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The Premier League managers who are fighting for their jobs

Tom Dunstan in Editorial, English Premier League 6 Jan 2021

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With Southampton picking up what was a shock 1-0 win at home against Liverpool on Monday night, the Premier League title chase appears tighter than ever.

However, while the likes of Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be enjoying a recent resurge as they eased the pressure on their jobs, some over top-flight bosses find themselves trying to fend off the chop.

With former Baggies boss Slaven Bilić the first Premier League manager to be given his marching orders last month, we have taken a look at three other coaches who find themselves under mounting scrutiny.

Frank Lampard – Chelsea

While Chelsea might have cruised their way to the knockout stage of this year’s Champions League last month, the Blues have come crashing back down to earth and all eyes are on Frank Lampard’s position at Stamford Bridge.

Largely outplayed in what turned out to be a 3-1 drumming against Manchester City in the capital over the weekend, the former Derby boss finds his side slumping it down in ninth and on a run of form that has seen them win just one of their last six Premier League appearances.

Now priced as low as 11/10 with 888sport to be the next manager given his marching orders, The Athletic also reported after Sunday’s defeat against City that Roman Abramovich has drawn up a potential list of replacements in West London.

With Thomas Tuchel’s departure from PSG last week only piling more pressure on Lampard’s position in the Stamford Bridge dugout, the struggles of summer arrivals Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have not helped the 42-year-old’s problems.

With Lampard holding the worst points per game ratio during the Abramovich era, it won’t be a surprise to many that Lampard has been installed as the bookies’ sack race favourite.

Chris Wilder – Sheffield United

Suffering what was another afternoon of heartbreak thanks to a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace over the weekend, Sheffield United have only continued to break unwanted records by the week.

While the Blades might have shocked many on their Premier League return last season, Chris Wilder’s side have rather drastically failed to match that level and they already appear destined for a Championship return.

Enduring what has quickly turned into a nightmare campaign at Bramall Lane, United have managed to muster just a pair of points from their 17 top-flight contests this season and they already find themselves sat 12 points adrift of safety.

In fact, along with losing each of their final three appearances during the extended 2019/20 campaign, United are the first English top-flight side to fail to win any of their first 17 games in a season since Bolton in 1902

While owner Prince Abdullah might have given Wilder his backing once again last month, the 53-year-old is priced at 3/1 with Betfair to be the next boss out of a job.

Graham Potter – Brighton

Although Brighton might have mounted a stunning second-half comeback as they salvaged a dramatic 3-3 draw against Wolves over the weekend, it doesn’t cover what has been another sluggish run for the Seagulls.

While Graham Potter’s side might have just about managed to hold onto their Premier League status after returning over the summer, the Swansea boss has struggled to take the South Coast outfit to the next level.

Holding just a three-point buffer over the drop zone and firmly looking over their shoulder, Brighton have failed to win any of their last eight top-flight appearances and they have just a single victory to their name since September 20th.

Priced at 5/1 with Unibet to be the next Premier League boss hit with the chop, a huge part of Brighton’s continued issues under Potter have come down to some rather glaring problems on home soil.

With some around the Amex calling for a change in the dugout, the Seagulls remarkably managed to record just a single top-flight win on the South Coast throughout the whole of 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

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