The Premier League Sack-o-Meter: Who is in danger with six games gone?
We are six games into the new Premier League season and not far from the stage where clubs tend to assess their start. That can bring heat on to the manager and there are a number of top-flight bosses who will be looking over their shoulders at the minute.
So, who is safe and has no worries and who is nervously needing a few wins? Welcome to the Sack-o-Meter, where we gauge the security of managers in top-flight roles.
Remember, the higher the score the greater the danger… ARSENAL Mikel Arteta - Sack-o-Meter Rating: 2 No-one is completely safe in the trigger-happy world of Premier League football but Arteta has arguably the most secure role at the minute. The Spaniard is the longest-serving boss in the top four divisions having been appointed in December 2019.
He has been on shaky ground at various points over the past seven years but guiding Arsenal to the title last season solidified his position. He was rewarded with a new, four-year deal just last week.
ASTON VILLA Unai Emery - Sack-o-Meter Rating: 3 Emery has worked wonders at Villa Park and has no fears over his job. That's not to say he has an easy task on his hands with Villa starting slowly after a summer of upheaval that saw several big-name players, including Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, move on.
Emery will be given plenty of time to build a new team and don't be surprised if Villa are hovering around the Champions League spots again come May. BOURNEMOUTH Marco Rose - Sack-o-Meter Rating: 8 Rose had the unenviable job of replacing Andoni Iraola and has struggled to make an impact so far.
The Cherries are yet to win in the Premier League and were hammered 5-1 at Chelsea on Saturday having been 2-0 down inside 149 seconds. Performances have not been as bad as the results suggest but there is no doubt this is a big week for Rose with Bournemouth facing Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday night before a crunch clash with fellow strugglers Sunderland on Sunday.
# Team Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Pts Last 5 1 Manchester City 6 6 0 0 16 5 11 18 W WW WW 2 Arsenal 6 5 0 1 10 5 5 15 W LW WW 3 Brighton 6 4 1 1 18 5 13 13 W WW DL 4 Brentford 6 2 4 0 12 6 6 10 D WD DD 5 Everton 6 2 4 0 8 5 3 10 D WD DD 6 Chelsea 6 3 1 2 15 13 2 10 W LD LW 7 Leeds 6 2 3 1 8 5 3 9 L DW DD 8 Hull City 6 2 3 1 8 6 2 9 D LD DW 9 Liverpool 6 2 3 1 7 7 0 9 L WD WD 10 Ipswich 6 3 0 3 9 12 -3 9 W LW LL 11 Newcastle 6 2 2 2 10 13 -3 8 L WL DW 12 Crystal Palace 6 2 1 3 9 12 -3 7 W DL WL 13 Manchester United 6 1 3 2 9 9 0 6 D DL DW 14 Coventry 6 2 0 4 5 11 -6 6 W WL LL 15 Nottingham Forest 6 1 2 3 5 8 -3 5 L LW DD 16 Aston Villa 6 1 2 3 6 11 -5 5 D WL DL 17 Sunderland 6 1 1 4 6 12 -6 4 L LL DW 18 Bournemouth 6 0 3 3 7 13 -6 3 L LD DD 19 Tottenham 6 0 3 3 3 9 -6 3 D LD DL 20 Fulham 6 0 2 4 6 10 -4 2 L DD LL Position1, 2, 3, 4: Promotion - Champions League (League phase) Position5: Promotion - Europa League (League phase) Position18, 19, 20: Relegation - Championship BRENTFORD Keith Andrews - Sack-o-Meter Rating: 3 Brentford raised eyebrows when they opted for Andrews to replace Tottenham-bound Thomas Frank last summer, yet the Irishman had been groomed for the position for some time. It was yet another wise decision from the savvy West London club.
Andrews has arguably made Brentford better and, although they just missed out on European football last season, they appear a good bet to qualify this time after an unbeaten start that sees them sit nicely in fourth place. BRIGHTON Fabian Hurzeler - Sack-o-Meter Rating: 5 Brighton have been a very well-run club for many years now.