Every Premier League manager in 2022-23, from Frank Lampard to Pep Guardiola - ranked

Frank Lampard nearly dragged two teams into the relegation dogfight this season. That's enough to earn bottom spot, surely? After being sacked by Everton with the Toffees languishing in the drop zone, James Corden (apparently) convinced Todd Boehly to give his mate another shot at the Chelsea job on an interim basis.

Many predicted that Lampard's return would go badly - and they have been proved right. The Blues went perilously close to failing to win any of Lampard's games in charge, with a narrow victory over Bournemouth sparing them that particular dishonour.

Although the Blues are dysfunctional on and off the pitch, their caretaker manager has done a poor job since taking over. His team selections have often been bizarre, he's failed to impart any sort of identity on his players, and he's refused to take responsibility for his failings when dealing with the media.

Going back to the Bridge was supposed to be a free hit for Lampard. However, after flopping so spectacularly, he will leave at the end of the season with his managerial reputation in the gutter.

Nathan Jones, we will never forget you. He may have essentially condemned Southampton to relegation by losing six of his seven Premier League games in charge, but he did provide a long list of all-time great press conference quotes.

Some of his greatest hits included claiming Wolves were at an advantage after being reduced to 10 men, starting beef with Havant & Waterlooville manager Paul Doswell, having a pop at his own fans after a 3-0 defeat to Brentford and boldly stating that he was the best coach in Europe during his time at Luton Town.

Oh yeah, and this beauty of course: "I could have stayed in a mining community, been a PE teacher and had a nice life, married a nice Welsh girl. I don’t. I want to test myself on every level & that’s nothing against Welsh women. I want to test myself."

Jones was scarily out of his depth at the top level. The only reason he's not bottom? Well, he stopped Man City romping to a potential quadruple by knocking them out of the Carabao Cup!

Steve Davis provided Wolves with the anti-new-manager bounce this season. Drafted in as a short-term solution when Bruno Lage was let go, Davis ended up staying in the dugout until the World Cup break. He only managed one Premier League victory - when his side squeaked past Nottingham Forest courtesy of a Ruben Neves penalty - with a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Leicester marking a particular low point.

In short, Davis showed little to suggest he belongs in the Premier League, which is probably why Nantwich Town, Crewe Alexandra and Leyton Orient are the other clubs on his managerial CV.

The thing that irked Leicester fans so much about Brendan Rodgers wasn't necessarily the Foxes' poor results. Instead, it was his complete inability to hide the fact that he had grown tired of life at the King Power Stadium that really wrangled.

Rodgers was sacked with his previously top-four contending side deep in the relegation mire. His poor recruitment and odd selection decisions were a big reason why.

Although he worked wonders in the East Midlands before it unravelled, his final months as Leicester manager were properly grim. Simply put, that squad of players should have been doing better and Rodgers must shoulder a significant portion of the blame for their abject failure.

Dean Smith had one simple task: keep a squad blessed with the talents of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes and more in the Premier League. He could still do it, but Leicester will need results on the final day to go their way.

It's difficult to identify a single player that has improved since the former Norwich boss came in and defensively, the Foxes remained a shambles prior to their backs against the wall 0-0 draw with Newcastle. Overall then, not great, and there's little chance of him being hired permanently at the end of the season.

Graham Potter's bright start at Brighton is enough to keep from the very bottom of his list, with the Englishman leading the Seagulls to four wins in their first six games. He always seemed like an odd fit for Chelsea, though, and so it proved.

Weighed down by a completely bonkers recruitment strategy, Potter will be remembered as the least successful Blues boss of the modern era. Lasting just seven months at the helm, his time in charge yielded just seven Premier League wins in 22 games, with Chelsea failing to score in nine of those matches. The only saving grace for Potter is that his reputation has been partly salvaged by Lampard also completely failing to get a tune from the same squad.

Steven Gerrard came to Aston Villa with aspirations of proving himself worthy of the Liverpool job one day. Mission not accomplished then, with the former Rangers boss having been shown the exit door after 11 games this season. An embarassing 3-0 defeat to Fulham proved to be the final straw, with Gerrard sacked 90 minutes after full-time.

Overall, it was a pretty underwhelming spell. He failed to give Villa an identity and propel them towards the European spots, despite significant financial backing. Like with several other managers on this list, the ease with which his successor has been able to improve the team is another blot on Gerrard's record.

Scott Parker has had a strange season. After guiding Bournemouth to the Premier League, he used every opportunity possible to moan about their lack of summer recruitment, before pulling a shock opening-day victory over Aston Villa out of the bag.

That was a good as it got, though, with Manchester City and Arsenal smashing a combined seven goals past the Cherries in Parker's next two games. His final act was overseeing a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. In his post-match interview after that drubbing, he seemed to suggest Bournemouth simply did not have the quality to compete in the Premier League, a prediction which proved to be hopelessly wide of the mark.

To add insult to injury, Bournemouth is not the only club that have sacked Parker this season. The ex-England international was also binned off by Club Brugge in March.

After a few months in the footballing wilderness following a spell with Al Sadd, Javi Gracia suddenly appeared at Elland Road, replacing the sacked Jesse Marsch. His appointment wasn't greeted with much enthusiasm, but a fairly promising start to his reign raised expectations a tad.

Then, the batterings started. 4-1 against Arsenal, 5-1 against Crystal Palace and 6-1 against Liverpool. A 4-1 hammering at the hands of Bournemouth finally spelled the end of Gracia's reign, and it's unlikely we'll see him back in the Premier League any time soon.

Appointing Ruben Selles always seemed like the 'cheap option' for Southampton. Brought in to shake up Ralph Hasenhuttl's backroom staff at the beginning of the season, the Austrian's sacking, followed by that of Jones, gave Selles an opportunity at the top job.

His St Mary's stint wasn't all bad, with Southampton picking up impressive, if somewhat fortuitous, victories over Chelsea and Leicester as well as draws away at Arsenal and Manchester United, but things soon unravelled.

Some of his selections attracted the ire of Saints fans, but it's hard to be too harsh on Selles. There just was not enough experience and quality in his ranks to mount a serious fight against relegation.

There was a lot of noise after Leeds pressed the Big Sam button in April. In the end, though, his reign was only ever going to be judged on one key criteria: keeping the Whites in the Premier League.

Defeat to West Ham has taken their fate out of their own hands, and although a final-date victory over Tottenham could still see them safe, it seems pretty likely that they'll be playing in the Championship next season.

Back-to-back relegations for Allardyce, then. Perhaps it's time to focus on his broadcasting career full-time. He could even throw in a few nightclub appearances. We'd pay to see that.

Ryan Mason has made no secret of his desire to take the Tottenham job permanently. On the evidence of this season, though, Spurs would be fools to hand him the reins this summer. A run of one win in his first five games decisively ended their Champions League hopes and they could even go without European football entirely next season.

There is the caveat that getting a Conte-ball team to play in a different way would be a challenge for any manager - let alone one who's aged just 31. Even still, Mason does not seem quite ready to take on a job as big as Spurs.

Wolves really don't have much luck on the striker front. They finally hoped to have solved these issues when they splashed £15 million on Sasa Kalajdzic ($18.8m) in the summer - only for the Austrian to suffer a season-ending ACL injury on the opening day.

This was a blow from which Bruno Lage never really recovered. Wolves likely deserved more than the one win Lage led them to during their opening nine games, but he simply could not inspire more fluidity in the final third and was rightly shown the door in October.

Few managers' stock has dropped as dramatically as Ralph Hasenhuttl's over the past few seasons. Once tipped for the Chelsea job, he was sacked as Southampton manager in November with his team marooned in the relegation zone, after the malaise that began to set in at the end of the 2021-22 campaign bled into the current season.

In defence of Hasenhuttl, Southampton's risky recruitment strategy of exclusively signing young players has made it difficult for the Saints to keep pace with the rest of the Premier League. He cannot be fully absolved of blame, though, and perhaps should have gone in the summer to give him and the club a fresh start.

Jesse Marsch is a character that sparks plenty of debate among Premier League fans. He deserves credit for picking up the pieces from Marcelo Bielsa's high-profile departure and guiding the Whites to safety last season, but there's less to be impressed with when examining his record for the 2022-23 campaign.

In his defence, Leeds did lose their two best players in the summer, Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips. However, this provided Marsch with the funds to shape the squad in his image, and he swooped for Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Wilfried Gnoto and Brenden Aaronson.

Despite these signings, Leeds never got going after a three-game unbeaten start. The football was far worse to watch than under Bielsa too, which did not endear him to the fans at all. Overall, it was hardly a surprise that he was sacked. Leeds no longer got blown away by teams under Marsch, but they also didn't blow teams away themselves.

When your supporters are sick to the back teeth of one manager, perhaps appointing his mini-me assistant is not the best idea. However, that did not stop Tottenham turning to Cristian Stellini when Antonio Conte was given his marching orders in March.

It went exactly as expected really. The football didn't change, but the results got worse, culminating in a pathetic 6-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle. The Spurs fans who travelled to St James' Park had their tickets refunded, and Stellini paid with his job.

Privately at least, Todd Boehly seems to be admitting that he made a mistake in getting rid of Thomas Tuchel. The German may not have made a perfect start, losing to Leeds and Southampton, but the 10 points he acquired from his six games went a long way to keeping Chelsea away from the humiliation of a genuine relegation battle this season.

The sacking didn't hurt Tuchel's reputation anyway, as he walked straight into the Bayern Munich job after Julian Nagelsmann's sacking in March. That's not going very well either, by the way...

Everton were in pretty dire straits when Lampard was sacked, and Sean Dyche's arrival has at least offered the Toffees some hope of Premier League survival heading into the final day. 'The Ginger Mourinho' has a comfortably better points-per-game ratio than his predecessor and likely would have kept his side in the top-flight if installed at the beginning of the season.

Unsurprisingly, Dyche has made Everton's defence far more solid, but has been let down by a harrowing lack of options up front thanks to some poor recruitment and Dominic Calvert-Lewin's injury struggles. If they do go down, the blame should not be wholly laid at his door.

Patrick Vieira's sacking as Crystal Palace manager split opinion when it was confirmed back in March. The performances leading up to his dismissal were absolutely dire, with the Eagles going 196 minutes without a shot on target at one point, but he had previously done a good job developing the team's style into something more progressive.

Those positive changes stalled this season, though, with Vieira getting nowhere near enough out of the likes of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard. In the end, it was best for all parties that he moved on, even if he would have likely kept them up if given the rest of the season.

Perhaps the most divisive manager on this list, it's far easier to defend Antonio Conte's Tottenham record if you weren't forced to watch his football every week. Looking solely at the results, Conte probably performed around par - Spurs were firmly in the top-four hunt when he left.

However, on-field results were not what made him so unpopular with sections of the Spurs faithful. The constant digs at the club in the media were a bitter pill to swallow, as were his odd selection decisions and overtly negative football. In the end, it was a blessing for all parties that this toxic marriage was cut short.

It's been an eventful season for David Moyes. At times, West Ham supporters were calling for his head, but in a stunning turnaround, he could now end the season by leading the club to Europa Conference League glory.

The Hammers' main problem this season has been a lack of goals, with summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca flopping badly. There was also a perception that Moyes' conservative style was holding the club back.

These concerns are still bubbling away in the background, but at the moment the Scot is on top of the world. One more victory over Fiorentina and Moyes will go down as a West Ham legend, and the club deserve credit for keeping the faith when so many around them were pulling the trigger - to mixed results.

After an early-season stutter, there were rumblings of discontent about Jurgen Klopp for the first time since he took over at Anfield. His refusal to deviate from his high-octane style, despite lacking the personnel to carry it out effectively, led to several crushing defeats this campaign.

Although things have improved more recently, these wobbles mean the Reds will not savour Champions League football next season. Players coming back from injury and back into form is a big reason for the turnaround, but Klopp's clever tweaking of Trent Alexander-Arnold's role provided a reminder of why the German is one of the best of all time.

Julen Lopetegui made Wolves wait for him, initially rejecting their advances before agreeing to take over at Molineux just before the World Cup. He arrived with Wanderers rooted to the bottom of the table and the Spaniard has orchestrated a steady rise up the standings since then.

A winter recruitment drive, which included the signings of Pablo Sarabia, Matheus Cunha and Mario Lemina, helped their cause, and they've ended up surviving comfortably. Lopetegui has performed about as well as expected so far, but there will be an expectation that his squad pushes on considerably next season, presuming he remains in charge.

If you'd have offered Erik ten Hag a trophy - and a shot at a second - as well as Champions League qualification at the beginning of the season, he surely would have taken it.

The feeling around Manchester United is like night and day from the doldrums of the Ralf Rangnick era too. For the first time in years, there is genuine hope that United can end their wait for a Premier League trophy before the sun consumes the Earth.

Some of Ten Hag's biggest wins include getting Marcus Rashford back to his best, ridding the club of Cristiano Ronaldo's disruptive influence and making Old Trafford a fortress again. United were criticised for spurning Antonio Conte in favour of the Dutchman, but that appears to have been the right choice.

In March, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish called up a grizzled, 75-year-old escape artist for one final job. Roy Hodgson answered the call and has completed the task with ease, much to the delight of the fanbase who he favoured waving to over his own supporters when Watford were relegated at Selhurst Park last season.

What has made Hodgson's return so interesting is that he's got Palace over the line in style. Eze and Olise have both thrived under him, something that Vieira never quite managed - even when things were going well.

Palace scored five against Leeds, four against West Ham and have only lost twice since Hodgson took over. No wonder they're thinking about giving him another year.

Steve Cooper must have felt like Nottingham Forest's board were rooting against him at times this season. Just when the team had settled following their 1,000 summer signings, the Trees felt it necessary to add another seven players to Cooper's squad in January.

With this chaos swirling like a tornado in the background, the Welshman was tasked with getting enough points to keep Forest in the Premier League this season. For a long time, it seemed like they wouldn't get there, but Cooper has discovered a winning formula in the final stages of the season.

Victory over Arsenal, which made sure of their survival while ending the Premier League title race, was the flexible tactician's crowning moment. Things will be easier next campaign and as long as Cooper continues to be backed, Forest could trouble the top half under his guidance.

There's been no second-season syndrome for Brentford and Thomas Frank this campaign, with the Bees smashing their points tally from the previous year. They could still even sneak into Europe if results go their way on the final day.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Frank is that his side's success isn't even much of a surprise anymore. Brentford are very much part of the furniture in the Premier League, slaying teams with much larger budgets regularly.

The Dane will surely be offered a bigger job in the not-so-distant future, and the Bees will be doing everything in their power to convince him his ambitions can be matched in west London.

Fulham are officially no longer a yo-yo club - and Marco Silva is a big reason why. The Cottagers recruited extremely well in the summer and have been rewarded handsomely this season. They even went close to breaking into Europe before a mini-wobble ended their chances.

The 2022-23 campaign has been redemptive for Silva. After failing at Hull and Everton - and leaving Watford under a black cloud - he's finally enjoyed a season of celebration in the Premier League. Maintaining these high standards will be tough, but another good season would earn Silva a move to one of English football's big boys.

Getting a tune out of another manager's players is one of the hardest things in football - unless you're Unai Emery. Emery's decision to depart Champions League-chasing Villarreal for Aston Villa caused a bit of a stir, but his choice has been vindicated.

Using players almost exclusively recruited before his time at the club, the Spaniard has taken Villa from relegation danger right the way into top-six consideration. Although they look likely to fall just short of Europa League qualification - which would have meant a guaranteed trophy now Emery is in charge - replicate the 1.92 points per game they have recorded since he took over next season and they'll be in very good shape.

Newcastle's top-four finish this season is a fine example of the difference that the right manager can make at a football club. Yes, there has been significant investment since the Saudi-backed takeover, but few were expecting the Magpies to develop as quickly as this.

Howe was previously an exponent of a pretty open style, as evidence by Bournemouth's underwhelming defensive record during his time in charge. However, he has clearly taken a lot of lessons from his time shadowing Diego Simeone, with Newcastle earning their label as the Premier League's kings of the dark arts this season.

They are so hard to break down and have every trick in the book to eat up the clock once they have a lead. In transition they can be devastating too, as Tottenham discovered in April. Prior to this season, there were doubts over whether Howe was the man to take the club to the next level. There are no such concerns now, and he will be handed a war chest to continue his progress this summer.

Without Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, there simply would not have been a Premier League title race this season. And while the Gunners would eventually go out with a whimper, Arteta deserves all the plaudits coming his way for definitively ended the club's 'banter era'.

At times it has been tough for both club and fans to trust the process. For once, though, in an increasingly throw-away football culture, Arsenal have been rewarded for sticking by their man.

They still have the youngest squad in the Premier League too, meaning there is plenty of time for Arteta's charges to reach the summit of English football. Until then, he hasn't quite done enough to take number-one spot on this list.

Roberto De Zerbi has burst into the Premier League with all the frenzied energy of a Tasmanian devil and transformed Brighton into one of the most entertaining teams in Europe. After Potter left them high and dry, the Seagulls needed a hero and the hair-gel scented Italian proved to be their salvation.

It's not just been the change in style that has been so impressive - De Zerbi's football has got results too. Not only did Brighton beat a string of more lavishly-funded teams to European football, they also went within a penalty shootout of reaching the FA Cup final. It's little wonder that there are clubs queueing up to tempt him away from the Amex this summer.

Five Premier League titles in six years. This is what happens when a football genius is given the perfect conditions to go to work.

Manchester City being on course for a treble may seem inevitable now, but the truth is a lot more nuanced than that. After City fell 2-0 down against Tottenham back in January, Guardiola publicly questioned the club's desire to continue winning trophies - even if they eventually escaped with a 4-2 victory. “I want a reaction for all the [football] club, all the organisation, not just the players. The staff, everyone,” Guardiola said.

This was far from the only moment the Premier League title seemed to be slipping away either. But in the end, the unstoppable City juggernaut came through, putting together a stunning winning streak to end the season.

There is, of course, a rather glaring asterisk next to this season's trophy - as well as all of the honours Guardiola has toasted since arriving at the Etihad. That being the numerous charges City are facing for breaching financial rules.

Tellingly, City have not lost since those potential breaches were reported, with Guardiola cultivating an 'us-against-them' mentality within the squad. Regardless of whether they are right to feel this way, their manager's ability to use every method possible to maximise his side's effectiveness is indicative of his god-given talent.

For the purposes of the article we canvassed every Premier League pundit on the planet - and not a single one predicted Bournemouth to stay up. They were laughed at for their lacklustre summer recruitment and Parker's belief that they were doomed was shared by the majority of onlookers.

Gary O'Neil was initially seen as a stop-gap - a short-term solution until something better came along. However, after talks with Marcelo Bielsa fell through and O'Neil only lost four of his first 12 games, he was handed the role permanently.

Key to his success during this early period was his organisational skills. Moving to a compact 4-2-3-1 stemmed the flow of goals conceded, while in January the right attacking signings were made to give O'Neil more ways to hurt the opposition.

He has come out of nowhere, but Bournemouth may have just stumbled upon a top-class manager. It'll be fascinating to see what he does next with this team.