5 managers who could be sacked before the season ends 

It's already mid-way through the season across Europe's top five leagues and a host of teams will hope to improve on their performances when the second half kicks off next year.

The opening half of the season has already seen a number of managers relieved of their jobs after failing to impress with Carlo Ancelotti, Peter Bosz, Ronald Koeman among the top managers to have been axed.

On Thursday, Eduardo Berrizzo was surprisingly sacked by Sevilla with the club in 5th position in the La Liga table and this clearly states that anybody could be shown the exit door at any point in time.

While this list could be much longer, in this article, we take a look at five managers who could be axed before the season ends as we enter the second half of the 2017/18 campaign:

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#5 Mark Hughes - Stoke City

Could Mark Hughes time be up?

When Mark Hughes took the Stoke city job in 2013, the club had just ended the 2012-13 season in 13th position and he was tasked with one purpose; improving the team's fortunes.

Over the next three seasons, the former Chelsea player took the team to three successive 9th place finishes, which marked an improvement for the team.

However last season, Mark Hughes was only able to guide Stoke to 13th and they currently lie in 14th this season, after picking up just 19 points from 19 games.

While Stoke's 3-1 win over West Brom, on the back of three straight defeats, will relieve the Welsh after indications and rumours of a sack filled the air, an all-around improvement and better results are the only things that will guarantee that he will keep his job.

From Stoke City's 14th position to the bottom three, only 2 teams have not had a change in their managerial post excluding Newcastle - who came into the league with a new manager -, with the rest sacking their previous bosses.

Mark Hughes is one of the longest-serving managers among the current crop in the EPL and will count himself lucky if he keeps his job until the end of the season.

As it stands, the Stoke board's patience is waning and a sack seems to be on the horizon.

#4 Gennaro Gattuso - AC Milan

Gattuso has failed to impress

When Gattuso was promoted from the youth team as replacement for the sacked Vincenzo Montella - who despite the money spent on acquiring players in the summer, made a poor start to the season -, he was expected to improve the atmosphere around the club and turn around the fortunes of the Milan-based club, being a big figure and a former player at the club. However, that has not been the case.

Before 'Rino' took over, an under-fire Milan were placed 7th on the Serie A standings after 6 wins from their opening 14 games and the Milan Board were clearly not impressed with Montella, showing him the exit door to create room for improvement.

In came Gattuso and AC Milan have plummeted down to 11th-- 4 places off their position when Montella was still in charge, picking up just four points from as many Serie A games. In 6 matches under Gattuso (4 league games, 1 Coppa Italia game, 1 Europa League game), Milan have managed just two wins, lost 3 and drew once.

Gattuso is known to be vocal and he has voiced his dissatisfaction with the team, causing the AC Milan board to recently come out and quell rumours of Gattuso considering a resignation.

Nonetheless, it might not come as a surprise when he finally leaves his post, maybe through a sack or resignation.

#3 Stéphane Moulin - Angers

Moulin could face the sack and soon

Moulin has a long-standing relationship with Angers after previously featuring as a player, before moving into coaching since 2005, first with the reserves before being promoted as head coach in 2011.

Since the promotion, Moulin has not looked back, guiding Angers to promotion to the Ligue 1 in 2015 after 21 years and finished 9th and 12th in the club's first two seasons in the top flight. But things have certainly not gone the club's way this season.

Angers currently lie in 19th position, with 18 points from 19 games, thanks to some hapless displays which show a wide difference from the past two seasons' performance.

Among the bottom three, only Angers have stuck with their coach, while Metz and Lille have already replaced their managers following disappointing starts to the season as the clubs fight for survival and it won't be a surprise if the Angers management decides to try something new in order to remain in the French first division.

#2 Michel Gonzalez - Malaga

Time up?

Michel is just 10 months into his contract, after replacing Marcelo Romero, but that is enough time to have been assessed before being shown the exit door (there are so many instances to prove that).

The club has had a tumultuous start to the season after being able to pick up only 11 points from 17 games and sit amongst the bottom three in a relegation battle. A recent 1-0 loss to Alaves in their last match clearly defines the poor state of the Malaga team that finished 11th in the previous season.

He has a contract set to finish in 2018, and also a history of not completing his time at clubs he has previously managed at. Coupled with Malaga's decline in form, a sack mid-way through the season might not come as too surprising.

#1 Arsene Wenger - Arsenal

Is it time to quit?

Well, well... most people will find this inclusion ridiculous but certainly not Arsenal fans who have always called for the Frenchman's sack.

Season in, season out, placards and banners are always seen hanging around with the now popular phrase 'WengerOut' even to the point where it has become trending on social media.

Wenger is currently tied to the gunners for two years following the contract he signed at the start of the season, but many will hope he doesn't see out the contract.

Arsenal currently sit at 6th on the EPL log and face missing out on a Champions League spot twice in a row for the first time in aeons. With the club unable to hold on to their stars, fans are beginning to clamour for a change in the managerial post.

The man who was in charge of the 'invincibles' has already promised to assess his position at the end of the season, but fans are running out of patience with him and the board, and expect that the man who has managed over 500 league games would be shown the exit door soon enough.