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Juventus took the football world by surprise as they announced the sacking of head coach Maurizio Sarri just days after steering them to their ninth successive Scudetto title. The Italian, who arrived just a year ago from Chelsea, was relieved of his duties in the aftermath of Juve's UEFA Champions League exit.
Winning silverware of any sort is the best form of motivation a group of players can receive. While for some clubs it's a matter of winning what could be considered relevant trophies like the league title or a European crown, for others, a piece of silverware can have a vastly positive psychological impact.
It is for this reason that it is baffling when clubs sack their managers after the conclusion of what could be considered a successful season. Although this might not be the case precisely with Sarri as Juve aspired for UCL glory, it isn't the first time that this has happened. Several managers have been fired in the past despite winning trophies in the same season.
Here, we take a look at five such instances wherein the managers were sacked immediately winning trophies at their club.
#5 Maurizio Sarri | Juventus
Maurizio Sarri endured a mixed bag of a season in Turin. He arrived with the hope and promise of playing scintillating, high-octane football at the Allianz Arena. After a flying start where Sarri won 14 of his first 15 home games across all competitions, it became evident that the 61-year-old would need more time to implement his philosophy at the club.
The former Chelsea coach steered the Bianconeri to their ninth consecutive Serie A title just a few days before his sacking. However, it was the unceremonious exit to Olympique Lyon in their UCL round of 16 tie that has understandably triggered this decision. Lyon, who finished seventh in the Ligue 1, qualified for the next phase on away goals after Memphis Depay converted an early penalty. Juve's hopes were pinned on Cristiano Ronaldo who did deliver in stunning style, but did not receive much support in attack.
However, he would feel hard done by to have gotten the sack less than a fortnight after he delivered the Scudetto at the Allianz Arena. The Italian now has two trophies in two years, albeit with different clubs.
#4 Unai Emery | Pairs Saint-Germain
Unai Emery arrived at the Pac des Princes from Sevilla in 2016 after three glorious UEFA Europa League victories. The Parisians hoped that the Spaniard's experience in Europe would translate to the premier European competition as well. However, that was evidently not the case.
His first season saw them lose out the Ligue 1 title for the first time in four years as a once-in-a-lifetime star cast ensemble at AS Monaco took centre-stage. The principality club led by Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao stormed to their first league title in 17 years despite PSG's stellar squad. To make matters worse, he was on the receiving end of Barcelona's legendary remontada when PSG lost 6-1 after registering a four-goal lead in the first leg.
Although he won the Ligue 1 in his second attempt, PSG's failure in the UCL round of 16 the following year — with both Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe at his disposal— all but sealed his sacking. PSG opted against renewing his two-year contract despite a league title and four domestic cups.
Also read: 5 managers who could replace Maurizio Sarri at Juventus
#3 Antonio Conte | Chelsea
The second Italian manager associated with Chelsea on this list, Antonio Conte masterminded a stunning title win in his very first season in England. The former Juventus boss took over a side that endured a catastrophic season the year before, finishing tenth on the table.
Conte sparked this side back to life and romped to the top of the table with the Blues. They eventually ended seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and 15 above Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. After a rough summer window, Conte's Chelsea finished in an underwhelming fifth place. However, he also delivered an FA Cup at Stamford Bridge after a victory against Jose Mourinho's Manchester United in the final.
The former Italy boss was sacked after the end of the 2017/18 season despite his FA Cup success. He was replaced by Maurizio Sarri at the helm who, incidentally, departed from London just a year later.
#2 Louis van Gaal | Manchester United
Louis van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford fresh off his stunning World Cup campaign with the Dutch national team. The veteran head coach took Oranje till the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, where his side lost out to Argentina on penalties. The 69-year-old came to Manchester United with the hope of being the man to oversee a rebuild and reinstate the Red Devils' status as one of the biggest clubs in the world.
It was ultimately an underwhelming spell for both parties after Van Gaal led them to a fourth-place finish in his first season. After an unceremonious exit from the Champions League group stage, the Dutchman ended his second campaign with a fifth-place finish and an FA Cup trophy — the club's first since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. It was only a matter of a few hours after the win that Manchester United announced his sacking, with widespread reports claiming that Jose Mourinho was set to succeed him.
Although Van Gaal faced an undeserved dismissal from Bayern Munich earlier on in the decade, his sacking at United in the wake of their successful FA Cup campaign was remarkably harsh.
#1 Vicente Del Bosque | Real Madrid
Arguably one of the strangest sackings since the turn of the century, Real Madrid opted against offering head coach Vicente Del Bosque a new contract two days after winning their second LaLiga title in four years. The Spaniard saw an immensely successful spell at the helm of the Santiago Bernabeu, having won two LaLiga titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues and three other trophies in a glorious four-year span.
There was little doubt of their achievements and performances on the pitch as Del Bosque guided them to their most successful era in almost half a century. Having won a staggering 104 wins out of a possible 186, it was clear that there were higher powers at play which led to his eventual departure. Tensions reportedly flared at the Bernabeu with other senior members of the dressing room, including club captain Fernando Hierro.
Due to the political rifts at the club involving Florentino Perez, the legendary Spain was allowed to leave as Real Madrid looked to 'shake up' the squad. Los Blancos' then-Sports Director Jorge Valdano cited stagnation of the squad as one of the reasons. Real Madrid ultimately entered another barren spell, and went through seven managerial changes in the following four years.
Also read: Juventus eye Mauricio Pochettino as Maurizio Sarri's successor
