Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches After Weekend September 5-7
With September’s international matchdays now in the books, many of Europe’s most prominent players will be returning to their clubs for an important autumn programme that, for many of them, will include the start of the UEFA Champions League.
Others will no doubt be looking to hit a run of form that vaults their sides into European positions, and while it’s still early, a handful of managers will be counting on an uptick in form over the next few weeks to guarantee their job security.
Following are just some of the players and coaches who find themselves on the hot seat coming out of the international break and heading into the weekend’s matches.
10. Paul Lambert and Randy Lerner
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Aston Villa have enjoyed an impressive start to their Premier League campaign and go into Saturday’s match away to Liverpool unbeaten after three rounds.
They've also just announced that forward Gabriel Agbonlahor has signed a new, four-year contract. With the 27-year-old under wraps, they’ll be looking to ink their most important midfielder to an extension as soon as possible.
Fabian Delph, who has impressed for both Villa and England in recent weeks, is out of contract in the spring, and his future at the club should be among the top priorities for both manager Paul Lambert and chairman Randy Lerner.
9. Leonardo Jardim
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Leonardo Jardim worked wonders at Sporting Lisbon last season, and he turned his success in Portugal into a move to Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco.
When he joined the principality side back in June, club owner Dmitry Rybolovlev had yet to sanction the exits of both James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao, and three months after taking the job, Jardim’s task is suddenly rather more difficult than he will have initially expected.
Monaco have won just one of their first four Ligue 1 matches under Jardim, and as he’s only on a two-year contract, the 40-year-old is in a rather precarious situation at an extremely unsettled club.
8. Marcos Rojo
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Marcos Rojo’s delayed arrival at Manchester United due to a visa issue has only heightened the expectations surrounding the Argentine, who is likely to make his Red Devils debut on Sunday against Queens Park Rangers.
The injury to Phil Jones has further depleted United’s defensive options, and if he wasn’t already under significant pressure to help tighten things up at the back, Rojo will now be looked to as a sort of defensive saviour at Old Trafford.
7. Mirko Slomka
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Mirko Slomka was appointed Hamburg manager last February, and following a 16th-place finish, he barely managed to keep the club in the Bundesliga following a victory over Greuther Furth in the relegation play-offs.
In other words, the 46-year-old came into the current campaign on a short leash, and after watching his side lose, 3-0, to promoted Paderborn, he’ll be under enormous pressure to take all three points from Sunday’s match against Hannover.
Incidentally, Slomka was sacked as Hannover manager last December.
6. Robin van Persie
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Robin van Persie’s Netherlands side got off to a terrible start in Euro 2016 qualifying, losing their opening Group A match, 2-1, to the Czech Republic.
At club level, the 31-year-old has also struggled in recent weeks—failing to make an impact in starts against both Sunderland and Burnley.
With Radamel Falcao now in the mix at Old Trafford, Van Persie will need to hit a purple patch of form in order to guarantee his starting place.
5. Javier Hernandez
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Javier Hernandez's first action for Real Madrid will likely come Saturday in the city derby against Atletico.
Acquired on loan from Manchester United, the Mexico international is expected to provide cover and competition for Karim Benzema.
After scoring only four Premier League goals last season, Hernandez will be keen to make an impact with the European champions, and what bigger stage is there than a match against the Primera Division holders?
4. Romelu Lukaku
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Everton have drawn twice and lost one of their first three matches this season, and of the seven goals they've scored, not one has come from Romelu Lukaku.
Last season, the Belgium international was one of the Premier League’s most reliable strikers and finished the campaign with 15 tallies to his name.
He turned the success into a permanent, £28 million move from Chelsea to Everton, but after struggling at the World Cup, he has so far failed to break his duck for the Toffees—something he’ll be looking to change on Saturday against West Bromwich Albion.
3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Ciro Immobile will be involved in Borussia Dortmund’s Saturday match at home to Freiburg, but after being taken off on a stretcher during Italy’s 2-0 win against Norway on Tuesday, the Azzurri striker will likely start from the bench.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will lead the line once again for Dortmund, and with Marco Reus sidelined for a month with an ankle injury, the Gabon international will be under increasing pressure to step up his offensive contributions.
Aubameyang hasn't found the back of the net since the German Super Cup, and Reus’ injury will only see the spotlight shine even brighter on him.
2. Danny Welbeck
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Danny Welbeck was on international duty when his transfer from Manchester United to Arsenal went through, and his response was to score a brace in the Three Lions’ impressive 2-0 win away to Switzerland in European qualifying.
He’ll now be counted on to carry that form into his first match for the Gunners, which will likely come Saturday against Manchester City.
Welbeck’s movement and athleticism would seem to mark him out as an ideal player in manager Arsene Wenger’s system, and if he hits a purple patch at club level, he could well help his new side become a legitimate title contender this season.
1. Hubert Fournier
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Hubert Fournier has only been Lyon manager four months, but his spell in charge of the Ligue 1 outfit has been disastrous.
Last month, Les Gones were bounced from Europa League play by Astra Giurgiu, and in between the two legs against the Romanian side, they lost, 1-0, at home to Lens. Then they fell, 2-1, to Metz.
Ahead of Friday’s showdown with Monaco, who are also struggling, Lyon are 17th in Ligue 1 with only four goals from four matches.
Fournier, incidentally, is only on a two-year contract, which means Lyon would have little salary to eat in the event they decided to sack him.
