Hot Seat Watch for World Football Players, Coaches After Weekend of April 24-28
Our weekly hot seat watch column is the feature nobody wants to be part of: It's the time of week when we look at players, managers and anybody else who has something to do with the game of football and select those who need improvements fast.
We're not looking for sackings or players to be dropped, but we're assessing which individuals need to do far better at their jobs over the coming weeks, whether that means improving their own form, results for the team or staying out of the headlines.
Here's our latest hot seat watch, featuring several members of last week's column and a few new faces.
Marcelo Bielsa
1 of 8
It has all gone horribly wrong for Marseille.
Having led Ligue 1 for much of the season, Marcelo Bielsa's troops look utterly burnt out mentally. Champions League football for next term is unlikely after their latest defeat.
A 5-3 home loss to relegation-zone side Lorient on Friday cemented Marseille's fall from the top three; after four consecutive losses, they have in fact fallen to fifth place, below Monaco and Saint-Etienne.
Bielsa cannot galvanise his troops, his tactics are falling through and the once-promising season is now in tatters.
John Carver
2 of 8
Newcastle United should have been comfortably safe from the threat of relegation, but an utterly woeful run of form has seen them dragged to the edge of the battle.
A seventh straight loss under manager John Carver has the Magpies down in 14th place, but the three sides directly below them have all won at least once in the past two fixtures. Only five points separate Newcastle from Sunderland in 18th. At this rate, it's tough to see where the Magpies' points will come from.
Carver also had "abuse" shouted his way by fans and called on the club for more protection, per BBC Sport. Carver himself said:
"They [the fans] expect me to put the ball in the net, stop the headers going in, stop the opposition from scoring. I can't affect that. I can't get on the end of the corner and head the ball clear which would have kept us one up at half-time. I can't do that.
I am not going to stand out there and be abused during the game. The club has to do something about it.
"
Carver's side travel to face in-form Leicester City on Saturday.
Rudi Garcia
3 of 8
AS Roma boss Rudi Garcia has had his team in second place in Serie A for the past couple of years, but the end of this campaign looks like a step too far for his project as things are quickly unravelling.
Roma were beaten 2-1 by Inter Milan on Saturday, a third game without a win, which left Roma a point behind rivals Lazio in second and facing a challenge to hold on to third place from resurgent Napoli.
Third, of course, is the final Champions League spot in Serie A, so Garcia has to turn things quickly to ensure his side maintain that position.
Brendan Rodgers
4 of 8
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers came in for criticism last week as his team exited the FA Cup at the semi-final stage, but this week has been poor in the Premier League too.
On Saturday, the Reds drew 0-0 with a horribly defensive West Bromwich Albion side that made no attempt to attack and simply invited Liverpool to try and break them down—something Rodgers' side were unable to. Then, on Tuesday, Liverpool travelled to Hull City, troubled by relegation, and were beaten 1-0.
Had they taken six points from those games, they'd have been just two off Manchester United in fourth. As it is, however, one point leaves Liverpool destined for fifth at best.
Marcelino
5 of 8
Spanish Liga side Villarreal's struggles in front of goal continue.
On the one hand, Marcelino can point to his side having lost just one of their last five games; on the other, they've all been draws, and his team have now not won in nine. Another 0-0 draw at the weekend, their third in succession, means they've scored just one goal—a penalty—in their past six fixtures.
With the attacking talent available to him, Marcelino must be hugely frustrated that Villarreal's season is ending this way.
Atletico and Real Madrid
6 of 8
Barcelona have already had one transfer window in which they haven't been able to sign anybody as a result of a ban, with the summer set to be their second.
Now, Marca are reporting, via Cadena radio stations, that Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are both set to be handed the same punishment after infringing rules on signing underage players.
If the three top clubs in Spain are banned from signing anyone over the summer, it would certainly open the path for others to challenge, though nothing is confirmed at this point.
It does, however, point to a glaring lack of oversight from the national body in terms of the clarity and lawfulness of deals they are ratifying. Of course, the clubs themselves have to shoulder most of the responsibility.
Jose Mourinho/Arsene Wenger
7 of 8
The under-pressure manager from the battle between Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend depends on your point of view.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho came in for criticism for a defensive display that saw his team largely try to nullify Arsenal's attacking threat. They sporadically mounted their own forays forward before celebrating the 0-0 draw at full-time—naturally, as it gave them a big step toward the league title.
Mourinho himself, however, rejected "boring" claims thrown his way—and called Arsenal and their manager, Arsene Wenger, boring for failing to win a title in over a decade, per ESPN FC.
Asmir Begovic
8 of 8
We finish up with a player who continues to be strangely linked with big-money moves to top clubs despite the quite obvious deterioration of his game over the past two seasons or so.
Asmir Begovic committed yet another blunder of epic proportions on Saturday, spilling a routine low cross into the path of Connor Wickham, who scored from close range for Sunderland against Stoke City.
It's far from the first time the 'keeper has fumbled howlers this season, yet he remains perennially linked to huge clubs—such as Real Madrid, per the Express. Oddly, none of those teams have ever actually gone on and made a bid for the Bosnian. Perhaps these continuing errors are one of the reasons why.
