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“It is a demanding club and the president and the board have made the best decision.” These were the words of Iker Casillas, the captain of Real Madrid, following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti. The experienced Italian coach left Real Madrid having won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in a span of just two seasons.
In addition to this, he saw his rampant side set a record of 22 consecutive victories in all competitions in the first half of the 2014/15 season. Unfortunately for them, untimely injuries to crucial players disrupted their momentum and adversely affected the remainder of their season as the Spanish giants ended up falling short on both, the domestic as well as the European scene.
Being the club icon that Casillas is, one would not be surprised that he has backed the board and defended the club in the media. Although, one does get the feeling that even he must have been irked by the ruthlessness with which Ancelotti was relieved of his duties as a result of a few bad months in the second half of Real Madrid’s season. However, to a neutral football follower these days, Ancelotti’s predicament is not an unfamiliar sight.
Influx of big money
In today’s times, media has contributed immensely to globalization. As a result, football clubs from different countries are more connected with each other and are aware of each other’s activities. When one club makes a significant achievement, the whole world of football takes note instantly. Other clubs desire to emulate that success and the general expectations of such clubs rise. The targets set for the season are very high and more often than not, it is a struggle more than a challenge to meet these targets.
Also, with increasing private investment in football, rich businessmen buy clubs and view them as assets. An asset is meant to be glossy and desirable to the naked eye, and club owners wish to add as much gloss to the image of their club as possible. The only way this can be achieved is by constantly winning silverware and increasing the popularity of the club. This too, in turn, leads to unrealistic expectations, target setting. etc.
The ones that face the most amount of pressure in order to meet these needs are the managers. Managers are the biggest representatives of a football club in the media and play an immense role in how the image of the club is portrayed.
They have the responsibility of developing and implementing a work culture and ethic on and off the football field that will ensure success in the best possible way. However, to instill this culture and having things run exactly the way the manager wants, takes time. The best example to highlight this is the work of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
After joining the club in 1986, the Scot failed to achieve anything significant in his first four years and experienced what he himself said to be ‘one of the darkest periods he had ever suffered in the game’. There was widespread condemnation by the fans and the media but the board of directors assured him that his job was safe and identified how he had improved the coaching and scouting systems at the club.
He went on to win his first league title in 1991 and what followed was the most successful period in the history of the club under the leadership of Ferguson, United won 13 league titles and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues and other trophies such as the FA Cup, League Cup and so on.
As for Sir Alex, he became one of the greatest managers in the history of the game. Looking back, it is frightening to imagine what would have happened, had he been sacked inside his first 3 seasons at the club.
Jose Mourinho, a managerial great himself, has publicly claimed that he delivers his best in his second season at a club and has always stayed true to his claim. However, sadly, quality managers such as Manuel Pellegrini, Brendan Rodgers and Pep Guardiola are desperately clinging on to their jobs on the basis of one season of underachievement.
Carlo Ancelotti lost his job due to the same reasons. Filippo Inzaghi of AC Milan has been seen insisting week after week in post match press conferences that he needs more time to deliver results, much like his predecessor, Clarence Seedorf.
The Arsenal-Chelsea comparison
On the contrary, Arsene Wenger’s case at Arsenal is unique. Unlike other clubs, the board of directors at Arsenal have always placed their utmost faith in the Frenchman for the last 19 years. Ever since the 2005/06 season, Arsenal have managed to win only one trophy. They went trophyless for seven seasons and failed to pose any real threat in the league title race in any of those seasons.
However, Arsenal did undergo a transitional phase during that time period where they developed a new stadium and had to let go off a number of ageing stars such as Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira, etc. Also, as highlighted by Wenger in a recent press conference, private ownership in football such as Abramovich at Chelsea and the Sheikhs at Manchester City has led to inflation in wages and transfer prices which made it very difficult for a club like Arsenal to compete at a financial level.
Despite all this, Wenger has always ensured that the club consistently finished in the top 4 of the Premier League and earned enough revenue to recover from the costs incurred in the development of the Emirates stadium. Indeed, there was a severe backlash from the fans and the media as the lack of silverware had led to ever increasing frustration.
In the meanwhile, Chelsea managed to win multiple trophies including the coveted Champions League despite having changed numerous managers. Yet, the board and the players always backed Wenger dedicatedly and believed that he was always the right man to lead them to future successes. What Wenger has brought to Arsenal FC is stability, something that a club like Chelsea FC severely lacked except for the times Jose Mourinho has been in charge.
At Chelsea, it is more like a roller-coaster ride and if their track gets derailed, they are bound to face accidents. If due to some unforeseen circumstance Roman Abramovich were to sell Chelsea, he will have left the club in tatters in the face of a serious crisis. Wenger has ensured at Arsenal, a smooth functioning of activities and has prepared them for any kind of crisis on and off the field. This can be attributed to the number of years he has spent at Arsenal.
It is true that ‘Le Professeur’ may have stayed at Arsenal for far too long and the club’s ambitions may have lowered as they seem to be content with a top 4 spot and an FA Cup again and again, which is simply not good enough for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
It could be possible that the Frenchman has enjoyed way too much in his comfort zone and needs be made to step aside for a younger manager with fresher ideas and who is hungrier for success. However, at Arsenal FC, the kind of faith that the players and the coaching staff have on the manager is seldom seen in other clubs today. In the last two seasons, the quality of football of the Gunners has increased as compared to previous seasons and there is a possibility of winning their second FA Cup in consecutive seasons.
Per Mertesacker, the skipper of Arsenal, has stated how Wenger has evolved with the changing times and has changed his coaching systems and video analyses. Shad Forsythe, a new fitness coach from Germany was appointed and the club’s fitness regimen has undergone a drastic change. At the moment, they look well balanced and ready to mount a charge on all fronts next season.
When this kind of trust is shared, the manager himself will step aside if he feels that he is not useful enough to the club. This was evident when Jurgen Klopp decided to part ways with Borussia Dortmund on amicable terms. Although, these are isolated incidents when one looks at the general picture.
The desire to constantly achieve the same level of success every season is driving owners to sack managers relentlessly. Teams such as Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid have garnered a notorious reputation of sacking multiple managers.
Football is a sport after all and it is important to realize that failure is as much a part of the game as is success. Managers are as human as the players and the fans and they can err once in a while. This does not mean that there won’t be cases where the manager’s personality is just not compatible with the club’s values (read Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, Tata Martino at FC Barcelona and more), and sacking may be necessary at times.
But before making such decisions, must weigh the pros and cons and take actions with a realistic point of view. It is necessary to place trust in managers and be patient with them in order to foresee sustained periods of dominance.
