The managerial upheaval at the top end of the Premier League over the past eight months has been unlike anything we’ve seen before.
Five of the so-called ‘big six’ have changed managers during that period, some more than once, meaning the 2026/27 season begins with more uncertainty than usual among the title contenders. The only exception is reigning champions Arsenal.
Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi both inherited difficult situations midway through last season, taking over at Manchester United and Tottenham respectively and achieving their immediate objectives.
Elsewhere, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all appointed new managers for the start of the campaign – the first time three of the big six have done so in the same summer since 2016.
That year proved transformative. Manchester United replaced Louis van Gaal with José Mourinho, who delivered the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield. Chelsea appointed Antonio Conte and immediately won the Premier League, while Manchester City finally landed Pep Guardiola, who laid the foundations for one of English football’s greatest dynasties.
Perhaps this summer’s reshuffle will be just as effective.
Guardiola has departed City and been replaced by Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have turned to Xabi Alonso, and Liverpool have dismissed Arne Slot – who won the 2024/25 title – in favour of Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.
Of those appointments, Liverpool’s feels the biggest gamble.
What we have seen so far in pre-season only supports this, with them twice throwing away two-goal leads to lose to Leeds and Monaco.
Iraola’s arrival represents a huge leap of faith. His aggressive, high-intensity style should immediately excite supporters after a dull and disappointing title defence, but implementing such a demanding system takes time. Add in his lack of experience at an elite club, European football and a squad with several obvious weaknesses, and the risk becomes clear.
The biggest challenge of Iraola’s career
Iraola has performed outstanding work throughout his managerial career.
He has impressed at AEK Larnaca, Mirandés, Rayo Vallecano and, most recently, Bournemouth, winning promotion from Spain’s third tier, reaching two Copa del Rey semi-finals and guiding Bournemouth to sixth place in the Premier League to secure European qualification.
Those achievements are remarkable given the resources at his disposal.
However, every one of those jobs came with underdog expectations. He has never managed a club expected to challenge for major honours, never balanced the demands of domestic and European competition, and never entered a season where winning trophies was the minimum expectation.
Liverpool changes all of that.
History suggests need for proven winners
One of the biggest concerns is Iraola’s lack of major honours as a manager.
Aside from the Cypriot Super Cup, his managerial CV contains no significant silverware. That might seem an unfair criticism given the clubs he has managed, but history suggests it matters when stepping into one of the Premier League’s biggest jobs.
Managers who have already won major trophies often receive more patience because they’ve demonstrated they know how to navigate pressure, difficult moments and title races. They have experience to draw upon when things go wrong. Iraola does not.
Over roughly the past 12 years, the managers appointed by big-six clubs without a major trophy on their CV include:
- Arsenal – Mikel Arteta
- Chelsea – Frank Lampard, Graham Potter, Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior
- Liverpool – Brendan Rodgers
- Manchester United – David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Tottenham – Mauricio Pochettino, Nuno Espírito Santo and Thomas Frank
Of those 11 appointments, only Arteta, Pochettino and Maresca can reasonably be viewed as clear successes. Arteta and Maresca have delivered silverware, while Pochettino transformed Tottenham into genuine title challengers and took them to a Champions League final.
Collectively, that group delivered four trophies.
Compare that with managers who arrived already established winners and the contrast is striking. Excluding Guardiola, nine of the previous 14 big-six appointments involving proven trophy winners resulted in at least one major honour, producing 22 between them.
Even those who ultimately fell short came close. José Mourinho led Tottenham to a League Cup final before being dismissed days before the match, while Unai Emery and Ruben Amorim both reached Europa League finals.
Liverpool’s previous two managers also arrived with championship-winning credentials. Arne Slot had won both the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup with Feyenoord, while Jurgen Klopp had already claimed two Bundesliga titles and a domestic double with Borussia Dortmund.
Iraola arrives without that pedigree, making his task significantly more difficult.
Iraola teams rarely hit the ground running
Another concern is how long Iraola’s methods typically take to click.
His football is exceptionally detailed and physically demanding, requiring players to completely buy into his pressing structure and positional principles.
The evidence suggests that process is rarely immediate.
His first 10 matches at Mirandés produced just one win. Rayo Vallecano started with five wins, one draw and four defeats across their opening 10 league games. Bournemouth endured an even slower start, failing to win until their 10th Premier League match after losing six of their opening nine.
At Liverpool he may not be afforded the luxury of patience.
A World Cup summer further complicates matters.
Several key players will have shortened pre-seasons, reducing valuable training time just as Iraola attempts to instill one of the league’s most demanding tactical systems.
Liverpool’s squad raises further questions
The squad itself also looks far from complete.
Alisson remains one of the league’s best goalkeepers but endured an underwhelming 2025/26 campaign, conceding 31 goals from 27.7 expected goals on target faced.
Right-back is a major concern, while Virgil van Dijk is now 35 and currently partners newcomer Jérémy Jacquet, with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni sidelined through injury for the start of the season at least.
Left-back Milos Kerkez should at least benefit from reuniting with his former Bournemouth coach.
Midfield offers reliability more than dynamism. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister arrive after heavy World Cup workloads - especially for the latter - while Dominik Szoboszlai was both over and misused throughout last season.
Further forward, more questions remain.
Florian Wirtz struggled for form last year, Mohamed Salah’s departure leaves no established natural right winger, and the left flank relies on Cody Gakpo - who continues to be linked with an exit - alongside the inexperienced Victor Muñoz and teenage Rio Ngumoha.
Up front, Alexander Isak is still searching for full sharpness after last season’s injury problems, while Hugo Ekitiké – arguably Liverpool’s best player in 2025/26 – is unavailable until at least January 2027.
For a side that finished fifth despite spending around £500 million after winning the title the previous year, it is hardly a squad without flaws.
More signings are needed simply to give Iraola a realistic chance, though even that may not be enough for him to succeed immediately.
He is an outstanding coach and one of the most exciting tacticians in English football. But Liverpool are asking him to make an enormous leap: adapting to European football, managing the expectations that come with one of the world’s biggest clubs and rebuilding an ageing squad, all at once.
He may eventually prove equal to the challenge. History, however, suggests the road could be a difficult one.
Things may get worse before they get better at Anfield.
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