This season had brought not only huge signings such as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but managers with possibly even bigger profiles. The old rivalry between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho has been renewed, and the fearsome Antonio Conte has been added to the mix. Never before have managers been as much in the spotlight as they are now.
With the recent increase in funding to England's biggest league, even the smallest teams have had tens of millions to spend. For the first time ever, spending reached over one billion pounds. This has not only led to an increase in player wages, but a significant rise in that of managers. This has given Premier League clubs the opportunity to attract the most widely renowned coaches. Not only could the gulf in terms of world-class players be opening between England and the rest of the world; a gulf in terms of managers could be widening too.
We have entered the age of short-term managers. With Arsene Wenger the only coach to be currently serving one club after over four years (he has been the Arsenal manager for 20 years), there is no longer a tradition of extended commitment. Part of the reason for this change is the myriad of options that clubs have.
With the role of manager becoming more and more popular, big teams do not feel it necessary to keep one on if success is not achieved immediately. Patience is no longer a virtue. After losing the loyal and brilliant Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United tried Louis Van Gaal for two years, before moving on to another of the world’s best; Jose Mourinho. Even he does not seem like a long-term option; Mourinho is famous for his short and sweet time at clubs, although his recent results point to the contrary.
The reason for the frequent change of managers and players is due to football’s failed search for consistency in victory. Arsene Wenger has qualified for the Champions League 20 years in a row, but is still criticised perpetually for his lack of Premier League titles.
Big teams will sack and sign managers as often as possible if it means their dreams are achieved immediately. Laurent Blanc was sacked by PSG after winning the league by 31 points last season, so that they could pursue the Champions’ League trophy. Standards are set too high and managers are not given enough time to achieve them.
Ironically however, a lack of consistency in the dressing room can lead to a lack of consistency in victory, so the methodology could be almost pointless. Waiting for the managers to calculate the winning formula would be much more beneficial in the long-term than kicking them out before they've found their way around the training ground.
The truth is that managers take all the blame. If players make mistakes, managers are expected to take responsibility. It is possible for managers to turn an average team into a winning side (Alex Ferguson’s last season for Manchester United and Claudio Ranieri for Leicester), however players must accept that they play a part in failings and successes.
The belief at the moment is that good managers are miracle workers, and only they have any hope of bringing victory. As a result, they do not get time to prove themselves, and the restlessness of board directors is ruining the value of the managerial profession.
Joshua Korber Hoffman is a 15 year-old football fanatic and Arsenal supporter. He writes a football blog called The Young Gun, in which his love for writing and the beautiful game intersect.
