In the 2022-2023 season, many of Europe’s big league clubs in the doldrums changed managers in search of a savior. While some clubs, like Chelsea, have fallen further with each change of manager, others have managed to climb up the table. Let’s take a look at some of the most successful managerial hires in each league.
Aston Villa’s ‘Emery Magic’ relegation battle takes them to Europe
Aston Villa started the season ambitiously. With the likes of Diego Carlos and Roberto Firmino adding depth to the squad, they hoped to make the leap to the top flight. However, the start of the season didn’t go as expected. With just two wins, three draws, and six losses in 11 games in the English Premier League (EPL), the team dropped to 17th place. Only three points separated them from the bottom of the table. Unable to wait any longer, Villa’s management made a decision and fired Steven Gerrard.
After a painstaking search for their next manager, Villa decided to bring in Unai Emery from Villarreal. The club paid a €6 million release clause to bring Emery in during the season, and it was money well spent. Villa were 16th in the table at the time of Emery’s appointment, with a 1-1 record under the acting manager since Gerrard’s departure. After 10 games under Emery, the gap between them and the bottom of the table was 10 points and they were 11th. With 15 games remaining, they were seventh. With 15 wins in 25 league games under Emery, Villa qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference next season.
Mendilibar defends the title of ‘King of the Europa League’
After finishing fourth in the Spanish La Liga “top three” for the previous three seasons, Sevilla struggled this season. With just one win through the first seven rounds of the season, they slipped to 17th place. A draw and two defeats in their first three UEFA Champions League (UCL) matches also made it difficult for coach Julen Lopetegui to keep his job. He was replaced by Jorge Sampaoli, who had managed Sevilla six years earlier, but the Sampaoli regime didn’t last long. After climbing to mid-table and falling back to 14th place, Sevilla made another coaching change in March.
He was replaced by Jose Luis Mendilibar, who has a long history in the Spanish game. Mendilibar’s previous two teams had both been relegated, so there was some anxiety, but he stabilized the team with just two losses in 17 games. 먹튀검증
The highlight was the UEFA Europa League. He led Sevilla to the final, defeating formidable opponents Manchester United and Juventus. In the final, they defeated Mourinho’s “undefeated in European finals” AS Roma to win their seventh Europa League title. Sevilla are pushing to extend Mendilibar’s contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Leipzig’s quick decision to win back-to-back Pokal titles and advance to UCL
RB Leipzig made a quick coaching change at the start of the season, firing Domenic Tedesco just a month into the new campaign after winning the 2021-2022 DFB-Pokal, the first major trophy in the club’s history, about three months ago. The club had lost four of eight games, including cup competitions. He was replaced by Marco Reus, a former Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund coach.
He immediately changed the tone. In his first game, he beat his former club Dortmund 3-0. They lost their next two games, but then went unbeaten in their next 18 matches. A seven-match unbeaten streak at the end of the season put Leipzig in third place in the Bundesliga. They then defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in the Pokal final on April 4 to lift the Pokal trophy for the second consecutive season.