophy drought. Only a serial winner could get Spurs a major trophy right? So how do you sack this winning manager one week before the final? This was a question that left so many people puzzled. One week before the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, Spurs announced they had parted ways with Jose Mourinho.
It was reported by famous football journalist Duncan Castles that the reason for this was a difference in opinion over the team selection with Daniel Levy. There were also rumours flying around at the time that Mourinho stepped down due to Tottenham Hotspur's involvement in the European Super League. The reason is still unclear to this date, but Jose Mourinho had a falling out with Daniel Levy. What's Jose without any drama, anyway?
#2 Gus Poyet | Brighton & Hove Albion
This is an incident that isn't talked about enough. Gus Poyet was the manager who laid the foundation for Brighton to go from a side struggling in League 1 to a strong Premier League side in a span of a few years. He gave them what was probably their best season in the club's history. All this went downhill after a play-off semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace. Poyet used the post-match interview to complain about the lack of financial backing.
Shortly after, Tony Bloom, the owner of the club, sacked the manager (on live TV). The incident alone tarnished his image as a legend at the club. Following this, Poyet missed a disciplinary hearing at the club. Since then, neither side has spoken about it openly. In a recent podcast, Poyet established that he had a good relationship with Bloom but admitted that the club thought that he "had too much power."
#1 Antonio Conte | Inter Milan & Chelsea
Antonio Conte is a passionate, tactical and title winning manager at multiple clubs. He has proven is mettle time and time again in multiple countries. When Conte joined Chelsea, nobody expected him to deliver a league title in his first season. But he did, and in his own words described it as a "miracle." The ending wasn't as smooth as the start though.
Conte wanted the final say over player signings and was looking to control the Chelsea academy, but wasn't permitted to do either of them as a manager. He eventually lost the dressing room, causing more unrest. Towards the end when results weren't satisfactory, Conte was due to be sacked but another argument ensued around his final compensation. Not the most amicable departure.
A similar story unfolded at Inter for Conte. It came after delivering them their first league title in over a decade. But shortly after, he had a reported fallout with the owners. Inter Milan's Chinese owners were cash strapped and were looking to offload some players to balance their books. This prevented him from building on the succes from last season. The cost cutting eventually led to him resigning as their manager. Conte was in talks with Daniel Levy to become the next Spurs manager, but unsurprisingly, the negotiations never really took off owing to differences in opinion.