The Premier League is a brutal league for both players and managers. In English football - especially in the Premier League - there are simply no gimme games. Unlike some of the other major European leagues, the lower-level Premier League teams will fight for results against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. It is what makes the league so interesting, but that level of competition is also what leagues to managers leaving their clubs (either by force or by choice) during the season.
While some managers are seemingly untouchable, we're actually seeing some surprises in the Premier League this year, as some coaches who wouldn't usually be top of the list when it comes to firing odds with the offshore sports betting companies are on the hot seat. They still have time to turn it around, but these managers are in deep trouble.
Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City)
This is a weird one.
Leicester has somehow dug themselves into a hole that sees them having the most bloated first-team squad in the entire Premier League. Rodgers (along with the fans) has become frustrated with the lack of transfer activity, but with so many fringe players on wages the club can’t afford, he has to sell before he can buy.
The problem is that the sellable assets, the likes of Wesley Fofana, James Maddison, and Youri Tielemans, are players that the Foxes need to keep. It would be a shock to see Rodgers get sacked because it is hard to see any manager wanting to take a job where they are handcuffed like Brendan is, but don’t be at all shocked if he walks away.
Frank Lampard (Everton)
Lampard deserves more time, but the Premier League can be cruel. Lampard is in a situation where the club has a habit of selling his best players (Ben White, Richarlison) while his best striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, seems to have been continually injured for the best part of two years.
Anthony Gordon is another player that Everton seems to be struggling to hold on to, and with an amazing new stadium under construction, it is no wonder funds are tight. Frank needs to keep Everton out of the transfer battle early in the season to secure his job into the post-World Cup part of the year.
Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
If sacking Lampard would be too early then sacking Erik ten Hag would be madness. The Dutchman has had no more than a cup of coffee as Manchester United boss, yet there are many who already question his position after their disastrous start to the year.
The problem at United is going to take years to solve and it starts in the boardroom. The lack of a clear strategy over the last five years has rotten the club from within and the players seem unable (or unwilling) to fight.
The win over Liverpool cannot be overstated, but there is a worry that it is a blip (against an age-old rival) and that the team will revert back to the form that saw them get thumped 4-0 by Brentford.
