Ruben Amorim handed major warning during international break as Premier League owners influence Ratcliffe’s next move
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is inclined to follow Daniel Levy, so Ruben Amorim, who has barely survived one international break, could be caught in the trap of another.
International breaks are generally interpreted as negative news for managers who are under pressure.
That week or so when players are sent around the world to represent their country can be the most dangerous period for struggling coaches if Premier League executives’ trigger fingers only get itchier the longer they are permitted to think about such decisions. Steve Bruce used to have restless nights because of it.
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Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim at Nottingham Forest and Manchester United seem to be most affected by that feeling, while Vitor Pereira may not be too keen to check his business emails before Wolves get back together.
But are Premier League manager’s international breaks really that dangerous? And what is it about them that makes chairman anxious to obtain the phone number of a specific Italian? Claudio Ranieri may soon be dragged out of retirement by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
Was fired during the international break in September 2025 Regarding a “shocking” performance against West Ham that “didn’t help things,” Nuno Espirito Santo stated, “We are going to speak because there are things to address,” in reference to his impending confrontation with owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Since then, it has been suggested that such discussions never happened because Marinakis was so angry at Nuno for disclosing their relationship’s disintegration and problems with the new Global Head of Football Edu that the irascible Greek had already made up his mind.
How is it going? Nuno quickly secured a job at West Ham, and after starting with seven games without a win, his replacement, Ange Postecoglou, is the front-runner in the Premier League sack race. Not very good, then.
Antonio Conte (Tottenham)
He departed Tottenham with mutual consent.Six days into the March 2023 international break
The length of time was the only unexpected aspect. In his last news conference as Spurs manager, Conte methodically destroyed any connections to north London and possibly the Premier League altogether, to the point where Daniel Levy needed a week to fully process the insults.
After England defeated Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying with an early goal from Harry Kane, the chairman finally answered with a 111-word statement that pretended the Italian’s departure was in any way “mutual.”
The captain was treated as collateral damage, just like everyone else, after the Spurs striker’s inevitable goal in the draw with Southampton set off Conte’s final, tantrum-inducing outburst.
It was not a sudden development. Conte, as is his everlasting legal obligation, had been growing increasingly tetchy over previous weeks.
Spurs were theoretically still in the running to qualify for the Champions League, but they lost to AC Milan in the round of 16 and were eliminated from the FA Cup by Sheffield United of the Championship in the lead-up to the Southampton match.
They were ahead 3-1 at St Mary’s by the 76th minute, but they drew after a spectacular collapse that ended with a penalty kick from James Ward-Prowse in stoppage time.
Their form was terrible, their relationship was strained, and the international break gave them a chance to start over.
They also had the chance to name Conte’s assistant as his replacement, Cristian Stellini, who was fired after four games as interim manager after a 6-1 loss to Newcastle, but at least he was able to depart without letting go of every former, current, and prospective club employee.
Claudio Ranieri (Watford)
Fired three days into the January 2022 international break, Ranieri’s 16-week, 14-game reign at Vicarage Road set a record for absurdity in the antepenultimate position of a dazzling managerial career.
They gave up four goals or more in four games and were unable to maintain a clean sheet.
The Italian’s opening game against Liverpool may have been the poorest team performance in Premier League history. He lost to Norwich 3-0 in his most recent encounter.
However, his two victories—5-2 against Everton and 4-1 over Manchester United—were impressive and gave him at least mathematical chance of surviving, something that was never going to happen in real life.
At the very least, Ranieri enjoyed greater popularity than both his predecessor and his successor.
Xisco Munoz (Watford)
He was fired one day before the October 2021 international break. Ten months into his tenure, Watford fired Munoz not twenty-four hours after a 1-0 loss to Leeds that goalie and captain Ben Foster called “a battering.”
Watford saw “a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving.” After defeating Aston Villa, the Hornets were in 14th place with seven points from as many games.
How many managers would they fire to revert to such “a negative trend” four years later? More. There’s always more to answer.
Munoz’s 41 games as manager of Slovakian top division team Dunajska Streda still stand as his longest coaching tenure.
His stints at Huesca, Anorthosis, Sheffield Wednesday, and Ohor Darul Ta’zim hardly indicate Watford made a grave mistake in firing the manager who had just earned automatic promotion.
Ranieri was quickly put in place, but he only lasted until January before Roy Hodgson took over.
Hodgson barely made it until May when Watford was relegated to the Premier League, a setback from which they have yet to recoup.
Munoz’s 41 games as manager of Slovakian top division team Dunajska Streda still stand as his longest coaching tenure. His stints at Huesca, Anorthosis, Sheffield Wednesday, and Ohor Darul Ta’zim hardly indicate Watford made a grave mistake in firing the manager who had just earned automatic promotion.
Ranieri was quickly put in place, but he only lasted until January before Roy Hodgson took over. Hodgson barely made it until May when Watford was relegated to the Premier League, a setback from which they have yet to recoup.
Daniel Farke (Norwich)
The Canaries told Farke that he would be left in the coalmine just minutes after completing post-match media duties after defeating Brentford.
The decision to fire Farke had reportedly been made on the morning of the game, regardless of the outcome.
Norwich was at the bottom of the table after a run of two draws, three goals scored, and eight defeats in their first ten games; they remained rooted to the bottom of the table even after the Brentford victory.
Farke was fired by Norwich approximately one minute into the November 2021 international break. Farke was one of the very few Premier League managers to be fired after winning their final game.
However, the timing was odd. Norwich appeared determined to shatter even the illusion of an hour’s worth of long-overdue optimism, even though the international break was an inherent momentum killer.
Dean Smith, who won his first game but only three of the next 26 as Norwich finished exactly where they were when Farke was fired, was brought in after they spent nine more days in vain trying to sign Frank Lampard.
Dean Smith (Aston Villa)
Smith was fired two days into the November 2021 international break, which was partially due to the fact that the manager they finally decided on was busy getting fired in the interim.
He was sacked after five straight losses, the most recent of which was against Southampton.
He’s still the only manager to play the same opponent twice in the same Premier League season, but with different clubs; Norwich defeated Saints two weeks later, and Smith went on to force three separate firings later in the season.
Villa undoubtedly took a risk, and many believed Smith had been treated unfairly, especially in light of Jack Grealish’s sale the previous summer.
However, it appeared like they made the right decision when they signed Steven Gerrard from Rangers, who instantly oversaw an increase in performances and results.
Those wheels quickly fell off and Gerrard did not last a year. To be fair to Villa, they performed satisfactorily at their subsequent appointment.
Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham)
Levy has a tendency to let things simmer before bringing them to a head. In the official statement announcing his departure from Pochettino after five and a half years together, the chairman stated that “it is not a decision the board have taken lightly, nor in haste.”
The dug-out debut of Jose Mourinho in a thrilling victory that hinted at a generational manager-player link-up with Dele came more than a week after Spurs broke up for international duty after a 1-1 home draw with Sheffield United, which had raised the rumour that Pochettino would face a “make-or-break” match upon his return.
A few months prior, Pochettino had led his team to a Champions League final after a season in which no new players were added.
Although some relationships had irrevocably fallen apart, and the team’s trajectory was clearly in decline after they were defeated 7–2 at home by Bayern Munich.
Javi Gracia (Watford)
Watford fired him seven days into the September 2019 international break The law of averages says that Watford would have fired most international break Premier League managers.
The evidence is in the P45-based pudding that was served to a series of coaches at Vicarage Road.
Although Gracia had led the Hornets to the FA Cup final and an 11th-place finish in 2019, there was a flaw in those seemingly solid foundations: Watford lost seven of their final 11 games at the end of the Premier League sea.
It was a warning they disregarded in the summer, as Gracia was given permission to manage Watford through three losses and one draw in the first month before the international break gave them a chance to regroup.
Gracia was sacked, Quique Sanchez Flores was brought in, Sanchez Flores was fired, Nigel Pearson was fired, and Watford accepted relegation under Hayden Mullins’ leadership.
Due to their absurdity, Watford has reappointed Gracia in the midst of the October 2025 international break.
Slavisa Jokanovic (Fulham)
Jokanovic’s longest tenure as manager by approximately a year came to an abrupt end when Fulham attempted to stop a relentless decline back to the Championship.
The Cottagers spent a small fortune in the summer, including £15 million on Alfie Mawson for as many Premier League appearances in four years.
A powder keg partnership with the club was always liable to explode, and a 2-0 loss to title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield just so happened to light a fuse which would have burned eventually. He was fired by Fulham three days into the November 2018 international break.
Relegation-bound Fulham chased Arsene Wenger in a spectacular display of ambition before swiftly conceding defeat. Ranieri was introduced as Jokanovic’s replacement in the same statement that announced his dismissal. His most recent retirement would likely be revoked if Manchester United called.
