Being a top player doesn’t guarantee that the player will become a good manager in future.
There are several players that have gone back to their clubs and sort out problems for the club on the long run.
Most club have found it easier to turn to the club legend in helping closing the gap when they fall out with their manager.
These are top players that failed at the club they have played before.
Alan Shearer- Newcastle United (2009)
When mentioning one of the top players in the Premier League I am very sure we can not fail to mention this Newcastle great player Alan Shearer.
Shearer was a great goal scorer during his time of play as he scored so many goals in the Premier League and also for Newcastle United.
With his goal scoring ability he help Newcastle United win games as a player but it turns out the other way round when he became the manager of the Magpies.
Newcastle attempted to revitalise the club in a relegation battle by bringing in iconic striker Alan Shearer for the final eight games of the season in 2008/09.
The appointment didn’t work out as expected as Shearer would claim just five points from a possible 24 as Newcastle were relegated.
Clarence Seedorf – Milan (2014)
Clarence Seedorf was one of the greatest midfielders we have seen played in his generation, he played in the top league in Europe.
A well-mannered midfielder with great technique, passing and long-range shooting, Seedorf is still the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs.
Seedorf won two Champions Leagues and two Scudetti with Ac Milan and he re returned to the club as manager in 2014 but, despite winning the Milan derby, he was sacked after just four months in charge.
Filippo Inzaghi – Milan (2014-2015)
Another saga in Ac Milan as Seedorf was replaced another playing legend at the club Pippo Inzaghi.
Inzaghi is one of the greatest striker AC Milan ever had and he scored over 100 goals and 300 appearances for the club.
He played at Milan from 2002 to 2012, memorably bagging the double that won Milan the 2007 Champions League against Liverpool.
His managerial spell at San Siro was much less successful, though. He spent just one season in the dugout and won only 14 of the 40 games he coached as Milan finished 10th.
Thierry Henry – Monaco (2018-2019)
The great Thierry Henry went back to France to coach Monaco after being an assistant in the Belgium team.
Thierry Henry took charge of Monaco, a side that gave the then League leaders issues in the league and are capable of finishing in the top three of the league.
Henry was unable to unlock the potential of his former club and the crisis only deepened under his presence. His man-management was regarded as dreadful and his tactical choices were not much better.
Frank Lampard – Chelsea (2019-2021)
Frank Lampard was one of the top midfielders in the Premier League and also one of Chelsea’s best players.
He took charge of Derby and did incredibly well in the Championship before he was appointed at Chelsea to replace Maurizio Sarri.
At the time of his appointment the club was under a transfer ban but was able to bring Mason Mount a Chelsea player who played under him at Derby County.
After the transfer ban was lifted the former England international spent over a million pounds but dropped in the League.
He was replaced by Thomas Tuchel and then the German won the League with the squad Lampard had.
Andrea Pirlo – Juventus (2020-2021)
Andrea Pirlo was appointed as a replacement of Maurizio Sarri at Juventus in the summer of 2020.
Pirlo was one of the greatest player to play for the Italian giant but had the responsibility to manage Juventus without coaching experience.
Pirlo proved to be a disastrous appointment as their nine-year Scudetto streak came to an end with Antonio Conte’s Inter romping to the Serie A title.
Furthermore, Juventus struggled all season merely to qualify for the Champions League – and were dumped out of the 2020/21 edition in the first knockout round by Porto in the last 16, resulting in Pirlo being sacked after one season.
Ronald Koeman – Barcelona (2020)
It was surpising that Ronald Koeman would lose his job as head coach of FC Barcelona following with what he did with the likes of Southampton and Everton.
Despite managing a top team in La Liga which is Barcelona and having top players at his disposal he was unable to help the team.
In 2021/22, Barca have been thrashed by Benfica and Bayern Munich in the Champions League and lost three times in La Liga as they languish in ninth position.
A major reason for the drop in quality is obviously the departure of Lionel Messi and the state of Barcelona as a club as a whole is certainly not the fault of Koeman.
But, the results on the pitch have been poor and his relationship with president Joan Laporta didn’t help his cause.
It’s no surprise that the Dutchman is no longer in charge at the Camp Nou.
Ole Gunner Solskjaer 2019- 2021
He was called the baby face assassin when he was playing for the club, he played as a striker and despite coming off the bench most times he delivers when called upon.
The Norwegian replaced Jose Mourinho at the club when things were down and went on to produce a fantastic unbeaten run.
He made a come back that shock the football world with young players against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League.
Things began to go from bad to worse as the team begin to collapse under his watch, losing to teams that were supposed to be trashed by Manchester United.
The last match he managed was against Watford which the team suffered a 4-1 defeat to the bottom half side in the league.
