Managerial changes in UEFA’s Top 10 Leagues: From 0 in the Premier League to 11 in Turkey’s top flight
After an unconvincing start to its title defense, the Italian champion Napoli decided to part ways with manager Rudi Garcia earlier this week. On Wednesday, Urs Fischer, who guided Union Berlin to its first ever Champions League participation fell victim to the team’s poor performances. This prompted SportingPedia’s team to investigate how many managers in each of Europe’s top 10 leagues have been relieved of their positions since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. All studied championships are relatively at the same stage of the campaign and have seen between 10 and 14 rounds of matches played. One of the report’s most captivating revelations is that the English Premier League is yet to witness a managerial change. Another interesting fact is that the Turkish Super Lig has already seen 11 managers being replaced.
Key Takeaways:
- 40 or 22% of all 180 studied teams have changed their managers since the beginning of the season
- The Turkish Super Lig has seen 11 managers fired since the start of the 2023/24 season
- 5 of the 12 teams in the Scottish Premiership have already changed their managers, representing 42%
- The English Premier League is the only one within UEFA’s top 10 championships yet to witness a managerial change
- The Spanish Villarreal is the only one of all 180 studied teams to have changed two permanent managers already
Super Lig (Turkey) – 11 Changes
The Super Lig has witnessed significant managerial changes, with a total of 11 alterations. Basaksehir replaced Emre Belozoglu with Cagdas Atan, while Gaziantep opted for Marius Sumudica after parting ways with Erdal Gunes. Other teams, including Kayserispor, Istanbulspor, Samsunspor, Ankaragucu, Besiktas, Pendikspor, Trabzonspor, Konyaspor, and Alanyaspor, also underwent managerial transitions.
Liga Portugal – 6 Changes
Portugal’s Liga experienced managerial shifts across five teams. Vitoria Guimaraes replaced Moreno with Paulo Turra, Chaves replaced Jose Gomes with Moreno, and Estoril appointed Vasco Seabra in place of Alvaro Pacheco. Additionally, Filipe Martins was relieved of his duties at Casa Pia, and the search for a new manager is still underway. Daniel Ramos is no longer at the helm of Arouca, as they were the last Portuguese club to sack its manager.
Premiership (Scotland) – 5 Changes
In the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian appointed Nick Montgomery to succeed Lee Johnson, Hearts brought in Steven Naismith after parting ways with Frankie McAvoy, and Rangers replaced Michael Beale with Philippe Clement. St. Johnstone saw a change as well, with Craig Levein taking over from Steven MacLean. As recently as 15th of October, Malky Mackay’s contract with Ross County was terminated by the club’s wishes.
LaLiga (Spain) – 4 Changes
LaLiga experienced four managerial changes, with Villarreal sacking Quique Setien and subsequently appointing Pacheta, who was later replaced by Marcelino. Almeria replaced Vicente Moreno with Gaizka Garitano, and Sevilla opted for Diego Alonso after parting ways with Jose Luis Mendilibar.
Serie A (Italy) – 4 Changes
Italy’s Serie A saw changes as Empoli replaced Paolo Zanetti with Aurelio Andreazzoli, Salernitana appointed Filippo Inzaghi in place of Paulo Sousa, and Udinese opted for Gabriele Cioffi after parting ways with Andrea Sottil. As recently as Tuesday, Napoli appointed Walter Mazzari in Rudi Garcia’s place.
Jupiler Pro League (Belgium) – 3 Changes
The Jupiler Pro League in Belgium witnessed three changes. Kortrijk replaced Edward Still with Glen De Boeck, OH Leuven appointed Oscar Garcia following Marc Brys’ departure, and Mechelen is actively searching for a new manager after parting ways with Steven Defour.
Eredivisie (Netherlands) – 3 Changes
Eredivisie underwent managerial changes as Utrecht replaced Michael Silberbauer with Ron Jans, Ajax saw a shift from Maurice Steijn to John van’t Schip, and Vitesse parted ways with Phillip Cocu, currently in search of a permanent replacement.
Bundesliga (Germany) – 3 Changes
Germany’s Bundesliga experienced three managerial changes since the start of the campaign. Augsburg replaced Enrico Maasen with Jess Thorub and Mainz are actively searching for a permanent replacement after parting ways with Bo Svensson. Today, Union Berlin joined the ranks of teams parting ways with their head coach. Urs Fischer, instrumental in their UEFA club competitions presence for the past three seasons, is no longer at the helm of the Iron Ones.
Ligue 1 (France) – 2 Changes
In Ligue 1, Lyon replaced Laurent Blanc with Fabio Grosso, and Marseille saw a change from Marcelino to Gennaro Gattuso.
Premier League (England) – No Changes
Not even one manager has been fired after the 12th round of matches in the English Premier League. Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United who were all promoted to the top flight this summer are occupying the last 3 positions in the standings and have recorded just one win since the beginning of the campaign. Therefore Vincent Company, Rob Edwards and Paul Heckingbottom are closer to the sack than anyone else in the Premier League.