The 2022-23 Premier League season is halfway through, so now is as good a time as any to take a look at how the new managers are progressing.
There was only one new manager at the start of the season, Manchester United’s Erik Ten Hag, and he has done an impressive job during the first half of his debut campaign.
Meanwhile, there have been a handful of midseason appointments who have had varying degrees of success, most notably Graham Potter and his successor at Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi.
Read on as SBOTOP examines the progress of all of these new managers in the Premier League this season.
Erik ten Hag, Manchester United
There were high expectations on Erik ten Hag as he took charge of Manchester United, and halfway through his debut Premier League season, the Dutchman is exceeding them. ten Hag has the Red Devils riding high in fourth and are right on the heels of rivals Manchester City for second after a big derby win.
With the distraction that was Cristiano Ronaldo now out of the way, ten Hag has his side functioning much more efficiently. The Dutchman deserves credit for once again getting the best out of Marcus Rashford, who is in the form of his life at the moment and is providing Premier League 2023 highlights aplenty. Meanwhile, Casemiro has brought some much-needed midfield solidity.
Of course, there is still a long way to go in the Premier League season, and more tests are set to come ten Hag’s way. As great as Rashford has been, it remains to be seen for how long United can continue to thrive with Anthony Martial and the on-loan Wout Weghorst as their main centre-forward options.
But ten Hag deserves a perfect ten out of ten for the stellar job he’s done during the first half of the season, and while their Premier League 2023 odds of winning the title are quite slim, they are in a decent position to pounce should leaders Arsenal slip up.
Graham Potter, Chelsea
Few could blame Graham Potter for jumping at the chance to join Chelsea when the opportunity arose after Thomas Tuchel’s sacking. After the brilliant job he’d done at Brighton, Potter had earned a shot at a top club.
But that big move to the Bridge has quickly gone pear-shaped for Potter. After an extended unbeaten run to start his reign, his Blues have suffered a horrendous run of results that see them down in midtable. Potter has now lost 7 of his 20 games in charge, with 9 wins and 4 draws.
In his defence, Potter has had to deal with injuries to several key players, including N’Golo Kante, Wesley Fofana and Reece James. Still, the problems he was brought in to fix – particularly the misfiring attack – remain unsolved.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has continued to invest hundreds of millions of pounds into the squad during this transfer window as they’ve pipped Premier League leaders Arsenal for Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk. Meanwhile, French forward Christopher Nkunku is reportedly coming in the summer.
But Potter may not get the chance to coach Nkunku if he doesn’t find a way to turn things around in a hurry, as Chelsea will not hesitate to pull the plug if Potter doesn’t show positive progress.
Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton & Hove Albion
Many expected Brighton to take a significant step back after Potter’s exit, but the Seagulls have continued to soar under the guidance of Potter’s replacement, Roberto De Zerbi.
After a bit of a rocky start, the Italian has picked up where Potter had left off in terms of getting the most out of a limited squad. Brighton have won seven of De Zerbi’s 15 games in charge, which includes thumping wins over Chelsea, Everton, and Liverpool.
With both Chelsea and Liverpool struggling this season, the Seagulls have a slight chance of sneaking into a European spot if De Zerbi’s side can keep up this impressive form during the second half of the season.
Gary O’Neil, Bournemouth
Gary O’Neil’s new manager bounce at Bournemouth is well and truly over. After picking up a few decent results to start his role as interim manager, O’Neil’s side has seen a steady decline in the last few months.
In fact, Bournemouth have yet to win a single game since naming O’Neil permanent boss back in late November. They have lost six straight games in all competitions and are right in the thick of the relegation race.
With the worst defence in the league and an attack that is suddenly struggling to score any goals, it will be an uphill battle for the inexperienced O’Neil to keep the Cherries up.
Unai Emery, Aston Villa, Julen Lopetegui, Wolves & Nathan Jones, Southampton
It’s still a bit too soon to make any concrete conclusions on the trio of newest Premier League managers: Unai Emery of Aston Villa, Julen Lopetegui of Wolves, and Nathan Jones of Southampton.
But there are at least signs of promise. Both Emery and Jones have won four of their first eight games, although all four of Jones’ win with Saints have been in cup competitions. That includes a shock 2-0 win over Manchester City in the EFL Cup. Meanwhile, Lopetegui has lost just one of his first seven.
Lopetegui and Jones are currently in the midst of a relegation battle, and the latter has the tougher job ahead of him as he has a less talented squad at his disposal. But while Lopetegui has a more established pedigree, both managers’ Premier League mettle will be tested during the second half of the season.
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