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Managing a football club is undoubtedly one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and it becomes borderline impossible when one is managing a big club.
The biggest European clubs rarely allow their managers enough time to instill their philosophy but expect them to start filling the trophy cabinet right away.
If one thinks that by doing the impossible and winning major silverware will save his job, the list below will serve as a harsh wake-up call.
Here are five managers who were let go despite leading their football clubs to glory:
#5 Vicente del Bosque – Real Madrid
Having spent his entire playing career at Real Madrid, Vicente del Bosque took charge of the first team in November 1999. Los Blancos were toiling in eighth position in La Liga when the Spaniard took over and had little hope in other competitions.
But Del Bosque turned their fortunes around and guided them to their seventh Champions League title at the end of the season.
The next season, Real Madrid won the La Liga title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. In 2001-02, Los Merengues once again bagged the Champions League and won the Spanish Super Cup.
The following season, Del Bosque brought La Liga back to Real Madrid, beating second-placed Real Sociedad by two points.
But at the end of the 2002-03 season, the Spanish mastermind was asked to step down from his managerial position and become Madrid’s technical director.
The manager, who had won seven trophies in 233 games for Los Merengues, declined the offer and left the club.
#4 Jose Mourinho – Chelsea
Roma manager Jose Mourinho is not unfamiliar with the word sacking. The Portuguese has been sacked quite a few times in his career, and often for good reason. However, the dismissal he endured during his first stint at Chelsea can hardly be called fair.
Mourinho was appointed by the Stamford Bridge unit in the summer of 2004. Fresh off a record-breaking campaign with Porto, the Portuguese mastermind was full of confidence and that exuded on the pitch.
Buoyed by his tactical intelligence, Chelsea won the league in the 2004-05 season, marking their first top-flight triumph in 50 years. His side defended their crown next season, beating Manchester United in the Premier League title race.
The following season, in 2006-07, Chelsea narrowly missed out on their Premier League hat-trick but won the FA Cup-League Cup double. But a poor start to the 2007-08 campaign saw Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich shockingly relieve Mourinho of his duties.
#3 Louis van Gaal – Manchester United
Manchester United appointed Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2014 as David Moyes’ successor. He came into the job on the back of a good stint with the Dutch national team at the 2004 FIFA World Cup and was expected to help United challenge for the Premier League title.
In his first season in charge of the team, Van Gaal led the Red Devils to a fourth-place finish in the English top-flight. Although not overly impressed with his performance, the United board granted him another season.
In 2015-16, Manchester United finished fifth in the Premier League, missing out on Champions League football in the process.
Van Gaal’s side won the FA Cup that term, but it was not enough for the Dutchman to keep his job at Old Trafford.
#2 Laurent Blanc – Paris Saint-Germain
Since being acquired by the QSI, Paris Saint-Germain have been relentless in their pursuit of Champions League glory. They have bought the biggest stars, brought in the brightest minds, but nothing has clicked for them yet.
During his time at PSG, Laurent Blanc did not necessarily do anything wrong. He simply failed to live up to the club's sky-high expectations.
Blanc was appointed by PSG ahead of the 2012-13 season. The former France national team manager found the right balance of offense and defense and helped the Parisians to unprecedented domestic success.
During his four-year spell at the Parc des Princes, PSG won four Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups, three French League Cups, and four French Super Cups.
Despite winning the domestic quadruple in the 2015-16 season, Blanc was let go and replaced by Unai Emery.
Under Emery, PSG finished second in Ligue 1 in the 2016-17 season, losing the title race to Kylian Mbappe’s Monaco.
#1 Maurizio Sarri – Chelsea, Juventus
Italian tactician Maurizio Sarri endured not one but two dismissals in his career, despite leading his teams to major silverware.
Following an impressive spell with Napoli, Sarri found himself in charge of west London outfit Chelsea ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. The Blues had finished fifth in the league the previous season and were hoping to improve upon their performances.
Sarri could not lead them to a Premier League triumph that season but helped them win the Europa League. Unfortunately, due to his fractured relationship with the club executives and some players, the European triumph couldn’t save the Italian’s job.
Fully aware of his imminent sacking, Sarri jumped ship to Juventus before Chelsea could swing their ax. Sarri helped the Bianconeri to the Serie A title in the 2019-20 campaign but fell short in the Champions League and the Italian Cup.
Disappointed with the football he was producing, Juventus decided to let the former Napoli manager go at the end of the season.
