Published: August 27, 2026. Reviewed by Ask Bettsy Editorial Team
Key Takeaways
- Five Premier League clubs changed manager in one summer, in a single connected chain: Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Newcastle.
- Four of the five new bosses made their Premier League debut in Matchweek 1 — and not one of them lost. Two won ugly, two drew late.
- Ask Bettsy grades every debut, from Enzo Maresca's stoppage-time City win to Andoni Iraola's penalty-saved point at Newcastle.
Football doesn't often hand you a clean experiment. This summer it did. Five Premier League clubs changed manager in one connected sequence — the kind where every departure created the next vacancy, like a line of dominoes that somehow ended up wearing club crests. Pep Guardiola left Manchester City after nine years and six titles. City went and got Enzo Maresca, who was managing Chelsea. Chelsea went and got Xabi Alonso, who'd just been sacked by Real Madrid. Liverpool sacked Arne Slot — despite Champions League qualification — and hired Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth. Bournemouth hired Marco Rose. And at Newcastle, Eddie Howe walked away after nearly five years, replaced by Matthias Jaissle.
By Sunday night, four of those five men had already taken their first bow in a Premier League dugout. Here's how it went, graded club by club.
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City: beat Bournemouth 2-1 — Grade B
Replacing a man who won six Premier League titles is not a job, it's a dare. Maresca's first attempt at it needed a stoppage-time goal, a VAR review, and a fair amount of nerve.
Bournemouth — managed for the day by Marco Rose, in his own competing debut — led through Marcus Tavernier's first-half strike and looked set to leave the Etihad with a result that would have made Maresca's opening weekend a genuine crisis. Instead, City equalised, then won it deep into stoppage time through Josko Gvardiol, a goal that stood only after VAR overturned an initial offside call.
It's a result, not a performance. City needed 90-plus minutes to beat a promoted side at home, on a day when the only story anyone wanted to write was "Guardiola's successor cruises." Nobody's writing that story. Grade: B — three points is three points, but the eye test says this is a work in progress.
Xabi Alonso, Chelsea: won 3-2 at Fulham — Grade B+
Alonso's first competitive minutes in a Chelsea dugout lasted 31 seconds before Joao Pedro put his side ahead. It was that kind of afternoon — end to end, five goals, a poor day for goalkeeping on both sides, and ultimately a Chelsea win built on Morgan Rogers' first goal since his summer move from Aston Villa and a trademark Cole Palmer finish to make it 3-1.
Fulham never went away — Josh King and Gonzalo García pulled it back to 3-2 — and Robert Sánchez's afternoon in the Chelsea goal will not make the club's official highlights reel. But a first game, on the road, ending in three points and three different scorers, is as good a start as any new manager could realistically ask for. Grade: B+ — attacking football, a puncher's chance defensively, and a manager who clearly hasn't installed patience as his first tactical principle.
Matthias Jaissle, Newcastle: drew 2-2 with Liverpool — Grade B-
Jaissle inherited a Newcastle side that had just lost its manager of nearly five years, and drew it level twice against a Liverpool side chasing the title. Anthony Elanga opened the scoring inside four minutes; after Cody Gakpo equalised, substitute Joe Willock put Newcastle back in front seconds after coming on. Twice ahead, at home, against one of the sides expected to challenge for the title — that's a genuinely strong platform for a manager's first Premier League afternoon.
It ended in a draw only because Liverpool won a stoppage-time penalty, converted by Dominik Szoboszlai in the ninth added minute. Jaissle will be frustrated not to have taken all three points. He should not be discouraged by the performance that got him there. Grade: B- — the timeline (twice ahead, pegged back late) hurts the grade more than the football did.
Andoni Iraola, Liverpool: drew 2-2 at Newcastle — Grade C+
Iraola arrives at Liverpool with a reputation built at Bournemouth for high-intensity, front-footed football — the kind of profile Liverpool fans were told would replace Slot's more controlled approach. His first away day delivered neither control nor total chaos, but something closer to relief: a stoppage-time penalty, the ninth minute of added time, to avoid defeat at a newly-managed Newcastle side that had led twice.
There's a wider context worth sitting with. Slot took Liverpool to a Premier League title in his first season and Champions League qualification in his second, and was sacked anyway. That is an enormous amount of pressure to hand a manager before his first ball is kicked. A draw, salvaged late, at a ground where Liverpool haven't always found it easy, is a defensible start — but not the statement result the appointment was built to produce. Grade: C+ — points on the board, and a lot of season left to answer the bigger question.
The forgotten fifth: Marco Rose, Bournemouth — lost 2-1 at Manchester City
Nobody writes the report card entry for the manager who lost. Rose deserves one anyway, if only because losing 2-1 away at Manchester City — even a Manchester City in transition — is not remotely disgraceful. Bournemouth led through Tavernier, held that lead into the second half, and were beaten only by a stoppage-time goal that needed a VAR review to stand. On another day, Rose's first Premier League away performance is the story of the weekend, not a footnote to someone else's.
Grade: C — no shame in the scoreline, and Bournemouth were arguably the away side that caused Matchweek 1's biggest home side the most discomfort.
The full report card
| Manager | Club | Replaced | MW1 Result | Grade | |---|---|---|---|---| | Enzo Maresca | Manchester City | Pep Guardiola | W 2-1 v Bournemouth | B | | Xabi Alonso | Chelsea | Enzo Maresca | W 3-2 at Fulham | B+ | | Matthias Jaissle | Newcastle | Eddie Howe | D 2-2 v Liverpool | B- | | Andoni Iraola | Liverpool | Arne Slot | D 2-2 at Newcastle | C+ | | Marco Rose | Bournemouth | Andoni Iraola | L 1-2 at Man City | C |
Zero defeats among the four head-to-head debuts, zero comfortable evenings, and one manager — Rose — whose grade is entirely a function of playing whoever else was also having their first day at the office.
What it means for Matchweek 2
Four tactical systems are still being installed in real time, and Matchweek 2 is the round where all four get tested against opposition that has now seen a full 90 minutes of game footage to prepare against. Maresca's City go to Crystal Palace, a fixture City have found awkward for three straight seasons regardless of who's picking the team. Alonso's Chelsea host a Brighton side fresh off a 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa. Iraola's Liverpool and Jaissle's Newcastle both get a full week to fix what didn't work in their draw. Ask Bettsy's AI prediction model is already factoring the tactical shifts from all four debuts into its Matchweek 2 probabilities — new-manager bounces and new-manager wobbles are both measurable patterns, not just narrative colour.
See how the model rates every Matchweek 2 fixture: Get today's AI predictions on Ask Bettsy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Premier League clubs changed manager in 2026?
Five Premier League clubs changed manager in summer 2026 in a connected chain of events. Manchester City replaced Pep Guardiola with Enzo Maresca. Chelsea replaced Maresca with Xabi Alonso. Liverpool sacked Arne Slot and appointed Andoni Iraola. Bournemouth replaced Iraola with Marco Rose. Newcastle United's Eddie Howe stepped down after nearly five years and was replaced by Matthias Jaissle.
Who replaced Pep Guardiola at Manchester City?
Enzo Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager, appointed in June 2026 after Guardiola's departure ended a nine-year run that delivered six Premier League titles and a Champions League. Maresca joined from Chelsea, where he had been manager the previous season. His first game in charge was a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, won with a stoppage-time goal from Josko Gvardiol.
Why did Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
Liverpool sacked Arne Slot in summer 2026 despite the club securing Champions League qualification under him, with reporting citing a decline from Slot's title-winning first season to a fifth-placed finish. He was replaced by Andoni Iraola, previously of Bournemouth. Iraola's first game in charge was a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle, secured with a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
Who is Newcastle's new manager?
Matthias Jaissle is Newcastle United's new manager, appointed after Eddie Howe stepped down in July 2026 following nearly five years in charge. Jaissle's first Premier League game ended in a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool, with Newcastle leading twice through Anthony Elanga and substitute Joe Willock before Liverpool equalised late.
Did all the new Premier League managers win their first game?
No. Of the four new managers who made their Premier League debut in Matchweek 1, two won and two drew — none lost. Enzo Maresca's Manchester City beat Bournemouth 2-1. Xabi Alonso's Chelsea won 3-2 at Fulham. Andoni Iraola's Liverpool and Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle drew 2-2 with each other. The fifth new manager, Marco Rose at Bournemouth, lost his opening game 2-1 away at Manchester City.
Who replaced Enzo Maresca at Chelsea?
Xabi Alonso replaced Enzo Maresca as Chelsea manager, appointed in May 2026 on a four-year deal after being dismissed by Real Madrid in January. Alonso previously won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. His first Chelsea game was a 3-2 win at Fulham, with goals from Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.
All results and manager details per official club sources, Sky Sports, ESPN and This Is Anfield match reports, as of 27 August 2026. 18+. Gamble responsibly. Find support at BeGambleAware.org.