Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and Palace's Roy Hodgson on the ropes

In mid-December, a picture of Roy Hodgson went viral on social media. The Crystal Palace manager was smiling as he boasted of having drawn against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. A month and a half later, it is quite likely that his expression is more serious. He is part of the coaching duo most likely to be sacked in the coming days or weeks.

The other is Mauricio Pochettino at the helm of Chelsea. The Argentine suffered a heavy defeat against Wolves, who have gone from relegation battlers to direct rivals in the Premier League's mid-table. The Blues not only disappointed, but conceded four goals to add yet another chapter to their book of defensive shortcomings, evident in the previous game against Liverpool.

The British press, for the moment, does not see his position at Stamford Bridge in danger. There is news about his counterpart, who, according to 'Sky Sports', is only still in his post because the board has not yet found a guaranteed replacement. 

As for the former PSG man, his second spell in England has become an endless source of criticism for his apparent inability to manage a dressing room full of stars. At the Parc des Princes, he already had Leo Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe under his command. Now, while it is true that his squad has been almost constantly hampered by injuries, the pharaonic investment of 'Boehly ownership' demands more victories.

There have already been two Premier League managerial sackings this season, those of Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest and Paul Heckingbottom at Sheffield United. The Tricky Trees, since 20th December last year, have been under Nuno Espirito Santo, who left his spell in Saudi Arabia, where he did not quite get on with Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad, and are showing a modest improvement.

For the Blades, Chris Wilder was brought in on 5th December, on the eve of a home defeat to Liverpool, and there have been moments of euphoria and sadness. The joyous ones have been victories in games that, until a few weeks ago, the team seemed to have been given up for dead, such as a 1-0 win over Brentford or a 4-0 win over Gillingham in the FA Cup. The last straw for these survival hopefuls, having been beaten by direct rivals such as Luton Town. 

 

February 5, 2024