Gianfranco Zola, renowned as one of the Premier League’s finest imports, faced a challenging journey as a manager, particularly during his tenures at Watford and Birmingham City. Transitioning from player to manager is rarely smooth, and while some excel, others, like Zola, encounter mixed results.
In 2018, Zola took on the high-profile role of managing West Ham United but was dismissed in under two years. His managerial career had earlier seen success at Watford, where he led the team to a third-place finish in the Championship and a dramatic play-off semi-final victory against Leicester City. However, they ultimately lost the final to Crystal Palace in extra time. Despite this strong start, Zola was sacked in December of the following season after a poor run of form left Watford in 13th place.
Zola later managed Cagliari Calcio and Al-Arabi SC before taking over at Birmingham City in December 2016. Birmingham had been performing well, sitting in seventh place before Zola’s arrival. Expectations were high, but under his leadership, the team dramatically declined, winning only two of 24 matches and plummeting to 20th place. Zola resigned after just four months following a defeat to Burton Albion, marking the end of his managerial career.
Despite his success on the field as a player, Zola struggled to replicate this in management, with his disastrous spell at Birmingham being his final managerial role.
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