Not rare in the Premier League are interim managers. Yet, they are typically employed by teams on the edge of relegation that have little choice but to replace managers mid-season.
Sam Allardyce, for instance, has a propensity for arriving late and rescuing teams from the verge of relegation. In contrast, the majority of exceptional managers like to join a campaign before it begins.
This permits them to add players to their roster, dismiss ineffective players, and implement their strategy during the preseason.
From Di Matteo to Dalglish, these are the top caretaker managers in the Premier League.
While being less prevalent than their counterparts in the bottom half of the table, a few caretaker managers have achieved success at England’s top clubs. In the majority of situations, however, short-term success results in a permanent position, which does not look to end well.
Yet, here are five interim Premier League managers who have recently enjoyed success:
Number 5: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
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The December 2018 appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim manager of Manchester United was viewed with suspicion.
After a dismal tenure as manager of Cardiff City, during which he guided the team to relegation, few predicted Solskjaer’s success in the Premier League.
OGS, on the other hand, astonished the naysayers with its explosive beginning. He became the first Manchester United manager to win his first six games in charge since the legendary Matt Busby.
Solskjaer has been crowned Premier League Manager of the Month for January 2019 after The Red Devils earned ten out of twelve points in his first full month as a manager.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was named Manchester United’s permanent manager after their Champions League victory against Paris Saint-Germain. He signed the contract despite failing to win a title with the club despite winning 14 of his 19 games as interim manager.
Number 4: Kenny Dalglish
Legendary Premier League and Liverpool player Kenny Dalglish are one of the game’s all-time greats.
From 1985 to 1991, he was a member of The Reds and enjoyed enormous success. Dalglish, who began as an interim player-manager, guided The Reds to their first-ever “double” by capturing the league championship and FA Cup.
After that, he became a permanent member of the Liverpool squad, where he won many league championships and FA Cups. Three times, Dalglish was also named Manager of the Year.
After Liverpool fired Roy Hodgson in January 2011, he returned as temporary manager, over 20 years after his previous stint.
Dalglish was eventually offered a three-year contract with Liverpool, but he stayed there for only one year. In 2011-12, under his leadership, Liverpool FC won the League Cup for the first time in six years. In 2012, Liverpool also advanced to the FA Cup final.
Liverpool’s eighth-place result in the Premier League and failure to qualify for the Champions League led to Dalglish’s dismissal after the 2011-12 season.
Number 3: Rafael Benitez
Due to his past in the league, Blues fans never embraced Rafa Benitez’s hiring as manager of Premier League-leading Chelsea. Yet, after succeeding Roberto Di Matteo in London in November 2012, the former Liverpool manager had a successful, albeit peculiar, season.
Benitez led Chelsea to a third-place Premier League finish and a spot in the UEFA Champions League despite a negative greeting from the club’s fans. Under Rafael Benitez, Chelsea advanced to the FA Cup semifinals, fell in the FIFA Club World Cup final, and won the Europa League.
Benitez departed after the 2012-13 season, having announced his departure in January. His stint as interim manager at Chelsea turned out to be a quick and fruitful one.
Number 2: Guus Hiddink
One of the game’s all-time greats, Guus Hiddink, had a lengthy playing career before beginning a 34-year management career.
After two excellent periods as the temporary manager of Chelsea, the Dutchman never received a permanent role. After the Blues fired Luiz Felipe Scolari late in the 2008-2009 season, he took over for the first time. Hiddink arrived in February while concurrently serving as Russia’s national manager.
During his initial four-month term as Chelsea’s caretaker manager, the club lost only one game. They defeated Liverpool before losing to Barcelona in the semifinals by away goals. In 2009, the Blues placed third in the Premier League and won the FA Cup.
Although moving to Russia after the 2008-2009 season, Hiddink returned to Stamford Bridge in December 2015. After firing Jose Mourinho and sitting in the 16th position in the Premier League rankings, Chelsea was in disarray.
Hiddink led the club to tenth position, a six-place improvement, and set a Premier League record for the longest unbeaten streak by a new manager (12 games). He departed once more at the end of the season.
Number 1: Roberto Di Matteo
Given that Chelsea has recruited 15 managers in the past 15 years, the presence of a third Blues manager on this list is not surprising. The fact that Roman Abramovich’s managerial merry-go-round appears to be working is astonishing!
By keeping the ship afloat, some temporary managers seek to land a permanent roles. Others hope to place among the top four. In contrast, Di Matteo was given a permanent position after winning the Champions League.
What followed was nothing short of astonishing. After playing at Chelsea from 1996 to 2002, he was appointed interim manager in March 2012. Late in the season, the Premier League club sacked manager Andre Villas-Boas.
In 2012, Chelsea won the FA Cup after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 and Liverpool in the final. After stunning Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, they defeated Bayern Munich to win the 2012 Champions League.
The situation rapidly deteriorated. Di Matteo was fired after Chelsea was eliminated from the group stage of the Champions League. As interim spells go, however, it was the stuff of dreams.
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