Pep Guardiola says that Premier League managers are now under more pressure than ever
The number of managerial changes this season reached 15 with the appointment of Sam Allardyce as Leeds United manager.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said that Premier League managers are now judged almost entirely on results, highlighting the instability in the league this season.
On Wednesday it was announced that Sam Allardyce would replace Javi Gracia as Leeds United manager. Gracia’s dismissal took the number of managerial changes this campaign to 15, five more than any previous season.
Guardiola’s City may be flying high, but even he feels the pressure faced by Premier League managers.
“Today this is the reality,” he said. “When you start as manager you know it. I’m sitting here but if results weren’t good I’d be sacked.”
“Managers know if they don’t get results they’re at risk of being sacked, new ones, old ones. We need results absolutely.”
“If you are in this business you have to understand, it doesn’t matter where you come from, who you are, you are in danger to lose your position as a manager. Taking risks with different tactics is a risk but staying the same is also a risk,” Guardiola added.
Allardyce’s first game in charge could not be more difficult; Leeds travel to Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday.
More managerial change in the Premier League
Leeds’ decision to part ways with Gracia came less than three months after the Spaniard was brought in to replace Jesse Marsch. Allardyce becomes Leeds’ third manager of the 2022/23 season, making them the third Premier League side to employ a trio of managers this campaign.
When it was decided that Marsch needed to be replaced, the Leeds hierarchy opted for a manager with extensive experience in relegation battles.
This is the sixth time that Allardyce has been appointed mid-season by a team in a Premier League relegation battle. Of the previous five occasions, he has kept the team up four times. His only blemish came in 2020/21 when he failed to improve the fortunes of 19th-placed West Bromwich Albion.
Allardyce’s first aim will be to install some confidence in a Leeds side that were beaten comfortably by relegation rivals Bournemouth recently.
“I know it [the club] is in a lot of trouble,” Allardyce said in his first press conference as Leeds boss.
“I have seen a lot of trouble before and – I could have done a little bit more time, but four games – hopefully we can make a difference and keep this fabulous club in the Premier League.”