After Amorim and Maresca, Who Will Be the Next Victim?

Imagine what it feels like if the coach of your favorite team drinks from a glass bearing the logo of a rival team, especially when that team is not even involved in the match? That is the sentiment of Tottenham Hotspur fans towards coach Thomas Frank, who was caught holding a glass with the Arsenal logo.

A photo has caused a stir on social media ahead of the Tottenham versus Bournemouth match on Thursday (8/1/2026). Frank appears to be smiling broadly while holding a glass with the Arsenal logo. As is known, Tottenham and Arsenal, both hailing from North London, are fierce rivals.

Frank clarified the incident after the match. "I was completely unaware of it. It would be very foolish of me to accept it if I had known. It is somewhat sad in the world of football that I have to be asked about this. I would never do something that foolish," he stated.

The negative sentiment of Tottenham fans towards Frank has intensified. Following the match that ended in Tottenham's defeat, the away supporters jeered at the coach. They are dissatisfied with various aspects of Frank's leadership, particularly the trend of poor results.

"Si Lili Putih," the nickname for Tottenham, is currently in 14th place after 21 weeks have passed. This position is exactly the same as their achievement at the same time last season, when it was still under Ange Postecoglou. Frank was recruited in the summer to improve upon Postecoglou's performance.

Even more concerning, Cristian Romero and his teammates have only won 2 out of 12 league matches since November. They have the fourth-worst record during that period, only better than the mediocre team Bournemouth and the two teams in the relegation zone, Burnley and Wolverhampton.

Frank is already on the brink of dismissal just seven months after taking office. Not only the results, but Tottenham's performance has also been unconvincing. He was appointed to create a more balanced team play. Under Postecoglou's era, they have been playing too offensively, which often backfires.

As a result, with Frank in the team, Tottenham have become more cautious in attack. According to Squawka, they've only attempted 11 through balls all season, even less than Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton's 12.

Tottenham also occupies the bottom five positions in the league in many attacking aspects. Ranging from xG or expected goals (20.53) to the number of shots (214). They are considered fortunate to have scored 30 goals so far. This has been aided by an excellent shot conversion rate, reaching 14.02 percent, which is the third best in the league.

Frank stated that they actually want to be more offensive. However, they do not have the players needed for that. "I think it is fair to say that we may be slightly lacking the best wing forwards we had last season," he said.

The coach referred to the loss of veteran winger Son Heung-min, who consistently contributed double-digit goals each season. The winger brought in to fill Son's vacancy, Mohammed Kudus, has yet to make a significant contribution.

The main issue is that Tottenham's defense is not particularly strong, even though they have adopted a more pragmatic approach. The evidence is that they often lose their advantageous position, including during their defeat against Bournemouth. "The Lilywhites" initially led 1-0 before conceding three goals and losing 2-3.

Six managers or head coaches have fallen victim to the brutality of the English Premier League so far. The two most recent figures to be dismissed are Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim. They are two of the four names who have managed to win the monthly best manager award this season.

Maresca left Chelsea by mutual agreement on the first day of the new year, just about a month after being awarded the best manager title for November. Four days later, it was Manchester United's turn to dismiss Amorim, who held the title of best manager for October.

These two stories prove that there are no guarantees for managers in the English Premier League. Results are everything; nothing is more important than that. Amorim and Maresca were dismissed due to a series of poor results. Chelsea has only won 2 out of 11 matches, while Manchester United has won 3 out of 12 matches.

Both have indeed been rumored to have issues with their respective club managements. However, that is merely an additional spice in their farewell story. The evidence is that everything seemed fine in the middle of the first half of the season, before a series of poor results befell Chelsea and MU.

If we look at the cases of Amorim and Maresca, Frank seems to be on the verge of dismissal. Tottenham's poor trend complicates his situation. Moreover, under the management of businessman Daniel Levy, Tottenham is known for frequently changing coaches. Levy has dismissed four coaches since 2021.

Fortunately, Frank is still supported by his players. Defender Micky van de Ven and midfielder Joao Palhinha confronted the away supporters who were dissatisfied after losing to Bournemouth. "We respect them. They want to win. We want the same," said Palhinha.

Frank briefly commented when asked about the dismissal of Amorim. The comment seemingly also contained advice for Tottenham. "It is very difficult to achieve sustained success if you keep changing key personnel, such as coaches and sporting directors," he stated.

The comments from the coach from Denmark hold some truth, but they are not entirely relevant. Sometimes, clubs need to make quick decisions to change momentum as soon as possible. This often becomes the only option, especially for teams that are trapped in the relegation zone.

Therefore, in addition to Frank, the positions of coach Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham United and coach Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest are also at risk. Although they were only appointed in the middle of this season, both coaches have yet to lead their respective teams out of a poor trend.

West Ham has not won in their last ten league matches, placing them in 18th position. Forest, in 17th place, has only won once in their last match after suffering four consecutive defeats. It is not surprising that Nuno and Dyche will once again become victims of the transition for both teams.

Similar to the causes of the crisis, the best way to survive dismissal is through results. Liverpool coach Arne Slot proved this. His position was once threatened after failing to secure victories against Fulham and Leeds at the beginning of the year. Suddenly, he was showered with praise simply for managing to draw against league leaders Arsenal. (AP/REUTERS)