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Being a football manager is not an easy job. To be able to manage player egos, figure out the right tactics for the team, know how each player reacts to different situations, all whilst trying to produce good results on the pitch is not an easy task. On many occasions it is monumental enough to cause any normal person to unravel. Indeed, football management is much like living on the edge of a cliff. One may be safe for any period of time as long as the winds are in their favour but all it takes is a few things to go against the tide, and one may be pushed overboard.
With all this in mind, it is safe to say that Unai Emery's job security lies firmly in the category of precarious, if not untenable, given Arsenal's results and style of play on the pitch and the numerous incidents off it which have led to widespread fan unrest.
Emery was heralded in at the start of the 2018/19 season as the successor to Arsene Wenger, the man who built the modern version of Arsenal Football Club and was at the helm for 22 years before stepping down in 2018. Arguably the greatest manager in the Gunners' history and one of the best the world has seen, even he was heavily criticised in the later years of his reign.
Despite Emery having a decent start to his career, a statistic has been doing the rounds recently, which shows that the during Arsene Wenger's last 18 months at the club, which many Arsenal fans consider to be the nadir of their recent history, he was actually better than Emery has been during his first 18 months in the role.
Drawing the fans' ire by constantly benching Mesut Ozil for no apparent reason and appointing Granit Xhaka as club captain, a majority of Arsenal fans are convinced that Emery needs to go sooner rather than later.
So, without further ado, here are three unemployed managers who could replace Emery if he is relieved of his duties.
#3 Massimiliano Allegri
Currently one of the bookies' favourites to replace Emery, the Livorno born ex-Serie A midfielder is unemployed, having stepped down from his post at Juventus this past summer, to be replaced by compatriot Maurizio Sarri.
After a playing career which spanned 19 years and 11 clubs, Massimiliano Allegri retired in 2003 and the very next season took over the reins at his then-current club, Aglianese. He was there for just one season before moving on to manage SPAL. Allegri then went on to manage Grosseto, Lecco and Cagliari before getting his big break, when he was hired by AC Milan in June 2010.
Allegri was an instant hit with the Rossoneri faithful, leading Milan to a Serie A title in his very first season. He also chartered a way for the club to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur. Further silverware followed, as Allegri and Milan then lifted the Italian Super Cup the following season.
Allegri stepped down from his role at Milan in January 2014, before he was given the manager's job at Juventus, and it is his time with the Old Lady that has turned him into one of the top name sin management.
In his five years with the club, Allegri took charge of 271 matches, winning 191 of them, giving a win percentage of 70.47%. His Juventus side averaged 2.27 points per game and were unstoppable domestically. They charged to five straight league titles, four consecutive Italian Cup triumphs and two Super Cup victories, while also reaching two UEFA Champions League finals, where they were beaten by Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.
Allegri's resume is impressive, and given the fact that his teams are always built on a solid defence, he could be just the type of experienced hand Arsenal need. More importantly, Allegri has been known to have a no-nonsense approach and will surely be a more commanding figure in the dressing room than what they currently have.
#2: Quique Setien
Quique Setien, like Allegri, is a former midfielder, who made his name playing in La Liga in the 1980s. Best known as a player for his time at hometown club Racing Santander, Setien also represented the Spanish national team thrice before hanging up his boots in 1996 at the age of 38.
Five years after retiring, Setien made his first foray into management, with the club closest to his heart, in a city where he was admired; Racing Santander. He did quite well in his one and only season in charge, winning 18 of the 36 games he managed.
Between 2002 and 2009, Setien had spells at Poli Ejido and CD Logrones in Spain, as well as dipping his feet into international management with Equatorial Guinea. Thereafter, he spent six years with CD Lugo between 2009 and 2015, helping them earn promotion to Spain's second tier, and keeping them steady in mid-table for three seasons.
In 2015, Setien moved to UD Las Palmas, and guided them to an 11th-placed finish in La Liga. This was an impressive achievement given that they were in the relegation zone when he took over. 20 months into the job, however, Setien resigned due to differences with the club's board members.
He was then appointed as Real Betis boss in 2017 and helped them to a sixth-placed finish in his first season, securing qualification to the group stages of the UEFA Europa League for 2018/19 in the process. He was constantly linked with a move to Barcelona last season, but nothing came of it. Setien decided to step away from his role in May and has not been in management since.
Setien's sides have primarily been built around high, and meaningful ball possession. They are normally looking to draw opponents onto themselves before springing sharp, incisive passes into the forward players, enabling them to cause damage to the best of teams. This style of play would certainly be approved by the Arsenal faithful and could be an interesting appointment were it to actually happen.
#1: Marcelino
There must be something about midfielders that makes them tend to take up management. Pep Guardiola, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Zinedine Zidane, Gennaro Gattuso and of course Allegri and Setien were all midfielders before entering the dugout. Marcelino is no different.
Of the three people on this list, Marcelino was the first to try his hand at management, starting in 1997, three years after retiring as a player. Between 1997 and 2005, he managed CD Lealtad, Sporting Gijon B and Sporting Gijon.
Marcelino does not stay for too long at a club but the longer he stays at a club, the better the side's defence becomes. In his 16 matches at Racing, his side conceded an average of 1.56 goals per game. In his 37 matches at Recreativo Huelva, it was 1.41 goals per game, and in his 59 game sin charge of Real Zaragoza, the team shipped 1.24 goals per game.
In his most recent job as Valencia manager, Marcelino managed 110 games, his second longest spell in charge of a club, which saw them concede just 0.97 goals per game on average.
With a career win percentage of 46.38% and a philosophy which relies on having a sturdy back-line with lethal forwards in front of them, Marcelino could be the person who helps Arsenal fix their leaky defence.
