A football manager’s job is a thankless job – win, and your players get the plaudits; lose, and the axe dangles over your head. It is the manager who has the ability to instil a winning spirit in his team and make sure that every man performs to the best of his ability. At a time, when world football is getting increasingly competitive, the importance of a manager cannot be highlighted more.
And like it is in every game, football has its own share of sad stories where managers were unable to bring success to their team and were ultimately let go by the team. But these individuals did not give up and put themselves to work again in another league.
Let’s take a look at five football managers, who after being shown the door, resurrected their careers in a different league.
#5 Andre Villas-Boas – Premier League to Russian Premier League
Villas-Boas first came to the limelight when he led Porto to the league title without losing a single game. The success did not stop there and the club also won the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League that very season. The solid results meant that bigger clubs came calling and the manager left for Chelsea.
His tenure at Chelsea was unlike the one at Porto and the manager was sacked after spending just one season with the Blues.
AVB joined London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in an attempt to make a name for himself. His first season at Tottenham was extremely successful, and despite missing out on Champions League qualification, Spurs under Villa-Boas set a club record of 72 points their highest ever in the Premier League. However, their superb form did not carry over to the next season.
Spurs lost their main man, Gareth Bale, to Real Madrid for a record fee of £85.3 million and the replacements brought in failed to deliver. The club faltered domestically and in December 2013 were seventh on the table. The weak performances and transfers meant that Villas-Boas left the club ‘by mutual consent’.
The following March, the Portuguese was appointed as the manager of Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg and things instantly clicked. He became the first manager in the history of the league to win the first six games in a row. Zenit continued their title charge but faltered narrowly as they lost out on the title by a single point. But, things changed for the good in the next season. The manager guided his team to their 5th league title and won the Russian Cup that season.
#4 Rafael Benitez – Serie A to Premier League
After his departure from Liverpool, Rafael Benitez joined the treble-winning Inter Milan team and led them to two trophies. Benitez demanded that he be allowed to make new signings which he believed would be beneficial for the club. However, the Inter board refused to allow that and relations between the two became sour.
The former Valencia and Liverpool manager’s team slumped in the league and were sixth in Serie A in December. On 23rd December, the Spanish manager was sacked by the Inter board.
It seemed that Benitez’s managerial life was in the doldrums, but the Spaniard got a golden opportunity in the Premier League when was appointed as interim coach of Chelsea in 2012. Despite the fans being extremely hostile towards him, the Spanish manager did not lose hope and led the Blues to Europa League victory. Unfortunately for him, this was not enough to warrant a permanent position and Benitez had to walk away.
Benitez then moved to Italian club, Napoli, where he had a good season, however, after Napoli missed out on Champions League, the manager resigned and was hired by Real Madrid in June 2015. His stay at Los Blancos was a dismal one as the club ended third in La Liga. Real Madrid parted ways with Rafael Benitez in rather unceremonious fashion, soon after.
Things looked dreary for Benitez, and he made a move back to England and signed for relegation-threatened Newcastle United. His appointment came too late and the club was relegated that very season. But Benitez decided to stick with them and he has been crucial in Newcastle’s success in the Championship. The Magpies currently are frontrunners for promotion and lead the table.
#3 Mauricio Pochettino – La Liga to Premier League
Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment at Espanyol came at a time when things didn’t look quite good for the club. However, the Argentine stabilised the situation at the club and led them to a decent mid table finish. The next season also turned out to be a good one for them as he guided them to 11th on the points table. Even though he did not have the best team, Pocchetino was praised for being a good tactician and continued to earn plaudits.
Unfortunately, the 2012-13 season turned out to be rather worrisome. The club was unable to get wins and were at the last spot in November. Failure to get results and conflicts with the board over transfers and financial restrictions led to his departure from the La Liga club.
The Argentine moved to Southampton after the sacking of Nigel Adkins. In his first full season with Southampton, he led them to 8th position, their highest since the beginning of the Premier League.
His impressive showing earned him a move to Tottenham where the manager continued his good work and has had a big hand in promoting several young players in the Tottenham squad.
Pocchetino’s Tottenham has also been extremely solid defensively and the manager continues to be a shining example of what change can bring to a club. Tottenham are currently 2nd on the Premier League table and if things continue this way, the Lilywhites will surely qualify for the Champions League.
#2 Brendan Rodgers – Premier League to Scottish Premiership
After showcasing great managerial skills at Swansea City, Brendan Rodgers moved to Liverpool on a three-year contract. The Northern Irishman replaced Kenny Dalglish and his appointment was hailed as a new dawn in the Reds’ history.
His first season in charge saw Liverpool finish seventh, one place above the previous season. In the 2013-14 season, Liverpool put in some exemplary performances and were challenging for the title. The forward partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge was crucial during this period and the world looked in astonishment as Liverpool closed in on their first Premier League title.
However, things were not meant to be and the club slipped during their last few games and ultimately ended second on the table.
The next two seasons were dismal and the club which appeared to be making progress was beginning to look like it was going nowhere. In October 2015, the Reds finally parted ways with Rodgers, who had failed to inspire Liverpool to any trophy.
Rodgers moved to the Scottish League and joined Celtic on a 12-month contract. Celtic under Rodgers have been impressive, winning their first trophy of the season after the club beat Aberdeen 1-0 in the Scottish League Cup final.
Rodgers also ensured that the club continued their league domination and has been instrumental in their success. Celtic currently lead the Scottish Premiership by 27 points, quite an unassailable lead. It seems that the manager has perfectly fit in at Celtic and could lead them to more glory as time goes on.
#1 Luis Enrique – Serie A to La Liga
In 2011, Luis Enrique made the move to Roma and the Italian club's board expected Enrique to lead Roma to European qualification. Unfortunately, the Spaniard was unable to accomplish his goal as Roma finished seventh, far away from Champions League qualification spots.
Enrique came back to his home country and took over Celta Vigo after departing from Roma. Several commentators called it a big step down but Enrique remained unfazed. He led the club to ninth in the only season that he managed Celta. The biggest highlight of Celta’s season was their 2-0 win over Real Madrid which ensured that the Los Blancos lost out on the title.
He left Celta at the end of that season for Barcelona on a three-year deal and his arrival at the Catalan giants surprised a few. With a strong lineup at his disposal, Enrique managed to lead Barcelona to the La Liga, Champions League and the Copa Del Ray in his very first season. The next season was also a successful one for the Blaugrana as the club won the La Liga and Copa Del Ray yet again. The Spaniard has been hugely successful at the club where he played for eight years, and has won eight major trophies as manager at the club.
Unfortunately, like all good stories, this one came to an end as well. After Barcelona’s defeat to PSG away from home in the Champions League, Enrique confirmed rumours that he will not be signing a new deal and would not be the Barcelona manager the next season.
