Doomed to Repeat the Same Cycle

In the span of four games, two clubs decided to dump their managers. Neither club found itself in the midst of truly miserable seasons, but they still felt a long time coming.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United moved from their second-year managers, finding themselves right where they started.

Starting the new year with a sacking reeks less of desperation, but more of exhaustion. Neither manager truly failed; instead, they were just never what the club wanted.

Enzo Maresca managed to revive a Chelsea side that seemed to have way too many moving pieces. Needing to thread a litany of different needles, the Italian built a fun side in his first season. Seeming to be the first real win of the Boehly era, it became clear that Pep’s former assistant only saw the club as a stepping stone. 

Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, promised to be the long-term solution that United desperately needed. Having shown promise at the highest level with Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese brought a fast-paced attacking style that never fully settled in with United. By the end of his tenure, Amroim seemed at his wits ‘ end, as any and all progress dissipated.

Whatever manager takes over for both clubs, they will likely encounter the same problems as their predecessors.

The problems undergirding the clubs are larger than either manager, despite each manager’s warts.

Should City eventually part ways with Pep Guardiola, Maresa will be the first name on their mind. Despite Chelsea seemingly being committed to him from the start, neither party really felt likely to stay with the other.

Having revived another former Premier League champion, that time with Leicester in the Championship, Maresca joined Chelsea at an interesting time. The Italian, a former part of Pep’s staff, spent the early parts of his managerial career in the City organization. Successful stints with clubs in the second division of their respective countries brought more eyes to the promising Italian.

In other sports, the concept of a coaching tree, where one coach can create a school-like environment that branches into other top managers, is more noticeable than in football. If any manager seems to be in this mold, it was Maresca and City. From the moment he joined Chelsea, the Italian never felt long for the club.

When he delivered the club their first Europa Conference League title, BlueCo seemed fully vindicated in all their decisions. Despite the chaos stemming from the ownership’s inability to curb their spending, BlueCo had finally lifted a trophy during their tenure as owners.

Even as the club won the Club World Cup and an identity began to emerge, more and more signings came through the door. Positions continued to be overloaded with players who were never going to get any playing time. The Liam Delap move best exemplifies this, where he arrived in London in an already loaded position, while clearly not fitting Maresca’s vision. 

At times this season, it seemed that the Italian was completely disconnected from ownership and their vision of the club. While the players brought in last summer never really fit with his side, the greater sin was that they failed to perform as well. All this culminated in the Italian losing composure with the club, essentially forcing his way out. 

As Chelsea rips a promising manager from their feeder club, Liam Rosenior will almost certainly run into the same issues as Maresca.

Any progress promises to be undermined by ownership’s need to drive profits from its spending strategy.

Credit: Manchester United FC – Mirror Football-Facebook

Amorim, on the other hand, represents a strange case. Brought in halfway through last season, the manager started at a disadvantage and never really overcame it.

During his roughly year-long tenure, the Portuguese showed signs of life with the mix of players he managed. While they never found sustained success, the club attempted to bring in players who could develop under Amorim’s tutelage. Unfortunately, it now seems impossible to envision what those players may become. 

After starting off this season relatively well and having an impressive run to the Europa League final last year, Amorim’s project began to take shape. However, the lingering fingerprints of ten Hag meant that his predecessor hamstrung any progress. To be fair to the club, they kept investing in the side, even as Amorim struggled.

The issue blocking any form of progress for United is their own impatience. Continuing with ten Hag, rushing to appoint Amorim, and now returning to Ole Gunnar Solskjær show a club with no future.

Like anyone desperate for a taste of better times, United attempts to return to its former glory. Under Solskjær, United showed some hope. Fully touching on United’s roots, the former Fergie player attempted to further integrate the academy with the first team.

However, Solskjær never presented himself as the next “sexy” prospect in management, as both Amorima and ten Hag did. The Norwegian was a sensible steward who understood what success looks like in the Prem. Rather than giving him more time to build a project or thoroughly vet more long-term managers, United quickly moved on to the next manager.

Being fair to the club, Amorim did struggle transitioning to the Prem.

His issues, however, could have been predicted from the time he took the job.

Unlike their rivals, both Chelsea and United continue to trip over themselves. Even as Liverpool continues their underwhelming season, their fans at least can see glimpses of hope.

The impatience of both clubs will continue to hamstring them.