Three Premier League relegation contenders have recently changed managers, likely impacting the survival battle significantly.
Premier League Market
Odds
Leicester To Be Relegated
Wolves vs Man Utd – Wolves To Win
Southampton To Be Relegated
Odds courtesy of Parimatch. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change
Leicester
The Foxes were the first to pull the trigger when they sacked Steve Cooper at the end of November. The former Nottingham Forest boss spent just five months as Leicester’s manager, despite the club being two points above the bottom three at the time.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy was the man chosen to replace Cooper. The Dutchman’s stint as interim manager of Manchester United grabbed plenty of attention, but is Ruud well-equipped for a relegation battle? His only other managerial experience came at PSV Eindhoven, who were title challengers in the Eredivisie.
Things started well for Van Nistelrooy. His Leicester side beat West Ham 3-1 in his first game in charge and they followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Brighton. However, they have lost their last two games against Newcastle and Wolves respectively, conceding seven goals and scoring none. The Foxes have also faced a barrage of shots. Their opponents are averaging 20.5 attempts per game with Ruud in charge. Just like when the Dutchman came in, Leicester were two points above the drop zone. With Liverpool up next, they could well fall behind their rivals.
Wolves
Wolves are the most optimistic about avoiding relegation. They finished 14th last season and were never in any danger of going down. The Old Gold also have a supremely talented squad and an attack that can do real damage.
Gary O’Neil was relieved of his duties ahead of the game against Leicester. The ex-Bournemouth boss was praised for the way his team played last season. However, their league standing and worrying stats this season led to his departure. Wolves have the second-lowest xG in the Premier League with 18.7. They’ve also conceded 40 goals, the most in the division.
Vitor Periera has been brought in from Al Shabab and it’s safe to say he made a dream start. Wolves made the most of their chances as they secured a 3-0 win at the King Power Stadium. A win over Manchester United on Boxing Day could potentially see them move out of the bottom three for the first time this season.
Ruben Amorim’s side have lost their last two competitive matches, conceding seven goals in the process. The Red Devils are low on confidence coming into this one, so it’s a good opportunity for Wolves to cause a bit of an upset.
Southampton
The Saints are in the most precarious position and the bookmakers are giving them next to no chance of survival. Russel Martin guided them to promotion via the playoffs last season, but the manager failed to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.
Ivan Juric is the man who has been given the difficult task of keeping Southampton in England’s top flight. The Croatian has already been hired and fired by Roma this season, however, he has previously done well in Serie A. Last season, his Torino side conceded the fourth-fewest goals in the league with 36. Additionally, they also scored the fourth-fewest goals.
Scoring goals has been a big problem for Southampton. They are averaging just 0.65 goals per game this season, 0.23 fewer than Everton, who are the second-lowest scoring side in the division. The Saints are currently nine points from Premier League safety.