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The managerial landscape in football is an intensely competitive arena where the stakes are high and the margin for error is slim. High-profile managers, despite their successes and achievements, often find themselves on a precarious edge, vulnerable to the relentless pressure of expectations.
The cutthroat nature of the sport, combined with the demand for immediate results, means that even a brief string of poor performances can lead to a manager's sacking.
Tactical miscalculations, losing the dressing room, an inability to bring out the best in certain players or even clashes with the team's top brass can turn the tide against a manager.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top five managers who are currently without a job.
#5 Graham Potter
The tragedy that Graham Potter suffered at Chelsea was hard to witness for Premier League fans. Potter had turned Brighton & Hove Albion into one of the most exciting units in the Premier League before he was appointed Chelsea's manager in September 2022.
It looked like Potter had made it to the promised land and his stocks were up. However, what unfolded was as anticlimactic as anything we've seen in the English top flight in recent times.
Potter's disastrous spell at Chelsea saw him register a win rate of 39%, the lowest ever of any permanent manager in the club's history.
But winning promotion with Swedish side Ostersunds FK and his excellence at Brighton & Hove Albion should speak volumes of his managerial ability.
#4 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
In retrospect, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's run as Manchester United stint wasn't anywhere close to being as bad as the media would want you to believe. Under his tutelage, the club consistently qualified for the Champions League and he enjoyed a 54.17% win rate at the club.
He also took them to the 2020-21 Europa League final. Solskjaer seemed to be on to something at United but unable to land his top targets regularly, the Norwegian manager struggled to take them to new heights.
Solskjaer went about his business endearingly, never throwing a player under the bus and always absorbing the impact of losses and all the scorn all by himself. He is a keen student of the game and is currently going around the United States, taking notes and gaining knowledge ahead of his next job, whenever that arrives.
Solskjaer handled an incredible amount of pressure at United and it has to be said that the Red Devils played some exciting football under him. That last half-season before he was sacked certainly looked bad.
However, Solskjaer's consistent outwitting of Pep Guardiola and his incredible away record with United (unbeaten in 29 Premier League games between February 2020 and October 2021) speak volumes about his managerial abilities.
#3 Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick looked destined to take Germany back to the zenith of international football as he took over from Joachim Low in 2021. He had bided his time, rallied his efforts in one direction and proved his credentials over several years.
Flick served as an assistant coach in Germany's 2014 FIFA World Cup triumph. He also won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and a continental treble with Bayern Munich before being appointed as the head coach of Die Mannschaft.
However, Germany failed to impress under Conte. A group-stage exit at the World Cup should have been his death knell but Flick wasn't shown the exit door until further humiliation was meted out to him and his team.
He was finally sacked after Germany suffered three successive defeats post the World Cup, the final one a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Japan in a friendly.
#2 Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte's pragmatic brand of football failed to endear him to the fans and the board at Tottenham Hotspur. He spent 16 months trying to drag them out of a rut but it ultimately culminated in bad blood and some tense back-and-forths.
Well, you can't expect to stay on Daniel Levy's good books after you say what Conte said about the club. His rant following a disappointing 3-3 draw with Southampton in the 2022-23 season signalled the end of his second stint in the Premier League. In the post-match interview, Conte said:
“Tottenham’s story is this – 20 years there is this owner and they never won something. We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart [in].”
Despite his failings in north London, Conte's reputation as a serial winner remains largely untarnished. The Italian tactician has won the league with Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan in recent times.
#1 Zinedine Zidane
Serial-winner Zinedine Zidane is currently out of work by choice. Having won three consecutive Champions League titles and two La Liga titles in his two short stints as Real Madrid's manager, he is one of the most coveted coaches on the planet.
Zizou gets linked with every high-profile job there is the second a big-name coach is sacked. In a recent interview with RMC Sport, Zidane revealed that it won't be long before he takes the reins once again. He said:
“I will be back soon. Wait, wait a little bit. Soon, soon. I’m not far from coaching again."
With a CV as decorated as his, Zidane probably only needs to say the word or wave his hand and he'll be back in the dugout of a premium side.
