Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches After Weekend September 26-28
As we head into October, the third month of the 2014-15 season for most leagues, it's fair to say that divisions around the globe are really shaping up now and fans are getting an idea of who may be in for a season of struggle.
We continue our hot-seat watch with a sweeping view of the game's top leagues, looking at the individuals—both on the pitch and in the dugout—who are coming under increased scrutiny, if not outright pressure, to provide better performances and results.
Contribute to the discussion by leaving your own thoughts below on which of our stars need to seriously step up soon.
Ernesto Valverde
1 of 10
We'll start over in Spain's La Liga, where Champions League side Athletic Bilbao have endured a very frustrating start to the season.
With just one win from their opening six games, Athletic are hovering just above the bottom three in the early league table and are finding goalscoring a real problem at the moment, having registered just four goals in six games.
Manager Ernesto Valverde's optimism isn't helped by taking just one point from the first two Champions League games either, including a defeat on Tuesday to BATE Borisov. No major questions are being asked just yet, and rightly so after the excellent job he did last season, but there's no doubt that there is more pressure around the job just now than would have been expected.
Next up: Real Madrid, away.
Wayne Rooney
2 of 10
Captain of England, captain of Manchester United.
Passion and the will to win are expected of both, but it needs to be channeled perhaps in other ways than kicking out at an opponent as they run past you.
Wayne Rooney hasn't been spectacular this season and was shown a straight red card at the weekend for his assault on Stewart Downing, and he will miss games against Chelsea and two other league rivals as a result. With Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao the strikers, plus Juan Mata likely to come back in now, the captain might find his place hard to win back afterwards.
Walter Mazzarri
3 of 10
Inter Milan's start to the season was fairly good, two wins and two draws, even if performances weren't absolutely stellar, but things change quickly in Serie A when defeats come together.
A heavy 4-1 reversal against the league's bottom club, Cagliari, then was not what Walter Mazzarri would have wanted, especially before a run of games against Fiorentina and Napoli, tough opposition to get anything from at all.
Edinson Cavani
4 of 10
Edinson Cavani remains a forward who can divide opinion, but the fact is that PSG have needed him to be somewhere near his best of late after a stuttering start to the campaign.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured and Ezequiel Lavezzi also absent, PSG have turned to Cavani to move infield and play as the central striker—but he hasn't registered a goal in the three games they have been without their main man Zlatan, and played poorly all round in the Champions League win over Barcelona.
As a fellow writer remarked on his display vs. Barca, "he had one of those days where his first touch resembled a bouncy castle."
Carlos Vela
5 of 10
Carlos Vela was one of Real Sociedad's most important players last season, but the Mexican forward has yet to impress in 14-15.
He has managed just one goal in six games in La Liga this term and his most recent display against Valencia was extremely poor; he was wasteful in the final third, spent too much time arguing decisions going against him and didn't contribute to the team's chase for the three points late on.
Much more is needed from him if La Real are to climb the table.
Leonardo Jardim
6 of 10
Former Sporting Lisbon coach Leonardo Jardim has not found the transition to Monaco and Ligue 1 easy at all.
Sure, the departures of Falcao and James Rodriguez were mitigating factors over a dismal start to the season, but the side should still be expected to compete higher in the table than their current ranking of 12th.
Jardim has overseen just three wins from eight and his side have scored only seven times, meaning he needs to find a winning formula more regularly, much quicker, if he is to last long in the job.
Alan Pardew
7 of 10
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew continued his dismal run this week, with a 1-0 loss to Stoke City on Monday night.
It's now one win in 14, dating back to late March, for the Magpies under Pardew, who was reported by BBC Sport to have held talks over his future recently.
Newcastle are 19th in the league, above Burnley only by goals scored, and they need a quick turnaround in results to salvage their season already.
Gabby Agbonlahor
8 of 10
Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor started the season in decent form, but his production on the pitch has dipped quickly and alarmingly—and at a most inopportune moment for himself.
Villa have lost their last two, not scoring in either game, and Christian Benteke has returned from injury—which ended his World Cup hopes—and looks ready to challenge for a starting spot once more.
Agbonlahor has been playing as the centre-forward and despite the team's good start, his drop in form looks like it will cost him his spot in the side.
Ronny Deila
9 of 10
Ronny Deila saw his side win at the weekend, a 2-1 victory over St. Mirren, but even that isn't close to enough—it merely ended a run of one win in four league games.
For Celtic, the only reasonably big club in the SPFL still, that pretty much constitutes a horrendous run of form which started almost as soon as Deila walked through the doors. His side were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers (twice) and Celtic now sit fourth in the 12-team league table.
To put that in context, it has been 30 years since anyone but Rangers and Celtic won the title—and Rangers still aren't back in the top flight.
Pepe
10 of 10
Real Madrid centre-back Pepe arrives on this list by association; he hasn't played in Real's last couple of games, coinciding with the team looking far stronger and more organised at the back.
With his uncertain-at-best performances at the start of the campaign, Real were slipshod and sloppy in defence, conceding unnecessary goals and leads, costing them several points.
Raphael Varane has brought far more composure and solidity to the back line meaning Pepe, sat on the sidelines, shouldn't be getting his place back any time soon after a torrid run of form earlier this season.
