YOU GO ROSS
Roma legend Daniele De Rossi latest victim of managerial curse that struck Man Utd legend Solskjaer and Alan Shearer too
But there have been some success stories too
DANIELE DE ROSSI has become the latest club legend to be sacked by his former club.
The Italian gaffer returned to Roma, where he played over 600 times in 18 years, following Jose Mourinho’s exit in January.
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But just months after landing the gig on a permanent deal, De Rossi has been sacked four games into the new season.
His brutal axe came after picking up just three points, with Roma yet to win a single match.
However, De Rossi is not the first legend to come up short when managing an old side.
Indeed, numerous top players have struggled to deliver the goods when making the move from the pitch to the dugout.
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From England to Italy, and from Spain to Germany, football is littered with players who could not cope with the pressure that comes with managing their former club.
On the flip side, some stars have shown that their tactical brain is as good as their playing one.
While in some cases, it’s even better!
But not all have been able to continue their upward rise.
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Here, SunSport explores the biggest misses among those icons who went back home.
And we also take a look at the top hits too…
Top ten Premier League managers' Wags
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FRANK LAMPARD
CHELSEA (2019-2021; 2023)
P84 W44 D17 L23; P11 W1 D2 L8
ONE of the greatest players in Chelsea’s history with a record 211 goals in 648 games, club icons don’t come much bigger than this.
Super Frank was at the heart of Roman Abramovich’s revolution in the mid-noughties, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League.
Fans were left dancing for joy when Lampard returned as manager in 2019 to take charge of a talented young side hit by a transfer ban.
But after a good first season which resulted in a top four finish, things began to turn sour.
Lampard’s mega transfer window saw stars like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Thiago Silva come in.
Yet he was eventually sacked in January 2022 after two wins in eight games, with successor Thomas Tuchel winning the Champions League later that year.
Lampard then returned to Stamford Bridge as interim boss in 2023 following Graham Potter’s exit.
But he endured an even more miserable time with just one win in 11 matches before being replaced by Mauricio Pochettino.
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OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER
MANCHESTER UNITED (2018-2021)
P168 W91 D37 L40
THE FORMER striker was seen as the ideal man to lift spirits at Old Trafford following Jose Mourinho’s reign.
A winner of six titles, and the hero of the 1999 Champions League final comeback, Solskjaer quickly put a smile back on the faces of United fans with his attacking football.
An impressive 14 wins in 19 games saw the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ get the job on a permanent basis.
But as soon as pen touched paper, United went on a run of two wins in 10.
In 2019 United recorded their worst start to a season in 33 years with 10 points from nine games.
And although the signing of Bruno Fernandes a year later saw things turn around, it quickly slumped again.
The rollercoaster continued the following season with a 14-match unbeaten run and a second-place finish.
But defeat in the Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla took the wind from United’s sails.
And six months later Solskjaer was sacked following several heavy defeats including a 5-0 home loss to Liverpool and a 4-1 drubbing to Watford.
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ALAN SHEARER
NEWCASTLE (April 2009-May 2009)
P8 W1 D2 L5
A GEORDIE through and through, Shearer’s 206 goals in 405 makes him not just a Newcastle legend but an English football icon.
He is the Premier League’s record scorer to boot.
And a glittering career also saw him win a title against the odds with Blackburn in 1995.
But Shearer’s brief managerial spell back at Newcastle was not so glamorous.
With Toon staring down the barrel of relegation, Shearer returned to St James’ Park as interim boss in 2009 as boss Joe Kinnear recovered from heart surgery.
Replacing Chris Hughton on the dugout, Shearer promised Newcastle fans he would do everything he could to prevent the club from going down.
But with a possible 24 points on offer, Newcastle banked just five.
And it saw them crash to the Championship after 16 years in England’s top flight, with Hughton then replacing Shearer before winning promotion straight away.
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KENNY DALGLISH
LIVERPOOL (2011-2012)
P74 W35 D17 L22
KING KENNY’S playing career and first managerial spell at Liverpool is legendary to say the least.
But his second stint in the dugout left little to be desired.
Dalglish replaced Roy Hodgson at Anfield and had fans dreaming of more league and European glory.
He oversaw Fernando Torres’ £50million exit to Chelsea while also signing Luis Suarez for £22m.
But Dalglish also sanctioned Liverpool’s surprise £35m move for Andy Carroll, who ended up scoring just 11 goals for the Reds.
And the Scot failed to make an impact in the league too.
He did lead Liverpool to a trophy, with victory in the 2012 Carabao Cup final their first piece of silverware in six years.
But the Merseysiders also lost that year’s FA Cup final to Chelsea while finishing eighth in the league — their worst performance since 1994.
And after a third consecutive season of missing out on Champions League football, Dalglish was shown the door.
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TIM SHERWOOD
TOTTENHAM (2013-2014)
P28 W14 D4 L10
TITLE winner with Blackburn spent four years as a player with Tottenham.
And although he didn’t win anything, Sherwood impressed with his attitude and performances to reach the final of the 2002 Carabao Cup final.
The Spurs hierarchy thought so highly of him that Sherwood was later brought in as one of Harry Redknapp’s assistants in 2008.
He was then promoted to Technical Director in 2012 and was credited with leading the U21s to title glory.
A year later Sherwood was in the main seat as a replacement for Andre Villas-Boas.
But things got off to a terrible start when he lost his first match to West Ham.
Sherwood reached the last-16 of the Europa League while also sealing a sixth-place finish.
Yet he was shown the door by Daniel Levy at the end of the campaign, with Mauricio Pochettino taking over from him.
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RONALD KOEMAN
BARCELONA (2020-2021)
P67 W39 D12 L16
ONE of the greatest players in history, Koeman scooped numerous trophies for club and country.
Four of those titles came as a player with Barcelona, where he also won the Champions League in 1992.
And hopes were high when Koeman returned to the Nou Camp as boss following Quique Setien’s disastrous reign.
But the Dutchman failed to impress as he took just eight points in his first six games, which included a 3-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.
It eventually spiralled into Barca’s worst-ever start since 1992, with Koeman then losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Bilbao.
The Spaniards were then dumped out of the Champions League in the last 16 before losing another Clasico.
Koeman made up for things with victory in the Spanish Cup final, but the pressure was already on after a third-place finish in the league.
The next season saw Koeman win just four of 10 matches, suffering heavy losses in the Champions League group stage while also being defeated by Real again.
It saw him become the first manager since 1936 to lose three straight Clasicos, and he was unceremoniously dumped before Halloween.
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SANTIAGO SOLARI
REAL MADRID (2018-2019)
P32 W22 D2 L8
FAN favourite Solari was seen as a breath of fresh air when he replaced Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked just two months into his tenure.
He won two titles and a Champions League as a member of Real’s early ‘Galacticos’ team.
And victory in the Club World Cup saw Los Blancos dream of further glory.
But Solari didn’t even make it until the end of the season.
He was axed in March 2019 after being KO’d from the Champions League in the last 16 by Ajax.
And Solari was quickly replaced by Zinedine Zidane, back again for a second spell at the Bernabeu.
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ANDREA PIRLO
JUVENTUS (2020-2021)
P52 W34 D10 L8
A MIDFIELD maestro, Pirlo had already enjoyed a brilliant career when he joined Juventus in the final years of his playing days.
Having been an icon at AC Milan, Pirlo went on to win four consecutive Serie A titles in Turin.
His delicate style of play and incredible vision excited supporters when, after retirement, Pirlo returned to Juventus as manager.
But under his guidance, the Italians lost their decade-long stranglehold on Serie A.
They finished fourth that season, while also being dumped out of the Champions League in the last-16 to Porto.
Pirlo was given his marching orders after just one year.
And Juventus are yet to win a title since.
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NIKO KOVAC
BAYERN MUNICH (2018-2019)
P65 W45 D12 L8
KOVAC had a short career at Bayern during his playing days, featuring 51 times while winning the 2003 title.
But he returned as boss in 2018 after leading Eintracht Frankfurt to the German Cup, their first trophy in 30 years.
Kovac’s first season was unremarkable in terms of style but did yield another title after finishing two points above Borussia Dortmund.
He also won the German Cup and even recorded a 7-2 win against Spurs in the Champions League.
But Kovac was let go midway through his second season after a 5-1 hammering to former side Frankfurt.
It led to the appointment of Hansi Flick, who in the same campaign sealed an amazing Treble with Bayern for the second time in their history.
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XAVI HERNANDEZ
BARCELONA (2021-2024)
P142 W89 D24 L29
ONE of Barcelona’s greatest products, Xavi won eight titles and four Champions Leagues in an amazing career spanning 767 games.
He returned to Barca as Koeman’s replacement and endured a mixed spell in the dugout.
HIs first season saw some notable results, including a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid to end a five-match losing run in the Clasico.
But Xavi’s second season finally yielded glory as he left Barcelona to their first title since 2019.
He also won the Spanish Super Cup against Real, leading to a new contract.
Yet the following campaign saw Xavi clash repeatedly with the club’s hierarchy.
In January he declared he would be leaving Barcelona before performing an astonishing U-turn in April.
But the club had the final say as they sacked Xavi regardless in May, with Flick replacing him.
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ROBERTO DI MATTEO
CHELSEA (MARCH 2012-NOVEMBER 2012)
P42 W24 D9 L9
A BLUES icon in his playing days, Di Matteo was an important member of the trophy-winning team of the late 90s.
But his arrival as interim boss in 2012 raised eyebrows.
The Italian was trusted with taking charge of the rest of the season following Andre Villas-Boas’ short-lived tenure.
Di Matteo went one better though as he delivered a first-ever Champions League trophy for Chelsea with an incredible win over Bayern Munich.
He also masterminded an FA Cup final win over Liverpool.
And Di Matteo’s sole summer in charge saw Chelsea sign exciting talents like Eden Hazard and Oscar to usher in a new era.
But things soon went downhill as the Blues became the first reigning champs to crash out of Europe’s top competition in the group stage.
And Di Matteo was sacked eight months after arriving, with Rafa Benitez a controversial replacement.
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PEP GUARDIOLA
BARCELONA (2008-2012)
P247 W179 D47 L21
PEP’S four years with Barcelona is one of the greatest managerial successes in football.
Having played 382 times for the Catalans, he worked his way up through their youth teams before getting the main job on the back of two straight league triumphs for Real Madrid.
Guardiola immediately caused a stir as he axed numerous big names while promoting youth stars including Sergio Busquets and Pedro.
Signings including Dani Alves and Gerard Pique would also prove to be key as Guardiola took Lionel Messi to an even higher level.
And Guardiola’s time as manager resulted in three straight titles and two Champions Leagues, with his only LaLiga defeat coming at the hands of peak Jose Mourinho.
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ZINEDINE ZIDANE
REAL MADRID (2016-2018; 2019-2021)
P149 W105 D28 L16; P114 W69 D25 L20
THE FRENCH legend had a brilliant player career at Real, where he was the star of the show despite the presence of the club’s other ‘Galacticos’.
Like Pep at Barcelona, Zidane honed his managerial skills with Real’s youth teams.
And he finally got the call to replace Rafa Benitez in 2016.
Zidane soon ended Barcelona’s 39-match unbeaten run while also finishing second in LaLiga.
But his crowning glory came with victory in the Champions League final over Atletico Madrid, sealing an 11th European title.
Zidane was far from finished though as he secured a LaLiga and Champions League double the following year.
And in 2018 he made it an incredible THREE European titles in a row before stepping down.
Zidane then returned a year later to replace Solari.
And in 2020 he scooped another LaLiga title before going trophy-less the following season, resulting in his exit.
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ANTONIO CONTE
JUVENTUS (2011-2014)
P151 W102 D34 L15
THE FIERY Italian made 420 appearances for Juventus as a player while winning five titles and a Champions League.
He returned as manager at a time when Juve were struggling to impress four years after their promotion from Serie B following a match-fixing scandal.
But Conte ripped up the book as he changed shape to a 3-5-2, creating an incredible backline featuring Gigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
Juventus went on to win three consecutive Serie A titles, setting them up for a decade of dominance.
But Conte’s shortcomings in Europe eventually saw him step down to become Italy boss, two years before a Premier League switch with Chelsea.
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MIKEL ARTETA
ARSENAL (2019-PRESENT)
P236 W140 D39 L57
A TWO-TIME FA Cup winner with Arsenal as a player, Arteta’s arrival as manager ruffled some feathers in 2019.
He had not managed a club when he replaced Unai Emery, instead only serving as assistant to Guardiola at Man City.
But Arteta silenced the doubters as he won the FA Cup in his first season with victory over Chelsea.
The Spaniard has since revitalised Arsenal, transforming them from top four hopefuls to title challengers.
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He’s achieved two second-place finishes in as many years.
And after another summer of savvy spending, Arteta is hoping to finally seal the deal with a first Premier League trophy since the Invincibles.
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