The Premier League is set to resume after taking the first of two mid-season breaks. Postponements due to the Queen’s passing and the international break means some teams have gone almost a month without playing a league fixture.
And while that break came at the worst possible time for those sides in good form, it provided some welcome respite for those scratching around for results. But there’ll be no hiding place this weekend with a clutch of managers under growing pressure.
Despite being just two months old, the season has already seen a managerial casualty in the form of Thomas Tuchel and there will be more to come. Mirror Football takes a look at the bosses nervously glancing over the shoulder, knowing more negative results could spell disaster.
Brendan Rodgers
It’s only 16 months since Rodgers guided Leicester City to their first ever FA Cup triumph, while he also took the Foxes to a European semi-final last season. The Northern Irishman was talked about being in the frame for some top jobs then, but is now clinging on to his own post after a miserable start to the new season.
That came after a summer which served to realign the ambitions of a side which had threatened to upset the top four under Rodgers’ guidance. After seven games Leicester have just one point and have conceded a league high 22 goals. The Foxes face neighbours Nottingham Forest on Monday and with owners flying in to watch it, anything less than a win could signal the end.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Southampton haven’t actually had a bad start to the season, but their limp and lifeless display away at Aston Villa last time out spells trouble for the affable Hasenhuttl. The Saints boss has survived a pair of 9-0 defeats during his tenure on the south coast so he clearly has some strong powers of persuasion.
This weekend sees Hasenhuttl’s side take on Everton, which even at this point of the season, looks like a pivotal clash between two sides set to be battling against the drop. A repeat of their Villa no-show would leave the Austrian on the brink.
David Moyes
It’s remarkable that Moyes is under pressure, but such is the life of a Premier League manager. The Scot had West Ham 90 minutes away from the Europa League final a matter of months ago, but that appears to count for nought with reports suggesting he is fighting to save his job.
The Hammers were bitterly disappointing in their defeat to Everton at the start of the month and need a response against fellow strugglers Wolves on Saturday evening. Moyes has seen his side hit just three league goals so far and will be hoping Gianluca Scamacca can come to the party after failing to score in his first five Premier League appearances.
Bruno Lage
Like Moyes, Lage needs results - and quickly. Wolves ended last season as one of the worst sides in the division and have looked like it again. Injuries haven’t helped with Sasa Kalajdzic out for the season and Raul Jimenez suffering with his own fitness issues.
Diego Costa answered the Molineux outfit’s SOS call and he looks set to be unleashed against West Ham at The London Stadium. It’s a lot to expect the Chelsea icon to be his former self, but Wolves could do with any version of Diego Costa at this point.
The makings of a good team are there with the likes of Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes adding to a talented squad on paper. If Lage can’t get the best out of them, there will be a few who will fancy the chance.
Steve Cooper
If Cooper was managing almost any other club ( Watford excluded!) his job would rightly be safe as houses. But Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has a track record of ruthless manager sackings - as evidenced by Carlos Corberan’s brief stint at Olympiakos this season.
Forest were ridiculously busy during the summer window, signing the equivalent of a Premier League squad in the space of one window. It should perhaps come as no surprise then that Cooper is still deciding on his best XI.
He needs to find it soon however, with Monday’s clash with Leicester serving as a real acid test of his tenure and Forest’s aspirations for the season.
Steven Gerrard
The Aston Villa boss would have been significantly higher in this list had he not picked up results against Manchester City and Southampton before the break. But there remains a significant portion of the Villa Park faithful who are yet to be convinced by the Liverpool legend.
Villa had an unusually quiet summer window and have already lost signings Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara to significant injuries. Gerrard’s troops face Leeds, Forest, Fulham and Brentford in the next few weeks and that run of fixtures will determine whether he faces even more intense scrutiny.
