Premier League sack race: Every manager rated and slated as 2/10 boss clings on to job

· Mirror

With five games gone of the Premier League season, some managers are already under pressure including Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi

Congratulations to managers across the Premier League. You have all safely negotiated the first five games of the season without being sacked. But some of you shouldn't be sitting too comfortably.

Roberto De Zerbi has endured an awful start to the campaign, picking up just a couple of points and sitting rock-bottom of the top flight with Tottenham.

Alvaro Arbeloa is already feeling the heat at Fulham and Pierre Sage has had an underwhelming start to life in the dugout at Selhurst Park.

But Enzo Maresca has hit the ground running at Manchester City and David Moyes has enjoyed an unbeaten start to the campaign at Everton.

Here, Mirror Football has asked our reporters from up and down the country to rate and slate their clubs' managers and their starts to the season.

1. Manchester City - Enzo Maresca

Nobody is perfect and City’s performances have shown plenty of room for improvement, the results have been flawless - and better than Arsenal and everyone else.

It has been an ensemble work so far, with Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and others all contributing to help Erling Haaland, who has started like he wants to win another Golden Boot. New signings Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye are already showing why City spent big sums on them.

And as if all that wasn’t enough to make the fans happy, Maresca masterminded one of their best derby wins at Old Trafford to spark new songs about City winning with 10 men.

Rating: 9/10

2. Arsenal - Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta is set to sign a new contract at Arsenal, which is wholly deserved after winning the club their first Premier League title in 22 years. And his first title defence has started off well, winning the FA Community Shield and six of his first seven games of the new season across all competitions.

The defeat to Brighton has wobbled the cart somewhat, but there is a growing sense that this was more of a one-off blip than something which indicates a greater issue. There are elements of Arteta’s management which still remain under scrutiny, however.

With a deeper squad than ever before, how he rotates throughout the season will be under review, and after major changes behind the scenes to the medical department, player injuries will be yet another area of focus. But so far, all remains rosy in North London with an eagerness to get back to action after this lengthy international break.

Rating: 8/10

3. Brighton - Fabian Hurzeler

Adding European football to the equation appeared to be a tricky task for Hurzeler - and that still might prove to be the case - but so far the German is managing things beautifully. The 3-0 win over the defending champions before the international break was awe-inspiring and displayed everything the Seagulls have become known for under Hurzeler.

The way Brighton press as a unit is a credit to their manager, who has never shied away from his high risk, high reward tactical approach. Having battered Coventry 5-0, Brighton are the top scorers in the Premier League and are sitting pretty.

With Conference League fixtures just around the corner in October, the real test awaits. For now, the data-focused Brighton hierarchy could hardly be happier with their boss.

Rating: 9/10

4. Brentford - Keith Andrews

The Brentford boss has enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season with the Bees flying high in fourth. That included convincing London derby wins over Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as hard-fought draws with the Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth.

The Irishman showed his ruthless streak in the home draw with the Black Cats. Trailing 1-0, he made a triple half-time change, which included hooking record signing Mamadou Sangare. The move paid off as his side went on to claim what seemed an unlikely point at the interval.

Andrews has built on the foundations laid by Thomas Frank and taken the west London club to the next level. The sky is the limit.

Rating: 9/10

5. Leeds - Daniel Farke

Daniel Farke has never been in a stronger position as Leeds United manager. Nine points from an unbeaten first five games is beyond what fans expected but it is also what Leeds thoroughly deserve.

Farke has stuck to his back-three system but has not been afraid to adapt it in-game, sometimes several times. The new signings have bedded in well too. He could be a little more proactive at times but that is the only gripe.

The big question looming over Farke is his contract; he is in the final year of his deal and a renewal has not yet been signed. Talks with the board have been ongoing since the summer and there is hope that a deal can be done.

Club chiefs say the delay is merely due to the absence of a need to rush negotiations. Clearly though, the longer talks go on, the more risky it is for Farke, should he go on a poor run. But, right now, there is little sign that a drab spell is around the corner.

Rating: 9/10

6. Liverpool - Andoni Iraola

There's absolutely zero pressure on Andoni Iraola following his appointment as Liverpool boss.

And having already registered wins in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, it's now almost certain he'll be allowed to crack on without much fuss with the job of getting the Reds a bit nearer to where they were just 18 months ago as dominant title winners.

The football hasn't always been easy on the eye, but then it was never going to be with so many changes on and off the field. That Liverpool are unbeaten is solid enough given the fixture list was reasonably kind for the opening month or so. It becomes a lot more tricky in the next batch of games, however.

We will know a lot more about where Liverpool really stand once the next international break comes around.

Rating: 7/10

7. Everton - David Moyes

With nine top-eight finishes in his first spell, including the club’s highest Premier League position of fourth, David Moyes is arguably the ONLY man to manage Everton with any degree of relative long-term success in the modern era.

So, having successfully guided the Blues through their historic and emotional move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium, what the Glaswegian gaffer and Everton’s loyal but long-suffering supporters didn’t need from absentee owner Dan Friedkin was the chaotic and shambolic end to the summer transfer window.

Moyes was told the £35million ordered compensation payment to Burnley in June wouldn’t cut into his budget and on the eve of the new season, chief executive Angus Kinnear declared: “This window again, I think we will spend more than most of our competitors, the owners are very keen to back us.”

Yet, after a botched attempt to flog teenager Harrison Armstrong – the only Scouser in the squad – to Nottingham Forest, which was only abandoned when fans threatened to riot, Everton pocketed over £100million on deadline day with their most creative talent Iliman Ndiaye, last season’s top scorer Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson all sold, plus Adam Aznou loaned out.

Following the late collapse of the purchase of USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun from Monaco, Moyes was left with just 18 outfield players in a squad that contains a single striker, left-back and right-back. Yet after seven matches in all competitions so far this term, miraculously the Blues remain unbeaten.

Rating: 10/10

8. Hull - Sergej Jakirovic

In reality, Hull couldn't have asked for much more in the opening five games of the Premier League season.

Wins over Manchester United and Coventry gave City the perfect start, backed up by a creditable home draw with Aston Villa and a 2-2 draw at Chelsea, having led and deserved more.

Their first loss at Newcastle was largely down to a chaotic opening seven minutes where they found themselves 2-0 down. A dominant second-half performance threatened to see them get something, but they fell just short.

To have eight points from their first five, given the level of opposition, is a huge credit to the way Sergej Jakirovic has prepared his squad, all while having 17 new players arrive at various points across the summer and yet more injury strife.

Jakirovic, as expected, has taken to life in the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water, and the top flight, I'm sure, is enjoying having him around. He and Hull are a breath of fresh air.

Given his remit at the start of last season was to keep City in the Championship, something he dramatically failed in, doing similar in the Premier League this term will be his, and the Tigers', main focus.

But given their impressive start and their approach, perhaps they can look a little more optimistically at life back at the top table of English football, rather than simply finishing 17th.

City's fans worship Jakirovic, and even if they lose the five games back after the break, those supporters will remain right behind him because he's earned their trust, respect, and love for the way he's delivered so far.

You'd have to say, for a newly-promoted club that came up through the play-offs, it has to be a nine out of 10 for the start. Had they got something on Tyneside, that would have unquestionably been a 10.

Rating: 9/10

9. Newcastle - Matthias Jaissle

The German head coach arrived as a relative unknown to Newcastle fans when appointed on August 5 after the shock departure of Eddie Howe.

But he did not take long to win the Toon Army over as the Magpies showed fighting spirit from the word go and came within seconds of beating Liverpool on his managerial debut.

That was followed up with a 2-0 win at Spurs while Bournemouth were denied a win in a battling 2-2 draw on Tyneside.

The only real blip in the Premier League has been the 4-1 loss at Leeds but Newcastle showed great character to bounce back and end Hull City's unbeaten run.

With a mix of rejuvenated players showing good form that Jaissle inherited, such as Joe Willock and Lewis Hall, new signings such as Sean Steur, Lukas Hornicek and Nico Gonzalez have all delivered in a solid start with eight points taking Newcastle to ninth.

Throw in the fact Newcastle are 90 minutes away from the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a winnable tie away to Everton to come next month, this has been a positive start for the former Hoffenheim defender.

Rating: 8/10

10. Chelsea - Xabi Alonso

It was almost the perfect start for Xabi Alonso at Chelsea. The feel-good factor has been back ever since his appointment and the start to the campaign was electric in an attacking sense, but there was always a sense the performances were not sustainable.

And so that has proved. In the last three Premier League games, Chelsea's defence and midfield have been poor. The difference this time, however, is that the attack hasn't been there to bail them out.

There's a lot for Alonso to do; he needs to try and somehow find a balanced way of playing with his 3-4-3 system. A mixed start, with signs of encouragement but equally areas of concern.

Rating: 6/10

11. Ipswich - Gary O'Neil

Given they went down with a whimper the last time they were in the Premier League, Ipswich can't be anything but happy with two wins from their five games to start the season, which has them in mid-table. O'Neil is already halfway to the four wins the Tractor Boys amassed back in 2024/25.

The former Bournemouth and Wolves boss has experience of scrapping down at the bottom and has come out on the right end of those battles previously. His principles as a manager seem to lend themselves to what Ipswich are looking to achieve and, bar their loss at Old Trafford, they've not been disgraced in any game thus far.

Even in that defeat there were enough positives to hold on to and this Ipswich team look far more equipped to stay in the top flight. Their manager has to take a good chunk of credit for that.

Rating: 7/10

12. Manchester United - Michael Carrick

Life as a Premier League manager looked like a lark for Michael Carrick last season, but now that he has the Old Trafford gig permanently, he has found life much tougher in the hot seat.

United’s start to the season has been disastrous and five points from five Premier League games, four of them very winnable, has piled the pressure on. He is safe for now, but these things have a habit of escalating quickly at United.

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