Sometimes you get no luck in football and loyalty is at a premium that's for sure, this is what Gary O' Neil found out a few days ago as he was sacked as manager of Bournemouth. This was his reward for keeping the club up and in the end they didn't just stay up, they were safe with a month to go and considering that their plight looked doomed early on in the season and Scott Parker was also sacked, didn't O' Neil actually do a terrific job?
It's true that O' Neil's win rate was 29.7% but all things considered with the squad and budget he had to finish 15th and five points clear of relegation, but to have already known weeks in advance they would not be relegated this amounts to a harsh decision. Critics will point to the fact that the Cherries lost their last four games but in reality the players were on 'holiday', their status had been secured and those results really shouldn't be taken into account. In sacking O' Neil we have also witnessed yet another English manager in the Premier League being replaced by a continental one and one has to wonder if that is healthy for the game? That statement would of course account for any league. But look around and you will see the majority of managers in Spain are Spanish and in Italy they are Italian. It isn't about stopping foreign managers from coming into different leagues but is it not about growth from within that country? Only Eddie Howe's name is being chucked about for the next England manager's job, but in reality there should be a contest of half a dozen managers in the hat but that can't exist within the current state of how things are being run.
O' Neil's replacement is Andoni Iraola from Spain and he comes in from Rayo Vallecano and last season he had a 39% win rate and Vallencano finished in 11th place with 49 points. It could be pointed out that he had a slightly stronger side in Rayo compared to Bournemouth and there was more stability with the club, so could this be a like for like replacement? Many observers are surprised that O' Neil was sacked but he did quite a solid job, solid enough one would think that he will soon be snapped up by a Premier League side.
Chelsea need to rebuild and at least they have the money to do so. Last season was horrific and many 'star' names simply did not turn up and were not consistent enough. But it seems with new manager Mauricio Pochettino entering the fray there will be a mass shake-up. N' Golo Kante has gone to Saudi Arabia and that could be a genuine loss for the Blues. Ask anyone about the qualities of Kante last summer and they would wax lyrical about the French international. This season he wasn't to blame because of his extended injury where he missed almost the entire season, but Kante on form is still an incredible player, has he jumped ship for the mass riches too soon? Kai Havertz is being heavily linked to Arsenal, Kalidou Koulibaly who once told John Terry about his loyal commitment could head to the middle east also. The futures of Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy are in the balance too. For now it seems that one quarter of last season's Chelsea squad are heading for the money and Saudi Arabia and not one fan should be surprised or shed a tear. These players were hyped but were simply not up to the level required in the Premier League and their imminent moves should come as something of a relief, this could well lead to a healthy new chapter for the Blues.
On the international scene it was interesting that Lionel Messi left PSG to join David Beckham's project at Inter Miami in the MLS. Messi was heavily tipped to go to Saudi Arabia and earn earth shattering money even for him, some quotes put it as high as a £500m contract. We know that compared to Europe the MLS is hardly the strongest league in the world so it does feel somewhat disappointing considering his rival Ronaldo was scoring 30 goals a season in Serie A at the same age. Certainly outside of Barcelona his club career has been nowhere near as impressive, with just 6 goals in his first season at PSG, so maybe Messi knows he's not the player he once was and just wants an easier option now.
Finally congratulations to Spain who won a nervy UEFA Nations League final as they beat Croatia on penalties, it was Spain's first international trophy since winning the Euro's 11 years ago. Hard luck though for superstar Luka Modric who was so close to finally winning an international trophy.
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