January bites coaches! Here's why Chelsea, Manchester United, and Real Madrid fired their managers within 12 days.
On 13 Jan 2025, between 1 and 13 January, three major European football clubs—Chelsea, Manchester United, and Real Madrid—dismissed their managers.
Xabi Alonso became the third coach to be fired following Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim, after leading Real Madrid to a 2-3 defeat against archrivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
1 January: Chelsea parted ways with Enzo Maresca.
Win rate: 65.8%.
The domino fell first on 1 January when Chelsea announced they had "parted ways" with Enzo Maresca, ending his 18-month tenure which, despite trophies, lacked club stability.
Maresca’s departure came just six months after leading the Blues to the FIFA Club World Cup title in July 2025. In his first full season, he also won the UEFA Conference League and secured a 4th place Premier League finish, qualifying for the Champions League. In November 2025, he was awarded Premier League Manager of the Month.
However, on-field results were not the decisive factor. Maresca grew frustrated with Chelsea’s rigid sporting structure, which limited the head coach’s authority over transfers, medical decisions, and team management. Despite a contract until 2029, tensions escalated mid-December when Maresca publicly described a preparation period as “the worst 48 hours” of his Chelsea tenure. Once the conflict became public, relations quickly deteriorated, and within 19 days, Chelsea chose to reset everything.
5 January: Manchester United fired Ruben Amorim.
Win rate: 38.10%.
On 5 January, Manchester United officially announced the dismissal of Ruben Amorim less than 24 hours after a tense 1-1 draw against Leeds United.
In the final phase of his tenure, Amorim openly clashed with club management. Reports indicated a heated debate over tactics and decision-making power during a performance review meeting on 3 January. The tension spilled into the public on 4 January when he declared himself a “manager, not just a coach,” urging executives to “do their job” during a post-match press conference.
Although the club cited lack of progress as the reason for the dismissal, the timing highlighted a fractured relationship. Amorim left Old Trafford after 14 months, winning 24 of 63 matches. At his departure, Manchester United stood 6th in the Premier League without a clear direction, eventually dropping to 7th after the coaching change.
12 January: Real Madrid ended Xabi Alonso's brief stint.
Win rate: 70.59%.
Alonso had been in charge at Real Madrid for just eight months after making history by leading Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title. He started strongly in the Spanish capital, winning 13 of the first 14 league matches, but a defeat to Liverpool in early November’s UEFA Champions League marked a turning point, after which the team’s form noticeably declined.
Pressure intensified amid rumors of internal discord. Spanish media reported at least five players, including Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior, were dissatisfied with Alonso’s tactics, particularly his insistence on playing out from the back.
Team captain Federico Valverde was also reported to lack confidence in Alonso’s approach and publicly denied rumors that he refused to play in the Champions League match against Kairat Almaty after being deployed as right-back—a position he stated, “I was not born to play.”
Although Alonso led the team to five consecutive wins over Christmas, it was not enough for the board to keep him on.
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