Do we overemphasise the influence of Premier League managers?
David Moyes made three stoppage-time substitutions against Man City -- just seconds before their last-gasp equaliser(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)Football is famously a results business, and th...
Do we overemphasise the influence of Premier League managers? David Moyes made three stoppage-time substitutions against Man City -- just seconds before their last-gasp equaliser (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) Football is famously a results business, and the buck almost always stops with the manager. But with the dust settled on Monday’s draw with Manchester City, and the inevitable debate on these pages that followed, I found myself pondering whether we overemphasise the influence of the man in the dugout.
David Moyes made three stoppage-time substitutions on Monday night, each occurring just seconds before City’s last-gasp leveller. Nathan Patterson’s introduction for Merlin Röhl drew ire, even if the German had run himself into the ground. The former slipped when attempting to close down Jeremy Doku before his equaliser, while another late substitute, Carlos Alcaraz, did not cover himself in glory either.
But how much of the blame lies with Moyes? A decision-maker and influencer, of course, but should he really shoulder the responsibility for basic defensive lapses? City’s second goal, dissecting the home defence just seconds after Everton had established a 3-1 lead, was even worse.
Substitutions are one route of managerial influence, in a role where there are a myriad of factors out of their control. The imbalance of quality between teams, vagaries of refereeing decisions and VAR influence, and pure fortune, on either side of the coin, to name a few. That’s not to absolve Moyes of any blame.