Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches for Week of November 24-30
Two weeks after our last domestic-based look at which managers and players were coming under increasing pressure and were firmly in the gaze of our Hot Seat Watch, we return to take a look at the same—with two of our previously listed managers having departed the scene.
Walter Mazzarri and Armin Veh are no more, with Roberto Mancini and Huub Stevens having taken their spots at Inter Milan and Stuttgart respectively.
We'll begin, as usual, with those who remain in place from the last roundup, bringing in new faces as we progress through our list of the individuals in world football most in need of an urgent upturn in fortunes.
Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool
1 of 10
Things aren't getting any better for Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers.
They suffered a 3-1 reversal to lowly Crystal Palace at the weekend, their fourth defeat on the spin in all competitions. The team's play at both ends of the pitch was poor and displayed a lack of confidence, with both individual errors and set pieces costing Liverpool dearly once more.
Midweek against Ludogorets it was exactly the same: one defensive error, one set piece, two goals conceded. There seems to be no end to the bad run in sight, and the Reds have won just three of their last 14 games.
Sergio, Espanyol
2 of 10
Espanyol boss Sergio is finding it tough going in his first season in charge, and his team suffered another defeat at the weekend—this time 3-1 against Athletic Bilbao.
That leaves Espanyol on a run of five games without a win, with only one clean sheet in that time, meaning they are now hovering just one point above the relegation zone in a crowded bottom half of the table.
Espanyol are at home to Levante at the weekend, which is a massive game for Sergio's side.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal
3 of 10
Last weekend brought with it another "must-win" game for Arsene Wenger, who took his Arsenal team into battle against long-time rivals Manchester United. It was also another defeat.
Wenger is clinging onto his job by reputation and longevity alone at this point, with more fans than ever before turning against him and not believing Wenger to be capable of turning things around.
Champions League progress has been assured again, which is a big positive, but does anybody really think the Gunners will do anything other than remain true to form and bow out in the knockout rounds against the first decent team they come up against? They remain too fragile, too open and too predictable—and they are now eighth in the Premier League.
Marco Silva, Sporting CP
4 of 10
Another young manager who has made a big step up this season is Marco Silva of Sporting Lisbon, who remains in our Hot Seat Watch after another weekend without victory.
Sporting had to come from behind at home and only managed a draw against 10-men Pacos de Ferreira, leaving them with three wins out of eight games in the Primeira Liga and sitting down in eighth placewell below expectations of their usual title fight against Benfica and Porto.
They trail the leaders by eight points.
Glen Johnson, Liverpool
5 of 10
Bringing some players into things now, and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers can't take all the blame when there have been so many underperformers on the pitch.
With Dejan Lovren finally having been dropped from the defence, Glen Johnson must be wondering how the same fate hasn't befallen him; a lax and lazy performance at the weekend that was predictably lacking in end product was followed up by another in midweek against Ludogorets.
The full-back, switched to the left side in recent games, is out of contract at the end of the season and most fans are beyond incredulous that he warrants being picked game after game, let alone be deserving of a new deal.
Gabi, Atletico Madrid
6 of 10
One of Atletico Madrid's main protagonists last season as they bulldozed their way to the Spanish title and the Champions League final was central midfielder Gabi, their dynamic engine who could both create and destroy as needed.
This season, he has been unable to match those heights, playing well in some games but certainly far off his best level in others, losing his place in the side briefly and then, at the weekend, being sent off against Malaga.
With Tiago performing well, Mario Suarez wanting more game time and Koke more than capable in a central role, Gabi could well find himself marginalised.
Harry Redknapp, QPR
7 of 10
Back to the Premier League. Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp will continue to come under the microscope for his poor results this season, having spent around £40 million this summer on new recruits, plus loan and free-transfer signings, such as Rio Ferdinand, Niko Kranjcar and Eduardo Vargas.
Despite such heavy investment on fees and wages, QPR remain rooted to the bottom of the league table; they are the only club still in single figures for points and have the worst defensive record in the division.
They've lost six of their last nine games, have kept one clean sheet since August and face a massive, must-win home fixture against fellow newly promoted team Leicester City at the weekend.
Leonid Slutsky, CSKA Moscow
8 of 10
Our final manager on the Hot Seat Watch this week is CSKA Moscow's long-serving boss Leonid Slutsky, who lifted the Russian Premier League title last season but sees his side floundering this term.
Having made a poor start to the campaign, CSKA went shooting back up the table in September and October—but they've lost their last three in the league and have won just two of their last eight games in all competitions, seeing them slip down to fourth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Zenit.
Their Champions League progression is also in the balance, with CSKA, Roma and Manchester City all level on five points and fighting for second spot—but CSKA are currently bottom on the head-to-head ruling.
Fernando Torres, AC Milan
9 of 10
How many times has Fernando Torres been back? Well, not many since his move to Italy, anyway, though the move to AC Milan was supposed to rejuvenate him and see him firing once more.
Ten games after his arrival at the San Siro, the 30-year-old striker still only has a single goal to his name and is yet to score at home for his new club, evoking memories of his early strike rate for Chelsea after joining in 2011.
He played the majority of the derby against Inter at the weekend, failing to get a single shot away, not setting up a chance for a team-mate, per WhoScored.com, and being subbed for Keisuke Honda in the second half.
Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal
10 of 10
We finish up with Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey, the midfielder who might have made so much difference last season had he been fit throughout who has been fit this term and been unable to recapture his top form.
The Welsh midfielder has seen his level nosedive of late, both at home and abroad, and he was subbed at the weekend in the crunch clash between Arsenal and Manchester United after another ineffective performance.
With Jack Wilshere having injured himself again and the Gunners struggling for consistency, they really need Ramsey to pick up his game and be the match-winner he can be—but it looks some way off at present.
