Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches After Weekend September 19-21
With another week of football having passed by, more managers and players find themselves under the relentless spotlight of onlookers to the industry as a result of below-par performances, substandard results and poor league positioning.
Early in the season though it may be, certain expectations must be met throughout the year to avoid the harsh criticism that can come the way of players and coaches otherwise.
Here we take a look at 10 of the individuals around Europe who are facing questions and complaints after the most recent bout of games, and we start with someone who is becoming increasingly familiar in this weekly column.
Louis van Gaal
1 of 10
The moment pictured, the substitution of Angel Di Maria, was seemingly questioned by Manchester United players at the weekend, per the Daily Mail, and has been heralded as part of the reason for the team's collapse.
Leading 3-1 at newly promoted Leicester City, United looked for all the world as though they would pick up their second three points of the season—but they shipped four goals in 20 minutes to astonishingly lose 5-3 to the new Premier League team.
It leaves Louis van Gaal and his team in the bottom half of the table, with one win from six games in all competitions.
Iker Casillas
2 of 10
Iker Casillas put in another unsteady performance for Real Madrid at the weekend, conceding two more goals despite Real's domination and crushing 8-2 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.
A near-post effort should have been dealt with better by the World Cup-winning stopper, though the other was a penalty he couldn't do much about. Moreover, he still looks glued to his goal line and uncertain in dealing with any balls into the box.
It seems to have been the limit for Carlo Ancelotti; Keylor Navas was given his debut and played in goal for Real against Elche on Tuesday night, where the European champions won 5-1.
Benat
3 of 10
Athletic Bilbao were largely excellent last season and looked set to begin life in 2014-15 the same way after reaching the group stage of the Champions League, but they have lost three out of their first four La Liga matches.
Something has had to change and, unsurprisingly, it has been Benat who has been taken out of the team after some extremely uninspiring performances.
Operating as the central attacking midfielder, his ponderous nature on the ball and unwillingness to get into the box to offer support to Aritz Aduriz isn't sitting well with the boss, with Ernesto Valverde removing him from the starting line-up of late after too few chances being created with play moving through Benat.
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Steven Gerrard
4 of 10
Like Athletic Bilbao and Manchester United, Liverpool haven't had the start to the new season expected of them, and scrutiny has fallen on Steven Gerrard as a result. Usually playing at the base of the midfield diamond, Gerrard's dual role as protector and creator has been failing of late as teams look to minimise his impact.
It's wrong to say Gerrard's recent form is the cause of Liverpool's troubles—the forwards aren't creating, the midfield isn't pressing or getting forward at speed and the less said about the centre of defence the better—but as captain and an icon of the team, an ageing Gerrard somewhat obviously attracts criticism.
The Merseyside derby at the weekend wouldn't be the worst moment ever to answer a few questions for the No. 8.
Laurent Blanc
5 of 10
Paris Saint-Germain are expected to waltz to the Ligue 1 title again but have had an unsteady start to the season, drawing four and winning two of their six matches.
As a result, perhaps prematurely given he is still actually unbeaten, Laurent Blanc is finding headlines bearing his name, and he could really do with taking six points from the two games coming up—one on Wednesday night and the other at the weekend.
At this early stage of the season, a six-point swing could make a difference of several league places—but he needs to get his team back to winning ways quickly, with a Champions League match against Barcelona on the horizon.
Rafael Benitez
6 of 10
Sticking with managers for a while, over in Italy it seems the Rafael Benitez train at Napoli is slowly coming off the tracks.
Having finished third in Serie A last season and facing renewed challenges from the likes of Milan, Inter and Fiorentina this season for that spot, Napoli (and Benitez) really needed to make a strong start to the campaign—but it's been anything but.
Firstly they were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Athletic Bilbao, and now they have lost two of their opening three domestic league matches, the latest being a 1-0 reversal at Udinese.
Palermo and Sassuolo—who came up and just avoided the drop, respectively—are the next two games. Only two wins will be good enough here.
Roberto Martinez
7 of 10
An FA Cup win in 2013 and a fine season with Everton in 2013-14 had Roberto Martinez as the name on everybody's lips, but the new campaign has not begun half so well.
The Toffees have won just one of their five league games and lost dismally to Swansea City in the League Cup on Tuesday. Perhaps most worryingly, though, they have the worst defensive record in the Premier League in these early stages, having conceded 13 goals in just five games.
Martinez takes his team to Anfield at the weekend to face Liverpool in the derby, knowing a result there will come under far more scrutiny—whichever way it goes—than a midweek cup defeat.
Leonardo Jardim
8 of 10
The beginning of the summer in France would have only seen two teams talked about for the Ligue 1 title: PSG and Monaco—yet both of their bosses feature in our list.
It's not entirely (or at all, truth be told) Leonardo Jardim's fault that Monaco have proved utterly incapable of mounting anything approaching a title challenge, with them having sold their two biggest players and not really strengthening with proven talents thereafter, but the former Sporting boss is still in charge and so far isn't getting the results.
Monaco lie 15th in Ligue 1 with seven points from six games, having already lost as many times this season as reigning champions PSG did in the whole of 2013-14.
Ciro Immobile
9 of 10
When Borussia Dortmund lost Robert Lewandowski in the summer, they sought to quickly replace his goals by stocking up on forwards, including Ji Dong-Won, Adrian Ramos and Ciro Immobile.
The Italian might have scored in the Champions League last week, but he's yet to hit the back of the net in three Bundesliga outings and at the moment looks second-choice to Colombian striker Ramos. As the most expensive addition of the summer by far, more will be expected of Immobile, and fast.
BVB have won two and lost two this season, failing to score in either of the defeats despite their reinforcements in attack.
Alan Pardew
10 of 10
Perhaps the most unwanted and beleaguered manager in the Premier League right now, Alan Pardew seems to be on borrowed time at Newcastle United, despite his constant bullish remarks about positivity and progress.
Not much at St. James' Park seems happy and in order at the best of times, to be fair, but on the pitch it's certainly far from impressive.
Pardew's side are winless and bottom of the table after five matches, have shipped 11 goals (bettered only by the aforementioned Everton) and, dating back to last season's Premier League, have managed just a single victory since late March—three points over relegated Cardiff City their only win in 13.
Tick tock.
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