Premier League Sack Race Odds: Five managers feeling the heat
There have been some big movements in the Premier League Sack Race following the weekend's action.
Two managers who started the season brightly have had their respective odds cut significantly in the first to leave market, there are also a number of bosses still without a win, while in contrast Mikel Arteta is proving that patience is key as his odds continue to drift following Arsenal's recent resurgence.
Here are five under-fire Premier League matches to keep an eye on...
Steve Bruce (Newcastle)
Steve Bruce’s desperate search for a first Premier League win of the season goes on after Newcastle - who are also out of the League Cup - were held to a 1-1 draw at Watford in a game which saw the Toon waste numerous chances. They’ve now taken the lead in three of their six matches, but failed to carve out a single victory.
William Hill have now installed the under-fire Magpies manager as their new 7/4 favourite for the chop. "I can see us progressing, where others can't but certainly I can," Bruce said after a game in which calls of “Bruce Out” were bellowed out on tap.
Newcastle must now travel to a Wolves side who have just carded their first win on the board, which is followed by a potentially defining match against Nuno Santo’s Tottenham, who have decreased alarmingly in recent weeks.
On the plus side, at least Bruce is fast on FIFA...
Daniel Farke (Norwich)
One manager who you should pay close attention to is Daniel Farke, who is still yet to register a point, let alone a win.
It’s simply not clicked for Farke in the top-flight. Six defeats from six games means the German has now lost a whopping 33 of his 44 Premier League matches - including the relegated 2019/20 campaign - which is a win rate of just 11.3%.
Farke does have two Championship-winning seasons on his CV but fans will want him to prove he has what it takes to lift the club to the next level as they look over at Thomas Frank's Brentford with envious eyes. Norwich will receive sympathy due to the manner of their extremely tough start against the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Leicester, and Everton, although the 3-1 loss to Watford will have stung.
Farke, now as short as 9/2 in the market, knows that he needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat against fellow winless side Burnley this weekend.
Nuno Santo (Tottenham)
"A lot of things went wrong, starting with decisions that I made," Nuno Santo revealed in the aftermath of Tottenham’s North London derby shambles.
Out at 25/1 a couple of days ago, he’s now located under the managerial microscope at 4/1 to be the first Premier League manager to leave; he can still be backed at 9/1 with Paddy Power.
It all seemed to start so well for the Portuguese coach, at least from a results perspective, as he stamped three wins on the board from his opening trio of Premier League games. Nuno was August’s Manager of the Month, Spurs were top of the table, and had already opened up a nine point lead over their rock-bottom rivals Arsenal.
Fast-forward three more games and a return of zero points has slid Spurs down to 11th, while Arsenal are 10th following a dominant 3-1 win on Sunday. Worryingly, Nuno's men are now without a win (in 90 minutes) from their last five league and cup matches.
Nuno was not Tottenham’s first choice to replace Jose Mourinho. He may not even have been in the club’s initial top-10 targets. The honeymoon period is officially over and the pressure is now on.
Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton)
It’s been a mixed start to the season for Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who in the summer lost star man Danny Ings, plus defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand. The Saints were subsequently defeated in their opener against Everton, then drew four consecutive matches; although three of which were against the Manchester clubs and West Ham.
However, the high of restricting a usually rampant Man City to a draw and one shot on target was swiftly followed by a disappointing defeat at home to a previously winless Wolves, meaning Southampton have yet to win any of their opening six Premier League games for the first time this century, and must travel to Chelsea next.
The Saints do have a decent recent record at the Bridge, although it’s the upcoming games against Leeds, Burnley, Watford, Aston Villa, and Norwich in which they’ll be targeting points.
If last season’s shocking second-half slump is taken into account, then Hasenhuttl has only won four of his last 27 league games. A sorry statistic. He’s not under an avalanche of pressure just yet, but keep note of how the 16/1 shot performs in the aforementioned sequence of games.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Man Utd)
If you’re after an outsider than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attracts attention at a best-priced 28/1 (William Hill), although a couple of bookmakers' slashed the Man Utd manager's odds from 40/1 to just 14/1 over the weekend following recent defeats to Young Boys, West Ham, and Aston Villa.
A fourth defeat in five matches this week against Europa League victors Villarreal would really set the alarm bells off and once again hurl Solskjaer into the spotlight. He’s already been booted out of the League Cup, and another blank in the Champions League would be difficult to swallow.
There’s no doubting that United need a response, however if they stutter once again then the club could end up with pie on their face two months after the hierarchy rewarded Solskjaer with a new deal through to 2024...
