(Football news) The Premier League’s first managerial casualty has occurred already with Watford sacking Xisco Munoz who has taken his side to seven points from seven games. However, his last match against Leeds United ended in a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road which proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Spaniard who was in charge for less than 10 months.
The 41 year old helped Watford gain promotion to the Premier League since his arrival in December 2020 and The Hornets are currently 14th on the table, a position deemed not good enough by Munoz’s employers. A statement issued by the club on Sunday said “The board feels recent performances strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving. The Hornets will always be grateful to Xisco for the part he played in securing last season's promotion and wish him well for his future career in football. No further club comment will be available until the imminent announcement of a new head coach."
The club's appraisal of Xisco Munoz’s performance seems harsh, especially considering that Watford defeated Aston Villa 3-2 and knocked out Crystal Palace from the Carabao Cup. It’s fair to say that while Munoz is the first sacking in the Premier League, he probably won’t be the last. In a statement issued on social media, Munoz said “It's been a wonderful journey and it concluded in a way that I neither expected nor wished for. I'm grateful and I will only remember all the good things I have experienced. It's a sad day for me and my family because it marks the end of a period at a club and in a city where we have felt at home.
“I've got nothing but words of gratitude for the club that gave me the opportunity to start my first adventure in this exciting country. My heartfelt thanks to the players for putting blind faith and believing in me and my staff from the first moment so that together we could achieve the dream of promotion to the Premier League. And many thanks to all the members of the club who don't appear in the photos, because they are essential for the proper functioning of this team. You made my life so much easier. Finally, I would like to make a special shout out to the fans. It's only been a year, but I will never forget its intensity and the treatment you have always given me over the years. I will always be a Watford FC fan."
Former Chelsea and Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is set to become the 13th permanent boss since the Pozzo family took over Watford in 2012. Reports indicate that the 70 year old will be offered a contract until the end of next season in his fourth managerial position in the Premier League. Ranieri famously guided Leicester City to their first and only Premier League victory in 2016, he also managed Chelsea in 2000 before the introduction of Jose Mourinho and has been at the helm of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Inter Milan and Roma. His first match as Watford manager will be against Liverpool at Vicarage Road.
