Nothing lasts forever in the world of football. We’ve seen it time and time again. Players, coaches and eras come and go, and usually, great success is followed by an even greater fall and a long, long journey back to top. It’s a fate experienced by every single club at the top level of the game, and some of the game’s biggest names are living it in 2024. In an attempt to avoid all the consequences and get back to the top as soon as they can, some of Europe’s biggest clubs turned to new faces. We’re here to take a brief look at the changes at the helm of these giants.
Bayern München – Out: Thomas Tuchel, In: Vincent Kompany
We start with what is definitely the biggest shock on the list. Tuchel joined Bayern in March 2023 after an abrupt and surprising sacking of Julian Nagelsmann. In a turbulent ending of the 2022-23 season, Tuchel did manage to win the Bundesliga, but only thanks to Borussia Dortmund losing their final game of the season.
The next chapter was one to forget, and Bayern could never pull together a string of good results, with good matches and big victories being interrupted by subpar performances and dropping points. During the season itself, late in February, it was announced that Tuchel would leave the club at the end of the season, regardless of the results obtained. A shocking DFB-Pokal exit at the hands of a 3rd tier team, a third-place finish in the Bundesliga and a dramatic late exit in the Champions League semifinal meant that this was the first trophyless season for Bayern Munich since 2011-12.
Towards the end of the season, some even suggested that Bayern might change their mind and keep Tuchel for another year, but in the end, it didn’t happen. What did happen, however, raised quite a few eyebrows in the world of football. Vincent Kompany, a 38-year-old that retired from playing in 2020 and started coaching that same season became the new manager of Bayern after a two-season spell with Burnley which saw him both get promoted to and relegated from the Premier League. An appointment that sparked a lot of comments, questions and controversies, with a lot of the people overlooking Kompany’s ideas and playing style and focusing instead on the unsuccessful Premier League campaign with Burnley.
Regardless of everything, it is still a very interesting move. Opting for such a young and relatively inexperienced coach is not something Bayern got us used to. The vision itself and the playing style should not drift off too much of what Bayern tried to play under Nagelsmann and Tuchel, and the board is hoping that the Belgian’s illustrious playing career and his firm character can become a real authority in that dressing room.
Juventus – Out: Massimiliano Allegri, In: Thiago Motta
A story similar to that of Bayern occurred in Italy’s most successful club as well. After winning nine Scudettos in a row, Juventus have now gone 4 years without a league title and find themselves in a tough situation altogether.
Winner of 5 of those 9 Scudettos, Massimiliano Allegri, returned to the club for a second spell in 2021. With a squad far less talented than in his first era and amidst certain financial problems, Allegri was in a tough situation but still managed to underperform with Juventus. The relationships in an around the club were quite unstable and it all culminated after last season’s Coppa Italia final, despite Juventus winning the trophy.
Allegri’s rampant outburst against the match officials late in the game left a stain on the big final and was the point of a lot of controversy in Italy. Subsequently, Juventus decided to part ways with Allegri with immediate effect, not allowing him to lead the team in the two remaining Serie A fixtures.
A couple of weeks later, Juventus officially confirmed what the reports were suggesting – Thiago Motta was named the new manager of I Bianconeri. Motta, 41, retired in 2018 and started coaching that same year at PSG’s academy.
He made the headlines early on in his career when talking about his idea of football and the 2-7-2 formation. Some years later, at Bologna, he started to make the headlines again, and it was for all the good reasons.
Bologna’s free-flowing, attacking football was a real breath of fresh air in Italian football. Lots of passes and numerous positional changes during the games, excellent tactical flexibility and the ability to adapt to each opponent led Bologna to success week after week, eventually ending the season in fourth and earning a spot in the Champions League. Thiago Motta, his tactical approach and the results achieved with Bologna quickly became one of the biggest talking points in European football and Italy’s most decorated club decided to move swiftly, signing a three-year contract with the former Azzurri midfielder.
It might take some time for players to adapt to Motta’s unconventional style but, at the same time, the pressure of immediate results with Juventus always exists. It will be interesting to see how one of Europe’s most promising managers handles the biggest challenge of his career so far.
FC Barcelona – Out: Xavi, In: Hansi Flick
Another club that puts his managers under heavy pressure when it comes to expectations in terms of trophies is definitely Barcelona. Not even a club icon like Xavi is save from the scrutiny the very second thing start to go downhill. Mid-season, in March, when it was already pretty clear that the chances for Barcelona to lift any silverware are getting thinner and thinner, Xavi announced his departure from the club at the end of the season, citing too much pressure and wanting to act in the club’s best interests. The team’s form continued to see some highs and very deep lows that marred the entire season, but Barcelona announced that Xavi would, after all, be staying in the club and completing his contract. After a few months in which no clear option appeared, it seemed like a sensible decision. However, things turned around quickly just a few weeks later.
Xavi spoke out about Barcelona’s FFP limitations and how difficult it might be competing against Real Madrid who attracts top players like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé year after year. The club’s board did not like that attitude and talks of Xavi’s departure intensified. And indeed, just weeks after announcing his staying, Barcelona sacked Xavi.
Enter Hansi Flick. Barça president Joan Laporta never hid the fact that he’s particularly impressed by the German coaching school and the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel… each of those names appeared at least once in the Spanish media when talking about Xavi’s successor. One name, however, appeared more than any – Hans-Dieter “Hansi” Flick.
The 59 year-old German manager’s last employment was with the German national team, where he suffered a shocking group stage exit. The chemistry was off and Die Mannschaft continued to struggle in the friendly matches, so the German association opted for a change of manager ahead of this summer’s European Championship they hosted. Flick’s most famous work, however, was truly impressive. His 2019-20 campaign at the helm of Bayern München in which they won the famous treble playing extremely dominant football is definitely one for the history books.
Their performance in the quarterfinal of that season’s Champions League perfectly sums up what they were all about – ruthless, brutal physical dominance and intensity. That’ the night Barça fans met Hansi Fick. And he made sure they’ll remember him forever, handing them a 8-2 defeat, one of the darkest nights in the history of the Catalan giants.
Three years later, he returns to try and rebuild what he helped destroy. “Intensity” seems to be the buzzword these days in and around the club, as Barça as the German manager will focus on building squad fitness and ensuring that the players are able to endure a demanding football in which they constantly press the opponent. Managing such a big club is always a huge challenge, but managing Barcelona in these circumstances might just currently be the biggest challenge at the Europe’s elite level.
Chelsea – Out: Mauricio Pochettino, In: Enzo Maresca
Football really is a funny ol’ game. After reaching the very top by lifing their second-ever Champions League trophy in 2021, Chelsea’s downfall saw them reach lows their fans could hardly imagine. A shocking 12th finish in the Premier League in 2022/23 was their lowest finish since 1994. And constant turmoil and managerial changes didn’t help, either.
Given everything that happened since Todd Boehly took over at Stamford Bridge, it’s no big surprise that Chelsea enter the new season with a new manager. The Italian Enzo Maresca, coming in to replace Mauricio Pochettino, is Chelsea’s sixth manager in three years.
The Argentine manager, not only experienced in the Premier League, but with a good record as well, leading Southampton and Tottenham in two largely successful stints, was chosen to guide the Chelsea project, mentor and nurture young talent and turn them into a cohesive unit. However, at Chelsea’s end of season performance review it was decided that Mauricio Pochettino is not the right man to continue the project.
His replacement? Enzo Maresca. The Italian worked with Pep Guardola as his assistant in Manchester City before moving on to lead Leicester City to an immediate return to the Premier League by winning the Championship. Guardiola’s influence on Maresca’s football idea is more than visible. Last season Leicester deployed a high-pressing 4-3-3 system that relied heavily on ball possession to overwhelm their opponents. They amassed an impressive total if 97 points, earning the top spot and promotion to the Prem.
Both his playing style and his work with young talent is what attracted Chelsea to sign Maresca. Their confidence in the choice might be reflected in the fee of £10M, an unusually high fee for the services of a manager. Judging by the preseason, however, adapting to Maresca’s ideas could be a long process. And looking at the long list of Chelsea’s managers throughout the years, you could say they don’t really tend to trust the process.
AC Milan – Out: Stefano Pioli, In: Paulo Fonseca
For the best part of the last 10-15 years, the very mention of the expression “sleeping giants” in football brought AC Milan to everyone’s mind. Last couple of seasons have seen Rossoneri return to the top, playing a Champions League semifinal in 2023 after winning Serie A the season before.
All of the successes came under the same manager, the Italian Stefano Pioli who joined Milan after a solid stint with Fiorentina. No honeymoon can last forever, and it’s no different in the world of football. A difficult season with a string of underwhelming results and worrying performances and it looked like this team’s prime under Pioli had passed. A second place finish was not at all a bad one, but Milan’s leaders had already made up their mind.
The Rossoneri directors chose Paulo Fonseca to be Pioli’s successor. Fonseca’s last appointment was with the French side Lille, where he did a fine job and got his side playing his style of football – attractive, possession-based approach that he managed to relate with his name throughout the years. Furthermore, Fonseca’s previous experience with Italian football might make him a decent fit for the role as he had a stint with AS Roma between 2019 and 2021.
Adding some new exciting names to the mix and keeping the majority of a young, talented squad, Fonseca will definitely be able to find the players for his system at Milan, but his task is not only to make everyone fit in, but also to win titles. The pressure and the immediate necessity for trophies might not be as big as it is in some other Europe’s clubs, but when you are managing a club of. Milan’s stature, the pressure is most definitely always present.
