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After dismissing their bosses, Swansea City and Hull City have found a new lease on life. Are more managerial changes on the way in the Premier League? Who is leading our Sack Race?
How much goodwill does a miracle get you? That Claudio Ranieri (3/1 to be the next manager to leave his job) remains Leicester manager suggests it's plenty. Just one point off the relegation zone and two from the bottom of the table, Leicester are in real danger of being the first reigning champions to be relegated since Manchester City in 1938.
Leicester's regression to something like the performance that many expected them to have at the start of last season has nonetheless been remarkable, and they face a crucial week: After the FA Cup replay against Derby, they have a huge Premier League game against Swansea then, somewhat incongruously, they face Sevilla in the Champions League. It would be extraordinary if Ranieri was eventually sacked, months after the greatest tale in English football history; but at the same time, it's perfectly possible.
Last season, Aitor Karanka (5/2) looked on the verge of leaving Middlesbrough, departing from the scene for one game, and it looked like his reign was done. It's thus not a colossal surprise that there are noises about his position now, not necessarily because of Boro's results (although they haven't been great, a blunt attack, in particular, causing problems) but also that he seems set on criticising anyone and everyone at the club -- even the fans. Chairman Steve Gibson isn't a man who tends to sack hastily, but Karanka's tenure could end before the season is out.
It's pretty easy to overreact to a couple of good results in this often profoundly strange Premier League season, but the past week has at least shown some encouragement to David Moyes (14/1), with a draw against Tottenham and that 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace. Still, Sunderland remain bottom of the table, and Moyes' forlorn figure during the transfer window did not exactly scream a man who was happy with life or who thought he would remain in his job for an extended period of time. Before the Palace victory, Sunderland hadn't won a game of any description since the middle of December, so it's still possible that Moyes could depart.
On a similar theme, before they won their past couple of matches, there were rumblings of uncertainty at Watford, with Walter Mazzarri's (12/1) future extremely uncertain. Many Hornets fans had lost patience with the Italian, and while life does look a little rosier now, that can all change quickly.
Less than a year after miraculously winning the Premier League with Leicester, Claudio Ranieri could soon be sacked.
It's also worth mentioning Sam Allardyce (16/1) in this section too. While it ostensibly seems unlikely that Allardyce would depart Crystal Palace so soon after arriving, they have seen nothing like the expected upturn in results since he replaced Alan Pardew. The defeat to Sunderland was embarrassing on a number of levels for him and the club: Stranger things have happened than Allardyce making use of the door.
The Sack Race is a harsh environment, with no room for grey areas. But if there was a section between "axe swinging" and "safe", then Claude Puel (12/1) would probably be in it. With the obvious caveat that Southampton's policy of selling their best players could have finally bitten them, Puel's tenure at St Mary's has been rather underwhelming, an inconsistent Saints side just keeping themselves above the group of teams in genuine peril.
Slaven Bilic (16/1) can probably think himself a little safer, but West Ham haven't been close enough to convincing this season to suggest he's totally secure. You didn't have to search too hard to find Everton fans not convinced about Ronald Koeman (66/1) a few weeks ago, but a clutch of impressive results of late have probably kept them quiet for a bit.
Three teams at the very bottom have made managerial changes recently: for Palace, it's not working out brilliantly so far, but you can't say the same for Swansea and Hull, for whom Paul Clement (40/1) and Marco Silva (25/1) are turning things around in fine style. The bottom six are now separated by just two points, which is largely thanks to the work of Clement and Silva. Neither are, logically, in danger, but the Premier League is weird old world.
Indeed, so weird that after a bad (actually, really bad) month or so at Anfield, some of the more excitable sections of their support seem to think that Jurgen Klopp's (40/1) time is up. That is almost certainly swivel-eyed nonsense but, again, you never know.
After a disastrous month on Merseyside, Jurgen Klopp is beginning to feel the heat from some sections of Liverpool support.
You could say the same for Pep Guardiola (40/1), with some keen on the idea that the Emperor is wearing no clothes and that the Catalan has been "found out." Hopefully, City's recent good performances might quieten that idea down for a while.
Across town, there have been rumblings about Manchester United, on a reasonable run but still sixth and with only an outside chance of making the top four under Jose Mourinho (80/1). The Portuguese's aura certainly seemed to have dimmed rather, but United have essentially backed themselves into a bit of a corner, which means they would struggle to go anywhere else. He'll be there for the foreseeable.
And then there's Arsene Wenger (40/1). You get the sense that lots of Arsenal fans know it's over, and that it has been over for some time now, but are not saying so for either sentimental or respectful reasons. But it is over, and no amount of flannel about budgets and qualifying for the Champions League will disguise that Wenger's Arsenal keep making the same mistakes and have the same frailties. Perhaps if they finally finish outside that top four, they will be jolted into life, but as things stand, Wenger will be the only one who decides when he goes. That, for a team who theoretically have title aspirations, is a fairly ludicrous situation.
They might not like each other very much, but Mark Hughes (40/1) and Tony Pulis (66/1) have both been doing terrific jobs at Stoke and West Brom, respectively; while only shinier challenges elsewhere would see Eddie Howe (40/1) leave Bournemouth, and surely not before the end of the season.
It was tempting to put Howe in this section, but the call of a bigger club make him more likely to leave his club than Sean Dyche (50/1). The man who looks like a chain bar bouncer probably won't be a target for someone richer, but that doesn't detract from the brilliant job he has done at Burnley this season, who are safe in the Premier League and then some, despite having gained only one point away from home. He can do what he likes at Turf Moor and the locals will be grateful for it.
At the top of the table, this season's most impressive teams have been managed by Antonio Conte (150/1) and Mauricio Pochettino (150/1). If these two stick around for a long time, then there's every chance they could both create something really special -- more so than they have already -- at their respective clubs. Hopefully, both will.
