Phillip Buckley


The sacking of Mark Hughes as Manchester City manager comes as no surprise. In truth, Hughes has been a dead man walking for quite some time, strangely reminiscent perhaps of Claudio Ranieri during the final year of his Chelsea reign. And just as Ranieri held his position with dignity as letters addressed to someone else landed in his pigeon hole, so has Hughes.

The sight of Roberto Mancini watching the action unfold at Eastlands was uncalled for and without class. Yet perhaps City’s oil-fuelled overlords have just done what needed to be done, and what, despite the same pressing need, is so unlikely to be done at top four rivals Liverpool.

Hughes’ supporters will point to a job reasonably well done and also bemoan the timing of their man’s sacking. City are safely through to the last four of the League Cup – where they will enjoy a mouth-watering two-legged clash with local rivals Manchester United – and are just six points off the top four, in sixth. Not the end of the world by any means, and with fixtures against Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers to come in their next three league games, it is not beyond the realms of reason that come mid-January the club could be in the fabled Champions League spots. Surely this was no time to panic?

Yet January is the crucial point here. When the window arrives City have the opportunity to make a number of signings which could define their season. Whilst the statement the club issued spoke of a run of two wins in 11 Premier League being "not in line with the targets that were agreed and set", it must be the fast approaching January which has forced their hand. Hughes was not trusted to spend wisely. A transfer window and requests for the release of funds always concentrates owners’ minds, even ones from Abu Dhabi.

Whilst two wins in 11 Premier League games has not been good enough for City, down the M62 Rafael Benitez is presiding over a run of three wins in 11 Premier League games. Better than Hughes, but not by much, and there is no cup semi-final to look forward to on Merseyside.

At Anfield there is an even greater need for a top four finish given not just the financial implications of an absence of Champions League football, but perhaps more for the impression that this will create around the club. Liverpool’s American owners have the personal cash to absorb a season outside the Champions League, even without sacrificing a top player – though many believe Javier Mascherano will move to Barcelona for around €30M in the summer. More of a problem is the lack of any transfer fund this will give Benitez, or the new manager, and the simple fact that being outside the Champions League is less attractive to potential signings and investors alike.

But where Manchester City can be seen to be acting decisively to try and give their club a boost and secure a top four spot, Liverpool are fiddling whilst Anfield burns, burdened by the weight of history which makes sacking a manager, let alone calling for their head, a heinous crime. Indeed, one of the reasons Benitez spurned a move to Besiktas amongst other clubs, in favour of Anfield in 2004, was the five-year contract on offer. That having been renewed last season there is little chance the Spanish coach will walk, making a forceable removal an expensive business.

And whilst new managers at other clubs often have only tinkering and a good team talk to do – see Chelsea and Guus Hiddink last season – Liverpool’s writ in stone trust in whoever occupies the dugout often means a new incumbent finds a scorched earth when walking through the Shankly Gates. Instead of by-pass surgery a new heart is needed.

Whether Man City have done the right thing in parting company with Mark Hughes, replacing him with the ex-Inter boss Roberto Mancini, remains to be seen. But they have acted. They have moved to make a difference. At Liverpool it is a familiar formula and a bunker mentality that has firmly taken hold. To stay firm or to make a change? That is a decision to give chairmen sleepless nights. In the push for the top four City have rolled their dice whilst Liverpool grip theirs firmly, hoping for a turnaround.

January will be an interesting month.

 

  Latest Features: