Premier League sackings: Chelsea and Tottenham headline a season of unprecedented managerial mayhem | OneFootball

Becoming a manager in the Premier League is arduous enough, but maintaining the position takes it to a whole new level.

As the 2022/23 Premier League season enters a crunch period, 11 managers have either been sacked or left their clubs for other reasons, setting an unprecedented feat in the competition’s history.

Premier League clubs seem to be raising the bar each season passing while showing less and less tolerance for any spell of underwhelming form.

Only 11 matchdays into the 2022/23 season and four managers had already been shown the door after failing to align with pre-season expectations.

Now well past the halfway point of the campaign, seven more have joined the list, with Antonio Conte’s break-up with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday taking the number of managerial departures to 11, as per the BBC.

Let’s take a closer look at this ever-growing list.

#1 Scott Parker – Bournemouth

Only four games into the 2022/23 campaign, Premier League relegation fighters Bournemouth thanked Scott Parker for his services on August 30.

Despite winning his top-flight touchline debut in charge of the Cherries, a three-game losing streak by an aggregate score of 16-0 in the follow-up ended the Englishman’s career at the Vitality Stadium.

An embarrassing 9-0 thumping at Liverpool was the back-breaker, with Gary O’Neil taking charge of the team in the aftermath.

#2 Thomas Tuchel – Chelsea

Soon after Parker’s dismissal, a more high-profile break-up stole the spotlight when Chelsea severed ties with the Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel on September 7.

Not even three major international trophies across his first year-and-a-half at the helm were enough to spare the German the misery of being sacked only a couple of months into his second full season in charge.

In addition to a sluggish Premier League start, the Blues couldn’t stand losing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, giving the new Bayern Munich manager his marching orders immediately after.

#3 Graham Potter – Brighton & Hove Albion

Forced to fill the vacancy, Chelsea launched a relentless pursuit of high-performing Graham Potter, prising him away from Brighton & Hove Albion the following day.

Like his predecessor, the 47-year-old has immensely struggled to help the west London outfit gain a foothold in the Premier League despite being handed an unlimited budget in the January transfer window.

However, his Champions League exploits, coupled with a mini-revival in England’s top flight, have handed Potter a lifeline at Stamford Bridge after a rocky start.

#4 Bruno Lage – Wolverhampton Wanderers

It had been a long time coming. Following a mediocre tenth-place finish in his first season as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, Bruno Lage did nothing noteworthy to improve the club’s status in the elite division.

Wolves’ perennial goalscoring woes have reached a new level this season, leaving the Molineux hierarchy with no other choice but to escort the Portuguese tactician through the exit door on October 2.

Lage’s successor Bruno Lopetegui has proved a minor improvement as his men’s nerve-shredding battle for survival will likely last until the final weekend.

#5 Steven Gerrard – Aston Villa

Like Wolves, Aston Villa had high expectations for the 2022/23 season, but just like the west Midlands outfit, the Villans had slumped every step of the way under ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Frustration over Gerrard’s unimpressive results, poor tactical choices and even less impressive relationship with star players boiled over on October 20 when the Villa Park powerbrokers finally ran out of patience.

After overseeing just two wins in the opening 12 Premier League matches, the former Rangers chief of staff left Birmingham, with Unai Emery joining from Villarreal to fill the void.

#6 Ralph Hasenhuttl – Southampton

In four seasons in charge of Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s standout achievement was an 11th-place finish in 2019/20, which probably best illustrates the Austrian’s ill-fated managerial tenure at St Mary’s.

Southampton fans would rather have Hasenhuttl sacked earlier, but they’ve had to learn the hard way that his successors would only maintain his infamous legacy.

Nathan Jones, who jumped into the hot seat, would be dismissed after only eight league matches (W1, L6), leaving the Saints nailed to the bottom of the Premier League table.

It’s now up to the third permanent manager this season, Ruben Selles, to help Southampton extend their top-flight status.

#7 Frank Lampard – Everton

No stranger to the feeling of sacking following his experience with Chelsea, Frank Lampard had been headlining the ‘sack’ list long before Everton forced him to step down on January 23.

For a large portion of the Toffees fanbase, the club’s hesitance to get rid of the Englishman was unfathomable, given his long-term struggle to establish chemistry and balance at Goodison Park.

But after having mustered only three wins from the opening 20 league fixtures (D6, L11), Lampard couldn’t dodge the bullet any longer, with Everton bringing Sean Dyche to replace him earlier this year.

With the club languishing only two points clear of the red zone heading into the crunch period, many people would argue Lampard’s dismissal should’ve come way earlier.

#8 Jesse Marsch – Leeds United

Season-long relegation candidates Leeds United followed in the footsteps of Everton the following month as they discharged underperforming Jesse Marsch on February 6.

Marsch’s dismal record of 18 points from 20 league games should’ve placed him under review long before the Whites’ top-flight survival came under severe threat.

Leeds moved on from the American manager only two days after falling to a 1-0 defeat to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, throwing a hot potato into the hands of Javi Garcia.

#9 Nathan Jones – Southampton

As mentioned above, Jones’ inability to handle Southampton’s turmoil in the wake of Hasenhuttl’s departure inevitably led to his dismissal on February 23.

It’s believed that complaints from senior members of the Southampton squad due to a strained relationship with the 49-year-old eventually sealed his fate at St Mary’s.

#10 Patrick Vieira – Crystal Palace

Patrick Vieira had been walking a tightrope since the opening matchday of the 2022/23 season but still managed to last until mid-March despite the odds.

As the only Premier League side yet to win a top-flight game in 2023, Crystal Palace had to take desperate measures to avoid being drawn into a dreaded relegation fight, resulting in Vieira’s departure on March 15.

The Eagles have turned to their beloved Roy Hodgson to pick up the pieces and help the club secure survival down the final stretch of what’s been a disappointing season.

#11 Antonio Conte – Tottenham Hotspur

Last but not least, Conte failed to complete a full season in north London despite accumulating more points at this stage of the Premier League campaign compared to 2021/22.

Following Spurs’ 3-3 draw at Southampton ahead of March’s international break, the charismatic Italian manager took to the press to torch his relationship with his players and superiors in an unprecedented manner.

There was never a way back from that, as Tottenham finally announced Conte’s departure on March 26.

Spurs will now have to search for their fourth permanent manager in four years since Mauricio Pochettino departed in 2019.

Conclusion

It’s impossible to overlook that only six top-flight managers have been in charge for more than three years, highlighting growing appetites from club owners in the world’s most competitive league.

With the Premier League average now standing at about two years, up-and-coming managers from abroad should think twice before diving into this highly demanding marketplace.