Top 5 managerial sackings of 2017

2017 saw some of the biggest names switch clubs for record fees and clubs investing extensively for a better start to the season. With big investments, popularity and the broadcasting rights, clubs in England were under pressure to deliver.

While every club had a strategy to reach their targets, the inability of the managers to deliver saw clubs part company with their managers very early in the season. Following is a list of some big names in the managerial world to get the sack last year.

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#5 Vincenzo Montella

In the June of 2016, Montella left Sampdoria to join AC Milan. After defeating Juventus on penalties, Montella led the Rossoneri to the Supercoppa Italiana, in December 2016, the club's first trophy since 2011.

The club finished 6th in his maiden season in charge and following a win in the Europa League playoffs, got to feature in Europe for the first time since 2014. With new owners taking over the club, Montella's contract was renewed till 2019 and he was given a huge budget to sign players and challenge for the domestic title as well as European glory in the long term.

After a good start to the 2017-18 season, which saw Milan sign some interesting prospects, the team started to underperform and put in inconsistent performances. With his tactics failing and the faith of the crowd and the owners declining day by day, he was sacked by Milan on 27 November 2017, being replaced by Gennaro Gatusso.

#4 Frank de Boer

De Boer failed miserably at Crystal Palace

A great defender in his playing days, Frank de Boer started his managerial career with boyhood club AFC Ajax in 2010. By 2014, he had won his fourth Eredivisie title with AFC Ajax, making him the first manager to do so and increasing his reputation and attracting attention from other clubs in Europe.

Two successive second place finish in the league saw him leave Ajax for Inter Milan in 2016. Having managed Inter for 85 days, a run of four defeats in five Serie-A matches, which left Inter 12th in Serie-A, led to de Boer's sacking on the 1st of November.

With Crystal Palace, de Boer had an opportunity to prove his mettle and integrate his philosophy. While all seemed pretty good on paper for Palace, de Boer was sacked after 10 weeks, with Palace losing their first four league matches of the season without scoring a single goal and at the bottom of the table.

He set a record at the time of his sack on 11th September 2017, having managed the team for only 450 minutes of Premier League game time, making it one of the shortest reigns in the Premier League.

#3 Peter Bosz

Bosz failed to build on his great start at the club and soon lost the plot

After succeeding Frank de Boer at AFC Ajax in 2016, Bosz could not help the club qualify for the Champions League through the playoffs. However, a great domestic run and taking the club to the Europa League final, where they lost to Manchester United, proved a successful first season for the Dutchman.

Bosz joined Dortmund in the summer of 2017 from Ajax. Well-known for his innovative style of play, adaptive tactics, reliable scouting network and promoting young players, Bosz seemed an ideal fit for Dortmund's policies. His heroics in the Europa League helped his cause as Dortmund were really lacking in Europe since the departure of Jurgen Klopp.

The Dutchman quickly took Dortmund to the top of the table, winning six and a drawing a single game, of his first seven Bundesliga games in charge. He had a mixed transfer window with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Matthias Ginter and Sven Bender leaving the club and the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Mahmoud Dahoud and Maximilian Philipp signed as replacements.

However, a run of 13 games in all competitions, where the club managed to win just once, saw them fall far behind their rivals and crash out of the Champions League. On 10 December 2017, Bosz was sacked due the club's downward trajectory and was replaced by Peter Stoger.

#2 Ronald Koeman

Koeman spent heavily in the transfer window but didn’t get his squad balance right

The Dutch footballer is considered one of the best defenders of his generation, being a part of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team". He had an illustrious career as a player, being one of Europe's five players ever to win a treble at their club and a cup with their national team in the same year.

As a manager, he had successful spells in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and England, having coached the likes of PSV, AFC Ajax, Feyenoord, Valencia, Benfica and Southampton. In the 2015-16 season, he masterminded Southampton's highest ever Premier League finish in sixth place and earned qualification for the group stage of the Europa League.

This got him the job at Everton in June 2016. In his first season, Koeman led Everton to the Europa League. The club then spent an estimated £150 million on new players under in the summer of 2017, with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane signing for record-breaking fees.

However, his inability to replace Romelu Lukaku up front and to get his signings playing at their best, cost the club, as they slipped into the relegation zone. Koeman was sacked on 23 October 2017, following a 5–2 home defeat against rivals Arsenal.

#1 Carlo Ancelotti

Now without a club, Ancelotti is up for grabs

Having managed the likes of Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, PSG, Chelsea and Real Madrid, in Italy, Spain, France and England, a stint in Germany was the only missing thing in his illustrious CV.

Ancelotti appointed the manager of Bayern Munich in 2016, was to continue their domestic dominance and break the grip that the Spanish teams had in Europe. The club hasn't won the Champions League since 2013 and doing so wasn't easy.

Ancelotti has drawn praise for his adaptability, good tactical prowess and his calm, balanced approach as a manager. While his union with Bayern seemed perfect when he joined in 2016, the lack of silverware apart from the Bundesliga title in his first season put pressure on him to perform better the following season.

With multiple losses in the league and the Champions League, Ancelotti was sacked on 28 September 2017, due to creative differences. It was also reported that he had lost the dressing room.