21 August 2019, by: Leonard Solms
TOP CLUB MANAGERS WHO RECOVERED FROM BAD STARTS
After arriving as head coach amid much fanfare, Frank Lampard has struggled to find his feet at Chelsea. The Blues are not known for giving their bosses plenty of time to adapt, so the former midfielder knows he can’t wait too long to turn the situation around.
Fortunately for Lampard, there are examples of managers or head coaches at top European clubs who got off on the wrong foot but then recovered to reach spectacular heights.
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Guardiola replaced Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona following a poor 2007/08 campaign which saw them finish third. 2008/09 didn’t start any better with Guardiola’s team losing 1-0 to Numancia.
However, the former Blaugrana captain persevered and ultimately led them to the treble that same season (La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey). Guardiola not only kicked off an era of Barca domination, but also an incredible managerial career.
He left Barcelona in 2012 with three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns to his name, going on to bring similar success to Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
In the modern era of football, managers at big clubs know they risk being fired if they go one season without a trophy. For Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, it took four campaigns to land silverware.
Having taken over a squad in disarray in November 1986, Ferguson failed to lift United out of mid-table misery. 1987/88 was a much improved campaign, but the following season saw the Red Devils slip back down to 11th in the league.
By Ferguson’s own admission, December 1989 was the “the darkest period ” in football. However, an FA Cup win saved United’s season after another inconsistent 89/90 league campaign.
Once the first Premier League title came in 1993, the floodgates opened. 20 years later, Ferguson left Manchester United with 13 to his name as well as two Champions League titles and the 1999 treble.
Frank Lampard need look no further than his own club’s former boss for inspiration. Antonio Conte inherited a team which had finished a lowly 10th in 2015/16 and seemed to be heading in a similar direction in his first season.
The first few weeks didn’t go too badly, but Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Liverpool in September 2016. A horrendous 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates followed and the wheels appeared to be coming off.
In response to adversity, Conte revolutionised the Premier League. By shifting to a 3-4-3 formation and utilising Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses as wing-backs, he tipped the balance in the title race.
Chelsea won 13 Premier League games on the trot en route to the trophy, picking up 93 points in total.
Almost universally loved among Spurs fans now, it is all too simple to forget that Mauricio Pochettino picked up just 14 points from his first 11 Premier League games in charge at the North London club.
Inspired by then emerging starlet Harry Kane, Spurs saved face and earned a respectable fifth place finish in 2014/15.
Pochettino’s second and third seasons saw Spurs finish just short of Premier League glory. 2017/18 and 2018/19 each ended in UEFA Champions League qualification while Spurs made the final of Europe’s premier club competition in the latter campaign.
Having taken over a team in decline following Rafa Benítez’s exit, Sarri got off to a poor start at the Partenopei. A 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo in his opening Serie A fixture was followed by 2-2 draws to Sampdoria and Empoli.
Given time to build a team to suit his distinctive style of play, Sarri led Napoli to three successive top three finishes. He earned a move to Chelsea before returning to Italy with Juventus after winning the UEFA Europa League.
Hired after a poor start to the 2015/16 season under Brendan Rodgers, Klopp initially struggled to breathe life into Liverpool.
The Reds ultimately finished eighth in the Premier League, but Klopp led them back into the Champions League the following season. They reached the final in their first campaign back before winning their sixth European crown last season.
Liverpool picked up 97 points in the Premier League last season and have six out of a possible six so far in 2019/20.
Klopp may have had a less than ideal start to life at Liverpool, but his predecessor had it even tougher. After two points from his first five games in charge, Rodgers appeared out of his depth.
Fortunately for the former Swansea manager, he stuck to his guns. The signings of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge complemented the in-form Luis Suárez.
The Reds’ resurgence came too late to secure Champions League football for 2013/14, but that only freed up time for them to have a tremendous Premier League season. Were it not for Steven Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea, Rodgers would almost certainly have brought Liverpool the Premier League title they so desperately crave.
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