Five Premier League bosses who have it all to do in the coming months
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We’re already almost halfway through this Premier League campaign, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting we’ve ever seen, with a handful of teams battling it out at both ends of the table.
But as we head into the final few months, which managers still have it all to do?
Ladbrokes News takes a look at five names that’ll be feeling the heat between now and May, and we begin with a certain Special One…
Jose Mourinho
On the whole, it’s not been a bad start to life at Manchester United for Jose Mourinho, and his side are finally turning draws into wins, largely thanks to a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But despite winning five of their last six games in all competitions, they are still sixth in the table and 13 points off league leaders Chelsea – and given the amount of money that was spent on new signings in the summer, that’s simply not good enough.
Somehow, Mourinho has to find a way to break into the top four come next May, anything else will be deemed a failure.
The Red Devils are still in the EFL Cup, the Europa League, and will be feeling confident of retaining the Emirates FA Cup. But another year without Champions League football would be unpalatable.
Slaven Bilic
Earlier this year, West Ham were dreaming of a Champions League spot themselves. For much of the 2015-16 campaign, they were in or around the top five, but that dream fizzled out with two games to go.
However, despite there being plenty of optimism heading into this season in east London, the Hammers have since failed to live up to expectations, and currently find themselves just five points above the relegations zone.
The pressure is certainly on Bilic to add to his ranks in January, and despite winning back-to-back games against Burnley and Hull last week, the Croatian boss’ position is in no way safe.
Arsene Wenger
Speculation is growing that this will be Wenger’s last season in charge of Arsenal, and boy, he’d love to go out with a bang.
But he certainly has it all to do if he’s to win his fourth Premier League title, with the Gunners already nine points off the pace.
An increasing number of supporters are growing frustrated with their side’s performances of late, with back-to-back defeats coming for just the second time this year last week.
But the next batch of fixtures are certainly winnable for the Gunners, with four of their next six league games being at home.
Fourth-place won’t cut it this year for Gooners – they want the title.
Pressure’s on, Arsene…
Bob Bradley
After picking up just eight points from a possible 30 since taking over at the Liberty Stadium, it’s no surprise to see Swansea City manager Bob Bradley’s name at the head of the Sack Race market for much of the last few weeks.
Following thedismissal of Francesco Guidolin back in October, it’s fair to say that several eyebrows were raised when the Swans announced that Bradley would be taking over the reins.
And so far, the American boss has done little to prove his doubters wrong, with the Welsh outfit currently 19th in the table, three points off safety.
If results don’t change soon, don’t be surprised to see a third man in charge of Swansea between now and the end of the season.
Claudio Ranieri
He may have been at the forefront of Leicester City’s fairytale campaign last year, but it seems as though the reigning Premier League champions are letting the pressure of that tag get to their heads.
They’ve already lost five more games than they did in the whole of the 2015-16 campaign, and currently find themselves just three points above safety.
In the Champions League it’s a different story, and the Foxes will be confident of progressing to the Quarter Finals after they were handed ties against Sevilla in the last-16.
But such has been the success of Leicester in Europe, it’s affecting their performances domestically, with the East Midlands outfit picking up just three wins either side of their last six European games.
For Ranieri, a good season now would be Premier League survival and a Champions League run to be proud of.
But with clubs in the bottom-half of the table beginning to pick up points which Leicester are dropping, the Italian boss is faced with a completely different challenge to that of last year.
We’ve had our say, but what do you think? Which boss do you reckon is under the most pressure this season?
Have your say in the comments section below!
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
