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When it comes to being a successful football manager, tactics and man-management must always go hand-in-hand. There are many tactical geniuses present today in the world of football but only a handful of them succeeded in managing the dressing room and keeping every player happy. There have been multiple occasions when players have stopped responding to a certain manager and stopped playing for them.
We look at three such examples when managers completely lost their authority over the dressing room and lost their jobs as a result.
#3 Carlo Ancelotti
Until 2017, Carlo Ancelotti had never been sacked midway through a season. No matter how bad things got during his tenure, he was always allowed to complete the season. However, this impressive record changed when the three-time Champions league winning coach was sacked by Bayern Munich following a defeat at the hands of PSG.
Ancelotti was brought in to replace the Manchester City-bound Pep Guardiola. The Italian's prime objective was to guide the Bavarians to their sixth Champions League crowd, which was one price that had evaded his Catalan predecessor.
After not being able to achieve the task in his first season, things quickly fell apart for the Italian coach. Key players such as Arjen Robben, Mats Hummels, and Frank Ribery allegedly grew tired of the training methods used by the Italian tactician. It was astonishing that a coach who had earned a reputation for his world-class man-management skills during his time at Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid lost the support of key players.
He was not looked favorably by those working above him either. After his final game, in charge, chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the media "What we saw today was not Bayern Munich".Even Bayern president Uli Hoeness admitted the players were not in favour of Ancelotti continuing in his role.
#2 Frank Rijkaard
If there is one man who knows about player power all too well, it is Frank Rijkaard. The former Barcelona coach because he has seen the other side of the story too. Rijkaard was one of few players to undermine Johan Cruyff while at Ajax. It was quite surprising when Cruyff put the whole episode behind him and recommended Rijkaard for both Netherlands and Barcelona job.
At Barcelona, Cruyff judgment paid off with his former player revitalizing the club overseeing the progression and peak of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Carles Puyol. Rijkaard also promoted Lionel Messi into the first team and helped Barcelona win just their second champions league at that time.
However, towards the end of his tenure, the ship sank rapidly as Blaugrana succumbed to a third-placed finish in La Liga, finishing 18 points behind the eventual winners Real Madrid. At this time Rijkaard lost control over key players and did not have the support of the dressing room. Eventually, Pep Guardiola him in 2008.
#1 André Villas-Boas
Andre Villas-Boas was given the Chelsea job at the age of just 41. His astronomical achievement at FC Porto was enough to convince Roman Abramovich to pay the £15m compensation required to land his man in 2011. He obviously reminded Chelsea of a younger version of Jose Mourinho. However, his lack of managerial experience soon turned out to be a stumbling block in the dressing room.
The Portuguese tried to implement a new style into a team that had already won eight major trophies since Roman Abramovich's takeover. When his philosophy did not work out, he quickly lost the support of the dressing room including senior figures like Frank Lampard, John Terry, and Didier Drogba
What happened next is well documented. Roberto Di Matteo took over as interim manager in March and led the Blues to a historic first Champions League title. That victory also ensured qualification for next year's campaign, even though they finished the season outside the top four.
