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On the chopping block Struggling managers getting axed quickly
Listen very closely and you'll hear the sound of axes chopping and heads rolling. It's barely the beginning of October and, already, managers are being sacked. Last month, it was Gianluca Vialli's turn to get the boot. The former Chelsea boss was axed after two-and-a-half seasons in charge (a spell in which he led the club to a mere five trophies, more than any Chelsea manager in history). Last week, Brazil boss Wanderley Luxemburgo was summarily fired. He had been in charge since France 98 and, though increasingly unpopular at home, was still held in fairly high esteem elsewhere. And on Tuesday, Marcello Lippi was relieved of his duties as Inter Milan boss, after spending around US $220 million in fourteen months in a futile attempt to restore the nerazzurri to respectability. Now, two more high-profile managers are in serious peril: Fatih Terim at Fiorentina and Llorenc Serra-Ferrer at Barcelona. Why does a manager get the axe? For a million different reasons, as these five cases, each different from the other, clearly show. Here's a brief run down followed by my personal (and highly debatable) view of whether the boot was warranted or not:
True, Chelsea had spent a lot of money and looked no closer to the domestic title than before, but then again there is such a huge gap between Manchester United and the rest of the Premiership that the same could be said of just about everybody else in England. Besides, that wasn't the reason he was sacked. The club's official line was that Vialli had "lost the confidence of the players". Which basically means a number of players were unhappy with their roles at the club. It's no secret who the main culprits were: Franck Leboeuf (annoyed that Chelsea had tried to sell him over the summer) and Gianfranco Zola (whose playing time was rationed by Vialli). Both had legitimate complaints. Leboeuf didn't enjoy being shopped around and Zola, who is 34, wanted to play regularly since, odds are, he won't be around much longer. It came down to Chelsea choosing sides between a few disgruntled players and the manager. And they backed Zola and Leboeuf, even though both were close to leaving the club over the summer. VERDICT: Vialli did not deserve the sack. A manager needs to be allowed to do his job. Instead, Chelsea interfered at every turn, buying players he did not want ( Chris Sutton, Winston Bogarde ) and deceiving him into thinking he had their support.
Luxemburgo¹s teams showed flashes of brilliance, but too often lacked the ability to put opponents away. It culminated in a loss to Cameroon (who was reduced to nine men) in the Olympic games. Brazil's record in the World Cup qualifying round (by its high standards) was also atrocious, though there is little doubt that Luxemburgo would have gotten to Korea-Japan 2002. What hurt him most was his image as a supremely confident, know-it-all, coupled with allegations of tax evasion and taking bribes to select certain players. A public feud with Romario did not help either. VERDICT: It probably was time for him to go. Brazil is held to a higher standard than most other nations and Luxemburgo simply did not cut it. Firing him now will give his replacement enough time to build with an eye to the World Cup.
Inter chairman Massimo Moratti gave him carte blanche, allowing him free rein to assemble a star-studded team. Indeed, he spent some US $220 million in just fourteen months. Yet despite all this, Inter's play was highly disappointing and its results were even worse. Last year, it took a last-gasp one-game playoff against Parma to qualify for the Champions League. It didn't do him much good as this season Inter was immediately knocked out in the preliminary round and opened the Serie A campaign with a loss to lowly Reggina. To be fair, Lippi's dream strike pairing of Ronaldo and Christian Vieri has been sidelined for much of his stay at the Inter helm, but, on paper at least, this is one of the most talented squads in the world. After the Reggina loss he said: "If I were the chairman I would sack the manager, line the players up against the wall and give them a good kicking." VERDICT: Lippi got his wish, though Moratti probably deserves a good kicking as well, but that's not the point. To a man, most of Lippi's signings have been dreadfully disappointing. Hakan Sukur is already pining for a return to Turkey, Vladimir Jugovic was injured before even arriving and hasn't been the same since, Clarence Seedorf simply doesn't fit in, Christian Panucci might have contributed something if he hadn't fallen out with Lippi. The list goes on and on. Are the players to blame? Sure, but then Lippi bought most of them. That's why he deserved the chop.
Despite the loss of Figo over the summer, Barca spent heavily, ditching many of Louis Van Gaal's proteges and bringing in the likes of Alfonso, Emanuel Petit, Gerard and Marc Overmars. On paper, this club should be doing better, much better, though, in Serra Ferrer's defense, you've got to wonder how many of the new guys were handpicked by him and how many were the club's choice. It takes time to dismantle Van Gaal's system, with all its intricacies and idiosyncrasies, and rebuild a team that can get the most out of the talent base. VERDICT: Nobody deserves to be sacked after just two months, especially when there aren't too many top-notch alternatives around. Barca can and should still qualify for the next round of the Champions League and a few Liga victories should turn the situation around. Give him more time.
Terim and club chairman Vittorio Cecchi Gori are at loggerheads. Cecchi Gori criticized Terim on television and the manager responded by issuing a statement to the press in which he asked for at least two new signings and more patience from the club. This upset Cecchi Gori to no end, to the point where he is now demanding an apology. Granted, publicly standing up to your boss is not the smartest thing to do, but the volatile Cecchi Gori can't really claim the moral high ground here. Last summer, he began dismantling the club and you've got to wonder why he hired Terim if he wasn't going the give him the support necessary to do his job. The players and fans are solidly behind the manager, while Cecchi Gori, already not exactly Mr. Popular in Florence, seems to have little support apart from his minions at the club. VERDICT: Terim is a winner who is coming to terms with a new country and a new culture. It's bad enough that he hasn't had much money to spend, he doesn't need a sniping chairman as well. Sacking a manager who, for now at least, is loved by the players and the fans (bear in mind that Fiorentina supporters are among the most passionate and volatile in the world) would be a huge mistake. Based in London, Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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