5 managers who may be sacked soon

Being a football manager is often a thankless job. If the team does well, he is among the last to be credited and if not, he's perhaps the first to be pointed fingers at. Then there's also the dreaded time constraints, as some even have to produce results in a limited time span, else get the axe.

So in football, a managerial job often comes with the proverbial Damocles' Sword hanging over their heads. And in the current season of the European football leagues, there are a few upon whom the blades are about to be dropped.

These managers have overseen a tumultuous run so far even when the campaign is only halfway through, as their teams have either underperformed or have been downright poor. Let's delve deeper into the scenarios of each of the five managers, who could be sacked soon:

#5 Claude Puel (Leicester City)

The Frenchman, despite taking a reeling Leicester City side from 18th up to ninth in the final standings last season, finds his managerial job in dire straits. Eleventh in the table with only 32 points from 24 games, the Foxes have been blighted by some serious inconsistency issues this season.

Unlikely scalps against Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton and lately an encouraging draw to title-chasing Liverpool have testified the side's big-game mentality and fearlessness. But on the flip side, horrendous results to lowly ranked teams in the division have greatly irked the Leicester faithful.

This erratic nature is keeping the team from drifting within the top 10 positions whereas Puel is also accused of exercising an unattractive brand of football too.

Towards the tail end of last season, there were prattles of strained relations with his players who were apparently unhappy with his methods and training regime. And even though those whispers cannot be heard above the din now, there are simmering tensions within the camp after a run of dismal results.

A draw against the Reds in the previous game may have brought a sense of tranquillity after weeks of unrest, but Leicester are staring down the barrel at a daunting set of fixtures with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Watford all coming up within the next five league games.

Suffice to say, it's going to be the decisive five weeks of Puel's job.

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#4 Domenico Tedesco (Schalke 04)

Schalke's rapid ascent in the Bundesliga pyramid under Domenico Tedesco last season was one of the biggest talking points emerging from the league. After all, the Royal Blues went on from finishing 10th in 2016/17 under Markus Weinzierl to runners-up to champions Bayern Munich under the 33-year old Italian last year.

It was an incredible achievement for a side that hadn't graced the elite bracket of top four German sides since the previous three years, and not finished second in eight.

But now, just over six months later, the Rhine Valley outfit is perilously meandering near mid-table mediocrity again. Twelfth in the standings with 22 points from 19 games and just a single victory in the last seven, Tedesco's achievements with the team now appears to be a distant memory.

In fact, he's now walking on eggshells. His job is on the line. And if results continue to be just as poor, it won't be long before he's shown the exit door.

Schalke are not the same menacing side of last year, neither the team with a robust backline that boasted the best defensive record behind only the Bavarians. Their 2018/19 version is spineless, toothless and admittedly directionless. It can't hold on its advantage, and certainly can't fight back from a deficit.

Tough times for Tedesco.

#3 Luciano Spalletti (Inter Milan)

Unless you're a team of the ilk of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich or Barcelona, a third position normally makes for a good reading, especially when you're playing in a league that's hegemonised by a team since the past eight years.

And yet, here we are, with Luciano Spalletti hanging on to his life (and his job) at Inter.

The Nerazzurris have proved to be woefully inept against mid-table teams - Torino, Sassuolo and Parma - while the unceremonious exit from the Champions League, despite winning the opening two matches, have turned the atmosphere in the blue half of Milan into that of disgruntlement. And rightfully so.

The 2010 Serie A champions splashed extravagantly in the summer in pursuit of precocious talents such as Radja Nainggolan and Sime Vrsaljko, whilst also roped in Stefan de Vrij and Kwadwo Asamoah on a Bosman. Still, Inter, even though third in the standings, are a good 19 points behind runaway leaders Bianconeris and another eight off the Partenopei who're second.

But until and unless they can muster a degree of consistency in their gameplay and avoid dropping points against lower sides, the Serpents can drop even further down the table as crosstown rivals Milan are lurking right behind them. And Spalletti may not even live to see the end of this campaign.

#2 Eusebio Di Francesco (AS Roma)

Di Francesco has a long-standing relationship with the Giallorossis, having donned the Roman colours of yellow and red between 1997 and 2001 as a player. And after five mixed years at Sassuolo, he took over the helm of his boyhood club in July 2007.

However, it was only after the 3-0 whitewash of Barcelona in the Champions League that he truly proved his credentials.

Despite finishing third in the league in his debut campaign and a hefty 18 points behind winners Juventus, Roma pinned their faith in him. They must be having second thoughts about that decision now. To say they have underperformed this season, is an understatement because Roma have been downright ridiculous.

Fifth in the table with only 34 points from 21 games, Roma's season hit an all-time nadir when they were humiliatingly ousted from the Coppa Italia after a 7-1 demolition by Fiorentina earlier in the week.

With Champions League qualification too hanging by the balance, the patience is wearing thin and the club have given an ultimatum that the game against AC Milan at the weekend would be his last chance to salvage.

Another setback and Eusebio is done.

#1 Maurizio Sarri (Chelsea)

By the blink of an eye, it has all turned grim for Sarri at Chelsea

Antonio Conte's bitter end to Chelsea tenure was banished to the dustbin of history as his compatriot Maurizio Sarri arrived soon after with a lot of fanfare. And why not, the 60-year old had burnished his credentials as a master tactician while his time at Napoli and many touted him to guide the Blues back to the Premier League glory.

Chelsea's impeccable start to the campaign - five wins out of five - further fueled the theory, but it all seems a distant memory after five defeats and five draws from 24 games. The last seven league outings have produced only three wins, but Sarri's credibility to lead this team was really called into question after the 4-0 battering by Bournemouth in the midweek.

Mind you, Sarri is not drinking in his last chance saloon yet, given the Blues are into the League Cup finals and also favourites in the Europa League. They are also in the race for the FA Cup too, which means Chelsea are still competing on three different fronts.

However, results in the league do have more bearings on a manager's future than any of those competitions, to go by past precedents.

So with this simple extrapolation, we can deduce Sarri is walking his way into danger. Chelsea is on the brink of missing out on a top-four finish yet again. And unless they can climb their way back in it, or salvage by winning the Europa League, the Italian gaffer may not survive beyond this summer.

Edited by Debjyoti Samanta