The Manager Rankings

Nine managers have been sacked in the Premier League this season, just one less than the record ten sackings which has occurred three times in Premier League history. What kind of job have the current incumbents delivered to this point in the season? We rank their performances as follows:

1. Jurgen Klopp – Klopp now has his club positioned just a point behind Pep Guardiola’s league leaders, dramatically closing the gap on the league leaders in recent weeks. Liverpool has already captured the Carabao Cup trophy this season and remains alive in both Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

2. Pep Guardiola – Guardiola has his club in first place as they defend their Premier League title. The Citizens have stumbled just a bit in recent weeks, however, and relinquished their Carabao Cup trophy to ultimate winner Liverpool after City fell to West Ham in the Round of Sixteen. Guardiola’s charges continue in Champions League and FA Cup.

"If you train badly, you play badly.

If you work like a beast in training, you play the same way."

- Pep Guardiola pic.twitter.com/RYjuC0pQFo

— Soccer Coaching Pro (@SoccerCoaching2) March 28, 2022

3. Thomas Tuchel – While Tuchel has been unable to mount a league title chase, he has kept Chelsea in the top four, taken them to the final of the Carabao Cup and continues to advance his team in Champions League and FA Cup. Tuchel has also exhibited exceptional leadership during Chelsea’s ownership issues and government sanctions.

 

4. Mikel Arteta – Arteta has his club poised for a return to European competition next season. Guardiola’s former assistant has overcome a difficult start to the season and a controversial parting with his team captain to finally put his imprint on a young club which has brought exciting football back to the Emirates. 

5. Eddie Howe – Howe has rescued Newcastle form the relegation zone and built a nine-point cushion against the drop heading into the international break. Continuing to battle against injury issues afflicting a thin roster, Howe has shown his quality in his return to the Premier League.

6. Antonio Conte – One of the premier managers in world football has experienced some bumps this season while bemoaning the quality of his roster. An up and down season has seen Spurs win at Manchester City only to lose at Burnley the following week. There have also been embarrassing performances against lesser squads in cup competitions. Still, Conte has his team challenging for top four.

Antonio Conte nominated for Premier League Manager of the Month for March 👏 pic.twitter.com/SX9hAopUnx

— COYS.com (@COYS_com) March 24, 2022

 

7. David Moyes – Despite slipping to seventh in the league table, Moyes has kept the Hammers competitive in the chase for table position and, more impressively, advancing to the Europa League quarterfinals. Moyes’s team is highly disciplined and excels in the finer points of the game, particularly with respect to set pieces.

8. Bruno Lage – Lage took over a roster virtually devoid of attacking quality after last year’s head injury to and subsequent drop in form by striker Raul Jimenez. Employing a pragmatic and less than thrilling style, Lage has eighth place Wolves challenging for a Europa League berth despite the club scoring only 31 goals in 30 matches this season

 

9. Patrick Vieira – Vieira took over a Crystal Palace club which not only changed managers but overhauled both its roster and style of play. Palace’s moves were risky for a middle to lower table club, but Vieira has delivered both results and entertaining play executed by a younger roster than Crystal Place fans have seen in years.

Patrick Vieira was favourite to be sacked first with the vast majority of bookies this season.

Instead, he’s overseen a massive turnover of players, has us sitting 10th and in an FA Cup Quarter-Final, all whilst playing lovely football. So many pundits got it wrong with him. pic.twitter.com/TDYNZLYhQo

— HLTCO (@HLTCO) March 6, 2022

 

10. Ralph Hasenhuttl – Hasenhuttl has his club flirting with a top half finish with a bottom half roster. A long season may be starting to wear on the Saints’ thin roster as the club has lost its last three in the league

. 

11. Ralph Rangnick – Rangnick has failed to imprint his philosophy and tactics upon the team. Success would have been surprising during his curious interim appointment. Positive results have come from moments of individual brilliance by Cristiano Ronaldo who appears to not be a fan of the German manager.

12. Thomas Frank – Frank has newly promoted Brentford eight points clear of the relegation zone as the Danish manager has his club on track to qualify for a second Premier League season. The Bees showed resilience in recently responding to a poor run with back-to-back wins. 

13. Steven Gerrard – Gerrard’s ride has been bumpy at times but overall, the former Liverpool playing legend has done fine since taking over the Villans. The future could be even brighter with an ownership which appears willing to further invest after gifting Gerrard with Philippe Coutinho this past window. 

14. Brendan Rodgers – It has been a lost season for Rodgers and the Foxes. Injuries have taken their toll, but Rodgers has done little to overcome them. After two consecutive seasons finishing fifth in the Premier League, Rodgers is currently battling to keep the Foxes in the top half of the table. Often considered elite, such a word would not describe Rodgers’ performance this season.

15. Jesse Marsch – While far too early to draw conclusions on his suitability for the role, the American manager is off to a good start at Leeds where he has won half of his opening four matches. Marsch is also waging an effective public relations battle to overcome the stigma attached to American coaches as he replaces the iconic Marcelo Bielsa.

16. Graham Potter – Potter often draws kudos for a playing style which can be entertaining to the eye but seldom delivers the required goal production. The Seagulls looked to have taken a step forward in winning four of their opening five matches this season before embarking on a 12 match non-winning streak. The Seagulls are currently on a run of five consecutive losses in which they have scored just a single goal.

 

17. Sean Dyche – Having worked magic in the past, Dyche looks unlikely to extend Burnley’s six year stay in the league. Dyche’s grueling tactics continue to wear on opponents, but the attack is worse than ever with the Clarets scoring just 22 goals in their 27 matches. Dyche looks out of tricks to keep his small budget club in the Premier League. 

18. Roy Hodgson – The former Crystal Palace, Liverpool and England manager left retirement to help the Hornets escape relegation. Unfortunately, Watford is still in the drop zone. Hodgson’s ranking will change if the Hornets can go on a run and survive

.

19. Dean Smith – Smith was fired once this season from Aston Villa before landing at Norwich where he has made little difference for the cellar dwelling Canaries.

 

20. Frank Lampard – This legend of English football as a player is finding the going hard as Everton manager as he has the Toffees at risk of a historic relegation. Lampard has lost five of seven matches in charge and the club has looked disorganized, most particularly in defense which was an Achilles Heel for Lampard during his Chelsea managerial run.