It's never been so hard to find the right manager - an 'unknown' like Arsene Wenger would never get the Arsenal job now
We seem to be in the midst of a managerial crisis in European football.
In the Premier League, three clubs are searching for a new coach and none of them appear to be certain of who, or what, they are looking for. Two weeks ago, Tottenham fans were unsure about whether they wanted Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United feel there is no-one out there better than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so appear to be standing by their man, as much due to a lack of obvious alternatives as any certainty he will bring the glory days back.
At the top of La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid’s head coaches were once the most coveted and established in the world. Now Ernesto Valverde and Zinedine Zidane appear to be a European defeat from the sack.
In Germany, Bayern Munich are persisting with an interim coach as they continue headhunting for Niko Kovac'’s replacement, while Borussia Dortmund’s manager, Lucien Favre, is reportedly on the brink of an exit.
In Italy, the managers competing for the title - Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri - were sacked by Chelsea amid some harsh, personal criticism.
Even the most recognised international managers - Didier Deschamps and Joachim Low - are rarely touted for Champions League clubs.
It has never seemed harder for the biggest clubs to find the right man.
Where once you could list 10 world-class managers when the biggest jobs came along, boardrooms must now take a leap of faith. Meanwhile, supporters are fussier than ever. Even successful managers find their name contaminated if their last experience was poor - as we witnessed with the reaction to Mourinho’s arrival at Spurs.
Excellence is out there. There is no reason to say standards have slipped over the last 10 years. There are more qualified coaches than ever before. But the number of big clubs now outnumber the big-name managers.
Who are the truly ‘big name’ managers in 2019?
Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and ex-Juventus coach Max Allegri are the most desirable in the world. Beyond them, you have those who were considered at the top of their game a few years ago - such as Napoli’s Carlo Ancelotti - or emerging talent like RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann.
What has changed - or certainly intensified - is the forensic scrutiny managers are under in this digital age; their methods, personality and win/loss statistics are micro-analysed to such a degree that it is as easy to find flaws as observe strengths. It is not just the skill-set that needs to be right. Their face must fit. At the elite level, their name needs to be known. We no longer live in a world where a relative unknown like Arsene Wenger can get the Arsenal job.
Managers with a track record are expected to prove themselves again and regarded out of date if their last trophy was three years ago. Everyone wants the latest shiny new model, not the used car - no matter how reliable it still is.
Sometimes it seems managers are touted to test the audience reaction. Out-of-work coaches must feel like hopefuls on the X-Factor, football turning into a global popularity contest.
An owner may take a liking to a candidate, but if he sees a fans poll suggesting that manager will be instantly unpopular there is cause for hesitation. It is reducing the choices, certainly at those clubs who feel they must quell supporter unrest when making a change. Four of English football’s biggest clubs - Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton - now have popular ex-playing idols in charge. It is a safe option to appease supporters, albeit in two of those cases a temporary measure. Appointing a club legend guarantees patience and time.
Fans’ views must be taken into consideration. But that does not mean they are right.
Here is an example:
How many Arsenal fans who now crave Brendan Rodgers felt that way when he left Liverpool in October 2015? The honest will admit they would have resisted the idea of Rodgers as a replacement for Wenger. Why?
When Rodgers was sacked at Anfield he was ridiculed by rival supporters. He moved to Celtic and rebuilt his reputation, yet during his time in Scotland, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and England went through a recruitment process, in some cases on a couple of occasions. None of them thought Rodgers the right man. Was he really ignored for solid football reasons? Or was it due to ill-judged perceptions of his coaching talent? How many regret ignoring Rodgers now?
He was a very good coach at Liverpool, losing his job after a deterioration following Luis Suarez’s sale, allied to a superstar like Klopp’s availability. Rather than judge him against those mitigating circumstances, too many owners - and supporters - stick to negative perspectives because of a poor season, ignoring the impressive work that earned him one of the biggest jobs in the world at such a young age. Every manager will go through a tough period - even the very best. It does not mean they will not succeed elsewhere.
Social-media ridicule of managers has made the situation worse. In a different age, great coaches could fail massively without worrying about another opportunity. Look at Brian Clough at Leeds United. Could a modern manager last 44 days at a club of such stature and be trusted again?
Young coaches must hit the ground running or they may never get another chance - Gary Neville said that after his time in Valencia - yet we often see success is based on timing and circumstances. Even Sir Alex Ferguson was sacked once before his talent shone at Aberdeen.
The qualities admired when a manager is winning become the stick to beat him when he is losing. The much-needed disciplinarian in victory swiftly becomes the joyless, cold figure in defeat; the once inventive training ground drills are reported as repetitive and lacking tactical variation after a few losses. And managers hailed for their motivational speeches upon arrival are informed their players ‘need to hear a new voice’ after a couple of seasons.
The recruitment process used to be easier for the wealthiest, most attractive clubs. They only had to look at the top of La Liga, Serie A or Bundesliga to find a no-brainer candidate.
Now they must work harder, employing directors and scouts who must engage in deeper research to find the best man - that elusive, charismatic presence who will impose a vision on the training pitch and unite a club.
It means Arsenal, Everton and Watford find themselves in an unenviable position. Their fans are less trusting of the boards to get their decision correct, especially in the aftermath of another sacking. That also increases the pressure on the new arrival to secure an instant ‘bounce’, even though they will inherit long-standing problems that need time to resolve.
The list of 'big names' may be reducing, but there is no shortage of great managers out there. As owners, supporters and pundits, perhaps we all need to think more carefully about what makes a manager great.
