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The news of PSG parting ways with their erstwhile manager Thomas Tuchel left much of the football world in shock, as the former Borussia Dortmund tactician had delivered a lot of silverware at the club. What didn't come as a surprise, though, was the appointment of the former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino at the PSG helm
Pochettino had been unemployed for over a year but is one of the most highly-rated managers in the game; naturally, PSG did not hesitate to bring back their ex-player as their manager.
Top five football managers who are unemployed at the moment
Over the past few seasons, many highly reputed managers have been sacked, left their jobs or haven't joined a new club yet after completing their last managerial assignments.
On that note, let's take a look at five of the top unemployed managers available at the moment.
#5 Lucien Favre
Lucien Favre was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after a string of poor results this season.
Despite his sacking, there remains no doubt that Favre is one of the most tactically astute managers and is excellent in developing young talented footballers.
While Favre is more renowned for his time with Borussia Monchengladbach and Nice, his stint at Dortmund proved that he is more than capable of managing a big team.
Borussia Dortmund finished second in the league in both seasons Favre was in charge, which included losing out the title by a mere two points in 2018-19. He also won the DFL Supercup with Dortmund in 2019.
Favre boasted a win percentage of 61.82 and tallied 2.01 points per game at Borussia Dortmund, numbers which are better than that of a certain Jurgen Klopp, who delivered two Bundesliga titles.
Nevertheless, Favre is the first manager in Bundesliga history to win his first 15 league matches with Dortmund. However, owing to a string of indifferent results tis season, he was shown the door.
World-class players like Marco Reus and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen owe a lot to Favre, as he was key to their development while at Monchengladbach. Young players like Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna and Achraf Hakimi have developed under the erstwhile Borussia Dortmund manager's guidance.
Favre isn't one to jump straight back into management; there have been instances previously where he was unemployed for well over a year. Nevertheless, considering his pedigree, he would be in the radars of many top clubs in the continent.
#4 Ernesto Valverde
The manner in which he was sacked by Barcelona and the circumstances surrounding the same might have tarnished Ernesto Valverde's reputation.
However, there is hardly any doubt surrounding his managerial pedigree despite being unemployed for almost a year now. Ernesto Valverde is one of the most experienced top-flight managers, who has been around for almost two decades.
Best known for his second tenure at Athletic Bilbao (2013-17), where he guided the club to a top-7 finish in each of his four seasons in charge, Valverde also took Espanyol to the Europa League final in 2007.
Even at Barcelona, the Spanish manager delivered two league titles, including the one in 2017-18 season when Barcelona almost finished the season as invincibles (they lost their penultimate game to Levante 5-4).
Valverde was the recipient of the UEFA La Liga manager of the year in 2015-16 for his exploits with Athletico Bilbao.
His 2-year spell at Barcelona saw him register an impressive winning percentage of 66.90 and a tally of 2.23 points per game. Outside Spanish football, Valverde enjoyed great success with Olympiacos, where he won the double twice.
Despite his sack at Barcelona, Valverde enjoyed good relations with all his players and the staff. However, Champions League losses to AS Roma and Liverpool in successive years turned the fans against him. Nevertheless, it won't be too long before the Spanish manager is back at the helm of a top-flight club.
#3 Maurizio Sarri
Renowned for advocating his teams to play beautiful football, Maurizio Sarri and his famed 'Sarri-ball' is a lucrative option for any club looking for a new manager.
Despite winning the Serie A, Sarri was sacked by Juventus at the end of last season following a humiliating defeat in the Champions League Round of 16 by Lyon. He had also failed to win the Coppa Italia, losing out to his former team Napoli in the final a few weeks before the Champions League exit.
Maurizio Sarri's football is based on an attacking play with quick short passes and a high tempo, popularly termed as Sarri-ball or vertical tiki-taka.
This system came to limelight during Sarri's time at Napoli, where he guided the south Italian club to top-3 league finishes in all his seasons in charge there. A high profile move to Chelsea then saw him pick up his first silverware in the form of the Europa League.
Sarri did not win the Premier League during his only season at Stamford Bridge but created the longest unbeaten run of any manager to have managed in the competition.
The Italian manager recorded impressive numbers at his last three managerial jobs.
During his three-season stint at Napoli, Sarri recorded a 66% win percentage and scored 2.16 points per game. In his season-long campaigns at Chelsea and Juventus, his win percentages were 61.9% and 65.4% respectively. Sarri also won the Serie A best coach of the year in 2017.
His move to Juventus following a year at Chelsea saw him win his first league title; however, it wasn't the most convincing one, and failures in other competitions proved to be too costly, as the manager was shown the door.
Sarri has had a long managerial career, but he hasn't managed too many top clubs, which might explain his disappointing returns at Chelsea and Juventus. Nevertheless, Sarri is not expected to remain unemployed for too long, as a few Italian clubs are already reportedly interested in him.
#2 Thomas Tuchel
The latest 'big' manager to lose his job, Thomas Tuchel has earned his fair share of fame and appreciation during his managerial career.
PSG haven't fared terribly in the league under Tuchel this season. However, a third position in the league table and disagreements with the PSG board eventually made Tuchel's position untenable at the ambitious French champions.
Tuchel's most impressive managerial tenure was at Mainz, where he managed to keep the newly promoted side in the Bundesliga and even earned took them to the Europa League. At Borussia Dortmund, he took over another Jurgen Klopp team, guiding the club to a second-place finish in his first season, winning the DFB-Pokal in his next and not losing a league game at home.
At PSG, Tuchel won 74.80% of his league games and tallied 2.35 points per game, earning the club a domestic treble last season.
At PSG, Tuchel won the Ligue 1 twice and guided the Parisians to their first-ever Champions League final.
Thus his sacking was more due to his disagreements with the board rather than PSG's on-field performance. Interestingly, Tuchel also had run-ins with the Dortmund board which ultimately cost him his job.
#1 Massimiliano Allegri
No surprises here, Massimiliano Allegri is one of the most decorated managers in the game, and a manager too good to be unemployed for too long.
Allegri carried forward Antonio Conte's remarkable Juventus side and transformed them into a world-class outfit. Under his tutelage, Juventus won five consecutive Scudettos, four back-to-back Coppa Italias and also reached two Champions League finals.
It is often mistaken that Allegri's success came with Juventus. Allegri won the Serie A with AC Milan in 2011 and also played a part in Sassuolo's rise to the top division.
Allegri's footballing style is very possession-heavy and involves build-up play allowing a rather calm and relaxed approach, which is much appreciated by his players.
Allegri won 70.48% of his games and scored 2.27 points per game in five seasons at Juventus, which are pretty commendable numbers. He has won the Serie A best coach of the year multiple times and also finished third in the Best FIFA's Men's Coach in 2017.
It is no surprise that Allegri is the only one on this list not to have faced the sack. A manager of his quality and experience surely won't be spending too much time unemployed.
However, Massimiliano Allegri has never managed outside Italy, but the man himself has said that he would relish the challenge of managing in a different country. Even after being unemployed for well over a year and half, the Italian manager is still actively linked with a bevy of top clubs.
Honourable Mentions: Luciano Spalleti, Marcelino, Leonardo Jardim.
