1) Ronald Koeman, Southampton
Why it’s a nightmare job
Last season’s success under Mauricio Pochettino has made life difficult for new Southampton boss Koeman, with players having departed St.Mary’s en masse for the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League's upper echelons. With Morgan Schneiderlin also throwing his dummy out of the pram over a move to Tottenham on Twitter, the Dutchman has had his work cut out from the off. The Saints' opening game of the season at Anfield could pit them against former stars Adam Lallana (currently injured), Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert, for whom Brendan Rodgers paid a combined £49 million for their services.
Koeman has begun his major rebuilding by bringing in the likes of Dusan Tadic, Graziano Pelle and Saphir Taider, but he has a huge task emulating last season’s heroics.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Follow Pochettino’s lead. The Argentine's trust in academy grads like Luke Shaw, James Ward-Prowse and Calum Chambers was rewarded, and in Koeman the south coast side have no better man to continue the job. With expectations lowered after this summer of pain, success lies in a mid-table finish as the Dutchman aims to fuse together his brand new team.
2) Filippo Inzaghi, AC Milan
Why it’s a nightmare job
Being a club legend far from guarantees job security anymore – just ask Clarence Seedorf, the man who warmed the Milan hotseat for his former team-mate. Inzaghi has enhanced his coaching reputation behind the scenes with the Rossoneri's Under-19s, but his credentials will be scrutinised on a weekly basis in the top job with a troubled Milan side. That's not just by the fans and snooping press, either: with Silvio Berlusconi around, no one's job is safe.
What does he have to do to succeed?
The minimum requirement from the former striker is a Champions League finish. Failure to achieve that, and he will most likely join Seedorf in the scrapheap of Milano managers who didn’t make the grade. With the likes of Mario Balotelli at his disposal, Inzaghi needs to prove his worth by getting the most out of his top players. Seedorf paid the price for failing to do so.
SEE ALSO Milan still seek spirit of Ancelotti as Inzaghi attempts to turn club round
3) Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar Donetsk
Why it’s a nightmare job
Ukraine is rarely at the top of a player's destination wish list (unless you're Brazilian), but this summer began particularly badly for Mircea Lucescu after six of his players refused to travel home following a friendly against Lyon. One of those was Newcastle new boy Facundo Ferreyra, who joined the Tynesiders on loan soon after. Logistical dilemma’s also loom large: Lucescu's team are unable to play home games in Donetsk due to the well-documented political conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels. The Romanian has endured battles of his own – namely with Kia Joorabchian – to make sure his best stars stay put.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Most of what makes Lucescu's job difficult is out of his hands. Reuniting his squad is priority No.1; if he can convince players to return to a country swamped in political warfare, the 69-year-old will have succeeded beyond the call of duty. Securing transfers is another matter, although the club have splashed out £7m on Brazilian winger Marcos from Metalist.
4) Jose Riga, Blackpool
Why it’s a nightmare job
It's been a torrid summer for Blackpool. Cancelling your pre-season tour of Spain because you don't have 11 players is far from ideal, nor is eventually fielding numerous trialists and the ongoing unrest between chairman Karl Oyston and manager Riga, which resulted in the Belgian threatening to walk away after a month. The club have become a social media laughing stock during their frantic frenzy for players, which has bolstered the squad from seven to a near-normal 18. Riga appears to have the backing of the fans, but his relationship with Oyston will ultimately prove decisive.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Survival would be a success after a summer to forget for Tangerine dreamers. The influx of new faces has scuppered the Seasiders' pre-season preparations, but with expectations at an all-time low, fans would be chuffed with a 21st-place finish. The club’s Premier League foray of 2010/11 feels long ago.
5) Dave Hockaday, Leeds
Why it’s a nightmare job
If you think Riga has a tricky owner to work with, Hockaday has the pick of the bunch in Massimo Cellino. The Italian motormouth has hardly kept things quiet at Elland Road since his takeover in February, sacking Brian McDermott before taking over (who was quickly reinstated), and doing it for good again in May. Surprisingly, the top job (well, head coach) went to former Forest Green Rovers boss Hockaday, who's already felt his new employer's wrath. "He has asked me about five or six players," Cellino told the Daily Mail. "Don’t forget where he came from: league five. Talking with managers of Premier League clubs, Championship clubs, is a new thing. He’s like a baby who is in a toy shop." Massimo, you old charmer.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Hockaday appears to be on borrowed time before the season has even started. The play-offs are Cellino’s aim, but with top goalscorer Ross McCormack leaving a huge void in their offensive artillery, one would suggest a season of mid-table mediocrity is the likely scenario in Yorkshire this season. With Hockaday not allowed anywhere near transfers, you wouldn’t bet your house on Cellino’s poor puppet still being in a job beyond Christmas.
6) Dunga, Brazil
Why it’s a nightmare job
Brazilian football is in disarray. Global humiliation in their own back yard has severely damaged the Selecao, and Dunga, in his second spell in charge, has to reinvigorate a nation wallowing in self-pity and embarrassment. He must also change perceptions of himself; his unattractive football was unpopular first time out, and even as a World Cup-winning player in 1994. Dunga’s credentials will be tested to the limit. He may never get another big chance.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Introduce a fresh approach. The fascination with Neymar as Brazil's messiah contributed to their undoing in the horrendous 7-1 hammering to eventual winners Germany. Fred’s international retirement is a potential blessing to deflect yet more criticism from the team, but with the No.9 shirt lacking worthy wearers, Dunga must find a way of helping Jo settle in from the off.
SEE ALSO Dunga returns to prove why Brazil really are backwards
7) Corinne Diacre, Clermont Foot
Why it’s a nightmare job:
It’s not normal to read about a Ligue 2 side in the British nationals, yet Corinne Diacre brought Clermont to the world's attention when she became the first female to coach a men’s professional side. It shouldn't have been her, mind – Helena Costa didn’t last long enough to coach a game after “male attitudes” saw her vacate the post. Some cynics have suggested Diacre's tenure at the middling club is nothing more than a publicity stunt.
What does she have to do to succeed?
Diacre has, justifiably, tried to play down the global interest surrounding her appointment but there is no doubt that a poor league finish will ramp up the pressure on her.
She lost her first game in charge to Brest (a not-so-happy 40th birthday), and realistically the former France international must at least better the previous two seasons' 14th-place finishes. Ensuring survival as soon as possible will relax everyone at the club. Anything more would be a huge bonus – this is, after all, Clermont's eighth consecutive season in the second tier.
8) Jurgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund
Why it’s a nightmare job
OK, so Klopp's task isn't a complete minefield, but it isn’t made any easier season on season with his top stars joining runaway leaders Bayern Munich. Klopp is continually forced to rebuild his team, not least this summer after losing potent Pole Robert Lewandowski for nothing. The club are all but resigned to runners-up spot with Bayern’s unrepentant dominance, and aren't helped by their Bundesliga rivals' unsettling actions – see Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's comments on Marco Reus. Second place, they say, is just the first-place loser.
What does he have to do to succeed?
No one is completely sure what Dortmund would see as success anymore, given what Klopp has previously achieved. The financial firepower of Bayern in Germany, and the European elite in the Champions League, makes silverware difficult to come by – although not impossible. The Bundesliga title is within reach if key players stay fit (unlike last season), while any improvement on last season's run to the Champions League quarter-finals would please the Westfalenstadion hierarchy. Surely they won't be as unfortunate with injuries this time.
9) Scott McNiven, Hyde
Why it’s a nightmare job
After helplessly failing to avoid a rock-bottom finish in the Conference last season with a laughable points tally of 10, McNiven has his work cut out with a reformed squad in a lower division. The former Oldham defender has held the position since 2012, but after the worst season in fifth-tier history, he must stop the northern side's losing run quickly or the Tigers, mocked weekly by their own Twitter account, risk another relegation from the Conference North.
What does he have to do to succeed?
Inject some life into Hyde this season with a fresh start. Whatever he did last season failed, miserably; every time the club won a game (rarely, admittedly), the social media world gave a pitiful and patronising pat on the back.
Obviously, the dream is to return to the top tier on non-league football at the first time of asking but that is no easy task. McNiven has drafted in four players under 23 this summer, but perhaps needs a season working with his younger team to restore credibility. Those trialist-heavy pre-season teams may take their toll early on.
10) Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid
Why it’s a nightmare job
Bear with us on this one. ‘Nightmare’ can also be flipped to the successful teams. Who in world football has more of a selection headache than Ancelotti? Angel di Maria and Isco should remain at the Bernabeu despite seemingly being surplus to requirements. Real's summer business has left fans purring, but in reality it might not be so easy giving James Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale the freedom of expression they all desire next season.
What does he have to do to succeed?
After scooping the craved Decima last term, anything less than retention would be seen as a backwards step. After another summer of lavish transfer spending, losing the league to city rivals Atletico Madrid cannot happen again, according to Florentino Perez. Neither can it for Barcelona, though, whose forward line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar will have a say in proceedings. Reputations evaporate quickly at the Bernabeu, and a poor campaign could see Ancelotti shown the door. Win, of course, and all will be rosy. No pressure, Carlo.
SEE ALSO Is James Rodríguez “too good for Real Madrid”?
