Unai Emery
The case for sacking
Emery has never felt like the right man for Arsenal. He is conscious that no real bond has ever been forged with the fanbase, although he has not necessarily had much help in that regard, and whether he has the charisma to take on a top job in modern-day football is debatable. But those things can be worked through if the results and style of play are good, and the fact is Arsenal appear in a muddle. Emery has switched between back threes and fours, veered from high pressing to a more reactive approach, preached the need for more control while only cajoling a handful of 90-minute performances and become ensnared in messy situations around key figures like Granit Xhaka and Mesut Özil. A mid-table finish would be hugely damaging and, if no change is made now, that looks increasingly possible.
The case for keeping
The cost of changing things now makes any mid-season switch a big gamble. By some estimates it would take £15m to sever ties with Emery and his staff, and then there is the expense of bringing someone in with the skill and gravitas to turn things around. A hasty decision would not cut it; giving someone like Freddie Ljungberg the keys for six months would only be a populist call and, while a longer-term appointment might bring a spike in results, this is the time to take stock and decide who can propel Arsenal forward for years. It would be prudent to wait until the end of the season and, in the meantime, hope Emery can thrive in his natural habitat among a beatable Europa League field. As Emery has pointed out, factors like Laurent Koscielny’s protracted departure and the issues befalling Özil and Xhaka have upset the “emotional balance” of his squad and not aided his task. More upheaval now would not necessarily bring calmer waters. NA
Manuel Pellegrini
The case for sacking
It did not have to be this bad without Lukasz Fabianski. The goalkeeper has been badly missed since suffering a hip injury in September and, unfortunately, the decision to deploy Roberto as his replacement is threatening to define Pellegrini’s reign. The Spaniard was picked by Mario Husillos, West Ham’s director of football, and he is woefully out of his depth. Yet it is not just about Roberto. Husillos was hired on Pellegrini’s insistence and the pair have made costly mistakes in the transfer market (giving the injury-prone Jack Wilshere a three-year deal is unforgivable). Tactically, Pellegrini is inflexible and unable to accept West Ham are in a relegation battle. He has also created a flimsy, indulgent side and an increasingly alarmed hierarchy fear they could be forced to act soon.
The case for keeping
Pellegrini has a wealth of experience and West Ham have not lost all faith in his managerial acumen. There was excitement when the former Manchester City manager arrived at the London Stadium as David Moyes’s replacement in May 2018. His attacking style also seemed in keeping with West Ham’s traditions. There were also promising signs after a poor start last season, with wins over Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham getting supporters onside, and the hope at board level is that results will improve when Fabianski is fit again. JS
Marco Silva
The case for sacking
Silva was an initial success at his two previous clubs in England before the improvement proved unsustainable. Everton were warned when appointing Silva that he came with no guarantee of actual achievement, but at the time they simply wanted someone with a bit more style and sophistication than Sam Allardyce. On the whole they have been disappointed. Everton have not developed into a settled way of playing and results have been wildly inconsistent. The season is only 13 matches old and the seven defeats to date have included capitulations to all three newly-promoted clubs. Silva has been backed with money but 15th in the table is a long way from what the club was expecting for this season, and the fixture list between now and the end of the year is horrendous.
The case for keeping
Some Everton fans are of the opinion that the club should go straight out and lasso Mauricio Pochettino, forgetting that the best time to do that was six or seven years ago, when Southampton did it. A manager who has just been to a Champions League final and is hungry for more is unlikely to be in a hurry to align himself with a club that perennially misses out on the elite positions, especially another one in the process of relocating to a new ground. The present Everton manager is a reasonable approximation of what a younger Pochettino had to offer. He might not be moving the club forward very quickly but at some point Everton have to stop chopping and changing, especially when it is not clear they can attract anyone better. PW
