Premier League weekend round-up: A tale of ten managers

Barely a season and a half ago, Rodgers had been on the verge of winning the league for the Reds. (Source: Reuters)

There was a lot of frenetic action on the pitch on the eight weekend of the Premier League with the usual quota of amazing goals, saves and astounding misses, not to mention the odd refereeing blooper.

But the spotlight was hogged by the gentlemen in the dugouts. Some left, some were sacked, some breathed defiance, and some got the smiles back…but when the dust settled, this was a manager’s weekend. So it does make sense to summarise the weekend through the ten ‘gaffers’ who made the headlines.

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Rodger(s)…over and out

Rumours of Brendan Rodgers’ exit from Anfield had been doing the rounds for a while, but no one expected him to get the sack shortly after his team drew with Merseyside rivals, Everton. Barely a season and a half ago, Rodgers had been on the verge of winning the league for the Reds, but the transfer of ace striker Luis Suarez, the retirement of Steven Gerrard and the departure of Raheem Stirling, topped off with a string of high profile replacements who refused to perform (Mario Balotelli heads the list) sealed the man’s fate.

No way, Jose

Even by his standards, Jose Mourinho’s statements at the end of yet another defeat for his increasingly beleagured Chelsea side (3-1 at the hands of Southampton this time) were sensational. Mourinho dared Roman Abramovich to sack him, called himself the best manager around, and blamed the referees for not having the courage to give decisions favouring his side. As if that were not enough, he as much as admitted that his team’s chances of winning the title were gone, even though he felt they were good enough for a top four finish by the end of the season. There were many who were betting he would be on his way before that.

Dik’s torn aSunder(land)

Brendan Rodgers’ might have been the more dramatic exit, and Mourinho might have generated more drama with his open challenge to the club management to sack him, but for sheer sentiment, it was difficult to match Dik Advocaat’s departure from Sunderland. Yes, his team remain winless after they threw away a 2-0 lead against West Ham, but Advocaat was warmly applauded off the ground, not just by the fans and the team, but even by the rival manager Slaven Bilic. He might not have had the greatest  of seasons this far, but the Dutchman will be remembered fondly for keeping the Black Cats up against all odds last season.

Awesome to A**e to Awesome again: Arsene’s journey

He ended the previous week being hailed as awesome. Three days into this week, and a fumble by David Ospina in a Champions’ League match later, he had been labelled pathetic and a burden. But by the time the curtains came down on the weekend, Arenal’s Arsene Wenger was smiling once again, as his team efficiently took apart old rivals Manchester United 3-0, after an initial 20-minute blitzkrieg that caught the Manchester Reds totally off guard. They might be in a tough spot in the Champions League but when it comes to the EPL, Arsenal are in second place, two points off the leaders and looking like contenders  once again. And instrumental in the team’s performance were three players Wenger had reposed faith in – the brilliant Alexis Sanchez, the elegant Mesut Ozil and the very pacy Theo Walcott.

A pall over van Gaal

A week ago, all had appeared rosy in the world of Manchester United Louis Van Gaal. The Red Devils were on top of the EPL for the first time since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney was back on the scoresheet and Anthony Martial was emerging as the signing of the decade with some sensational goals. Twenty minutes of brutal battering at the Emirates left him and Man U supporters stunned. Yes, the team remained at third spot even after the 3-0 drubbing by Arsenal, but doubts were creeping in again. And with a tough round of matches beckoning, Louis Van Gaal could be in for a rough ride – the Manchester faithful have tasted the top of the table and will now demand it rather than expect it.

The Tinkerman continues to twinkle

You would have thought that a 5-2 hammering by Arsenal last week would have taken the winds out of the sails of Claudio “Tinkerman” Ranieri’s Leicester City. Not a chance! The foxes may no longer be unbeaten but they remain one of the most adventurous and entertaining sides in the EPL, as Norwich found out to their cost. Another 2-1 win for Leicester keeps them in the top five, and just three points behind Manchester City. Ranieri might have finished higher with Chelsea, but there is no doubt that he is having much more fun at Leicester!

Well above Par(dew) at the Palace

The top three in the EPL at the end of the week would not have surprised too many people – Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United (although some might have expected Chelsea to be in there) – but no one expected Crystal Palace to be in fourth place eight weeks into the season. Goals by Yannick Bolasie and Yohan Cabaye saw Alan Pardew’s men add another three points to their tally and sneak into  the top five against all odds. Not bad for a manager who was braving boos from the fans at around this time last year at Newcastle.

Top Man(uel) in the City

If Arsenal’s smashing three goals against Manchester United in twenty minutes was amazing, what would you call a team that hit SIX in the same time period? Manchester City’s recent bad run seemed to be continuing as they found themselves trailing lowly Newcastle by a lone goal forty one minutes at the Etihad. Twenty one minutes later, the score was a stunning 6-1. And most of the damage was done by one man – the amazing Sergio Aguero who in that magical period had nine touches and scored five goals.

Small wonder Manuel Pelligrini was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the end of it all, as City went right back to the top of the table.

Bottom blues for Steve McClaren

The great revival at Newcastle lasted exactly 132 minutes. In that time, the club held on to a gritty 2-2 draw with defending champions Chelsea and then actually led favourites Manchester City by a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic. And then it all went horribly wrong for the Toons, as Sergio Aguero became one of the handful of people to score five goals in a Premiership match. Stuck at the bottom of the table with not much idea of where their first win was going to come from, Newcastle looked bereft of ideas and appetite battle. Small wonder their manager Steve McClaren ended up questioning the character of his players – the team are already relegation favourites in many pudits’ books.

Clippety Klopp all the way to Anfield?

And we will end with Liverpool as well. With Brednan Rodgers shown the door and an international weekend beckoning, the management have slightly more time to look for a replacement. The favourite at the time of writing is the charismatic German Jurgen Klopp, who made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund with a brand of fiercely attacking football, winning two Bundesliga titles in the process. Carlo Ancelotti, the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss, is also in the running. Neither man has a club at the time of writing – we could see one of them being introduced to the Kop before the week is out!