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Management in any field is a very difficult task to pull off. The world of football is no different in this regard.
Managers are one of the most important constituents of a football club. Along with the support staff, football managers act like a glue that holds an entire club together. They are equally associated with the club board as well as the playing roster. The functioning of a football club becomes much more difficult without a manager at the helm.
Of course, the biggest and most important job of a football manager is to make a team play in a way that helps it win games. Football is a result-oriented business at the end of the day; the lack of results could lead to the sacking of a manager regardless of the extent of attractive football a team might play.
It can only take a bad game or two for a football manager to feel the heat. There could be reasons beyond tactical inadequacies of a football manager for a team not producing desired results. But as is so often the case, a football manager being an easy target loses their job rather than a bevvy of underperforming players facing the sack.
As a result, early contract termination of football managers is a very common occurence. It takes time to build a team that produces desired results, but often football managers do not get that liberty. They are required to get results from the get-go.
Even when the best in business cannot get the expected results, they are relived of their duties by their respective football clubs, regardless of their past contributions. On that note, let's look at five of the best football managers who are without a job right now.
Five top football managers who are without a job:
#5: Leonardo Jardim
Ah, the curious case of Leonardo Jardim. The Portuguese boasts a tremendous manegerial record and has had a successful tenure everywhere he has gone - bar his second stint with AS Monaco.
Jardim has averaged a healthy number of points per game with all of the football clubs he has worked with in his career so far. He impressed with Braga, racking up 1.96 points per game, then enjoyed a career-high 2.42 with Olympiakos. Jardim returned to Portugal to manage Sporting CP and won 2.20 points each game, and averaged 1.85 with AS Monaco in Ligue 1.
It is at the Principality where Jardim shone the brightest. He created one of Europe's fiercest attacks, which was led by a young Kylian Mbappe and the veteran Radamel Falcao. Monaco reached the Champions League semifinal and also won the Ligue 1 title by dethroning defending champions PSG.
However, a run of poor form forced the Monaco board to let go of one of their best ever coaches. Jardim returned for a brief period as Monaco continued to struggle, but his arrival made little difference, and he was sacked once again.
Jardim is still only 45 and all he needs is a football club to stick with him for a decent period. He has already shown that he is capable of dealing with world-class players in big European football clubs.
#4: Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spaletti has been in football management since 1994. The 61-year-old has managed a host of Italian football clubs that include Udinese, Roma and Inter Milan.
The most successful phase of his managerial career , though, came away from his homeland. Spalletti picked up four major trophies with Russian footballing giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, a haul that included two league titles. During four and a half seasons at the club, he picked up almost two points per match.
Spalletti returned to Italy after a two-year sabatical and managed to continue his purple patch. He picked up a career-high 2.15 points per game with AS Roma during his second stint with the Italian capital club. He led them to a second-place finish in the 2016-17 Serie A campaign, bidding farewell to legend Francesco Totti in the process.
However, despite his good performance, Spalletti was sacked by Roma for allegedly not maintaining a healthy relationship with the board and also 'mistreating' Totti in his final football season.
Spalletti's latest managerial job in football was with Internazionale, with whom he managed to pick up 1.80 points per game, but ultimately failed to deliver the kind of results the board expected from him.
He is a vastly experienced coach and has a wealth of knowledge about Italian football. Soalletti might not have taken a football club over the line in terms of a title challenge since leaving Zenit, but he is more than capable of bringing stability to any club in dire need of it.
#3: Ernesto Valverde
Ernesto Valverde will feel hard done by considering how he was relieved of his duty as the head coach of Football Club Barcelona. The 56-year-old Spaniard picked up 2.2 points per game with the Catalans, winning the league title in both of his full seasons.
However, his playing style and overdependence on Lionel Messi were considered massive drawbacks. That being said, in Valverde's absence, Barcelona's league form has exacerbated, and they ended up losing their crown to Real Madrid.
Valverde's ability to squeeze out results one way or another is underrated. After all, he has been successful wherever he has been. He has managed some of the biggest football clubs in Spain like Athletic Club and Villarreal. He also has experience of success in unchartered territories, having succeeded with Olympiacos in two managerial stints.
Ernesto Valverde has too good a football managerial resume to remain umemployed for too long, and it wouldn't come as much surprise if another major club comes calling for his services once again.
#2: Mauricio Pochettino
Much like Valverde, Mauricio Pochettino will feel betrayed by the Tottenham Hotspur management for getting the boot. The Argentine worked wonders with a below par Spurs squad and developed them into legitimate English heavyweights.
A run of poor form shouldn't have been enough for Daniel Levy to get rid of his star football manager, but he decided to do so anyway. Perhaps a lack of silverware was a major reason, although a Champions League final appearance is no less than a trophy in itself considering the strong opponents in domestic football.
Pochettino's sack came as a big surprise to many as he was solely responsible for bringing Spurs back among the big boys. He picked up 1.84 points per game with Tottenham in almost 300 games, which is a very healthy record.
Most importantly, it was the style of football played by Tottenham under Pochettino that impressed most neutrals. The Argentine tactician was not only playing effective football but laid emphasis on a free-flowing style that was easy on the eye.
Still only 48, the former Southampton and Espanyol manager is still regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Needless to say, Mauricio Pochettino will have a number of interesting options to choose from as there is certainly no lack of suitors for him.
#1: Massimiliano Allegri
Crazier things have happened in football, but how Massimiliano Allegri is without a job for over a year is anybody's guess.
Allegri spent five seasons with Juventus and created one of the strongest teams in modern-day Italian football. He won the Serie A title in all five seasons with the Bianconeri while also making it to the Champions League final on two occassions where Juventus came up short on each occasion.
The former AC Milan coach was widely regarded as one of the top five football managers on the planet during his time with Juventus. He brought about a fine balance of resolute defending and liquid attacking that was enjoyable to watch and highly effective. Allegri picked up 2.27 points per game with Juventus in 271 matches.
Allegri has worked with some of the biggest namees in world football that include the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon.
He is more than adept at delivering at the highest level and is known for his excellent man-management skills in clutch situations. He is a widely respected tactician who commands respect across the football world. Massimiliano Allegri will be a coup for whichever football club manages to snap him up.
