The relationship between a manager and his players is often a very complex one
Despite what they might say in the confines of a dressing room, managers will seldom shame their players in the public domain.
Although, that isn't to say that they are totally exempt from criticism in press conferences and interviews, especially when the man in the technical area is at risk of losing his job. The pressure faced by managers can sometimes lead to them airing their dirty laundry in public, but it very rarely ends well as supporters are left to pick sides between players and their boss.
Steven Gerrard made the mistake of replacing fans' favourite Tyrone Mings in the role of captain at Aston Villa whilst simultaneously questioning his mentality. The Villa boss soon restored the England centre-back to his starting XI after his public shaming didn't go down too well with those in the stands.
With that incident fresh in the memory, here are a collection of other scenarios where players have been publicly thrown under the bus by their managers.
GettyDuncan Ferguson & Moise Kean
Duncan Ferguson has taken charge of just five matches in his coaching career, all of which came during two separate stints as caretaker manager at Everton. Although, in that time, he created enough headlines to last a full season.
Perhaps the most iconic memory of his brief managerial career came when he took the Toffees to Old Trafford in December 2019. With Everton 1-0 in front with 20 minutes left, the Scotsman replaced the injured Bernard with highly-rated Moise Kean.
However, the young forward didn't even see out the game as he was brought off for fellow striker Oumar Niasse in the dying minutes. Ferguson tried to play down talk of a fall out following the match but, having ignored Kean after substituting him, it was clear that the caretaker boss was far from impressed.
AdvertisementGettyRoberto Mancini & Carlos Tevez
To say Carlos Tevez was a character during his playing career would be a huge understatement. Before retiring just a couple of months ago, the Argentine was a player capable of single-handedly winning a match whilst equally capable of winding up a whole fan base in the blink of an eye.
His move across Manchester – from United to City in 2009 – understandably raised eyebrows but he didn't let the controversy affect his performances on the pitch. Although, during the 2011-12 season, Tevez and his manager at the time, Roberto Mancini, had an almighty falling out.
Their feud came to a head when City travelled to Munich to face Bayern in the Champions League. With the German giants 2-0 in front, Mancini looked to his bench to bring Tevez into the action but the striker refused to go onto the pitch, having been frustrated at not being included from the start.
After the game, the usually-calm Italian was livid, he said: "For me it’s a bad situation because it is impossible for a player to refuse to play and help the team. He was disappointed that he didn’t play but we play with 11 players. To do that is just impossible."
Mancini then added: "He is finished for me. If I had my way he’d be out of the club.”
GettyThomas Tuchel & Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi has found regular game time hard to come by at Chelsea despite signing a bumper contract in September 2019. He has struggled to fit into Thomas Tuchel's sytem and has often been played outside of his regular position in one of the two wing-back roles.
However, in February of last year, the Blues boss brought the winger on at half-time for Tammy Abraham with Chelsea a goal behind against Southampton at St Mary's. Despite the visitors equalising through a Mason Mount penalty, Tuchel had seen enough from Hudson-Odoi and replaced him with 15 minutes left of the match.
He didn't mince his words after the game when asked why he made the harsh decision to re-substitute the young forward. He told : "We brought in Hudson, but with Hudson I was not happy with the energy and the attitude in the counter pressing so we decided to take him off again because we demand a lot, we demand 100% and I had the feeling he is not right in the shape where he can help us."
GettyJurgen Klopp & Dejan Lovren
Jurgen Klopp is widely considered one of the coaches with the best man management qualities in world football. So for that reason, it was very out-of-character when he singled Dejan Lovren out for criticism following Liverpool's heavy 4-1 defeat against Tottenham at Wembley in October 2017.
It was far from the Croatian's best game in a Reds shirt and he was culpable for both of the home side's opening goals; missing a header for the first and missing the ball in a similar fashion for the second. While public shame is never the correct way to address a poor performance, Liverpool supporters totally resonated with Klopp's post-match comments.
"It was just really bad, bad, bad defending," said the German. "The second [goal], a counter attack, when the ball passes Lovren it is already too late. If I am involved in this situation on the pitch, then Harry cannot get the ball. It wouldn't happen if I was on the pitch, but I am in the middle of the technical area in trainers."