Is an ex-player managing their former club a winning formula?

Across European football, there seems to be a trend of clubs appointing club legends as their managers. Compared to franchise managers, former player-turned-managers are often perceived differently by fans and the media. However, since they are so closely tied to the club and its fanbase, their managerial spells become more difficult to navigate.

How does a player’s legendary status affect his tenure at the club as its manager?

Firstly, in an ideal situation, a new manager would clearly understand the club's resources, functions and what it expects of him. Therefore, he can take less time to settle into his new role. We saw this in the first few weeks of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at Manchester United, where he is still manager as of today. Solskjaer had entered a drab dressing room that needed upheaval, both in morale and form.

The United dressing room had been torn apart due to conflicts between the players and Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer’s predecessor. Solskjaer wasted no time setting things right on the pitch, going on a winning run that saw United revive the poor individual seasons of marquee players Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.

Secondly, the manager gets a longer rope to hang on to if he is on the verge of receiving the sack. This is best demonstrated by the ongoing situation at United. Solskjaer seems out of his depth at United, and a manager like Mourinho would not have been given an extended chance in the same fashion.

Rather than appoint a world-class manager, United have shown time after time that they will stick by Solskjaer even during some of the club's inconsistent recent form. The biggest reason he is still in his job is due to his legacy at United and the sense of goodwill that he fostered by giving the fans something to connect with.

Of course, Solskjaer doesn’t fire himself, nor does he employ himself. This is all down to the Glazers and the United Board. Mikel Arteta at Arsenal was staring down the barrel as well; however, it looks as though he seems to have steadied the ship a little after a disastrous start to the season.

Reluctance to Sack Club Legends

So why do clubs stay stubborn and keep inexperienced club legends as managers, even when they aren't delivering? The simple answer to this question might be emotion. Emotions sometimes override judgment, and some fans might say it hurts them more when one of their favorite club legends fails at his managerial job.

Real Madrid have taken a very different route with their managers, bordering on harsh treatment. Zidane left the post twice because of the rumours that swirled around after every lousy performance. This speaks a lot for a manager who has won Real Madrid a UCL three-peat and won two La Liga titles. Real hold no sentiment over the treatment of players, but Zidane’s situation left everyone dumbfounded.

On the other side of the Madrid divide, Diego Simeone seems to have created a separate legacy as Atletico’s greatest manager ever. At Barcelona, Xavi appears to have landed his dream job largely due to nostalgia and his barely concealed infatuation for playing the Cruijff way. The only way to judge a manager is to separate the emotion attached to him, something United are failing to do.

The trend across English clubs in the 19-20 season was to appoint inexperienced managers. Before he was appointed as Chelsea boss, Frank Lampard had a stint at Derby, who had failed to secure promotion. Lampard was backed in the summer of 2020, signing seven players but ultimately unable to get them to perform.

Chelsea have had an infamous sacking culture since Abramovic's takeover, and wasted no time showing Lampard the door and welcoming Thomas Tuchel as their new manager. Tuchel then went on to win the UCL with the same group of players Lampard had at his disposal. Chelsea’s pragmatic approach seems to have finally borne fruit.

Mikel Arteta's only experience was as assistant manager under Pep Guardiola at City before he was welcomed back at the Emirates as a manager. An FA cup trophy masked the problems within the squad, and Arsenal finished 8th in the league for two seasons. Their Europa League performances weren’t any better as Arsenal crashed out in the quarterfinals and semifinals in 19-20 and 20-21 respectively.

Solskjaer had only won a couple of league titles in his native Norway before entering Old Trafford, a CV that hardly seems to be fitting of a club like Manchester United. However, credit has to be given where it’s due. Solskjaer has done a fine job of directing United through choppy waters and has assembled a world-class team at United which is ready to take the next step.

It is safe to say that appointing a player-legend as the manager is seldom the winning formula. It has yet to work in England, and I doubt it will. Sentiment and inexperience cloud the proper judgment of the manager, which is detrimental to the progress of the club. Player-managers should steer away from coaching their former clubs, though one can see why they would want to in the first place. Clubs should look to appoint managers who can guide them to footballing riches, and ex-players do not seem to know those directions.