Premier League sack race: Rafa Benitez odds-on to be next manager axed

Parting ways with managers has become a key part of life in the professional game as clubs lean towards a 'grass is greener' approach to on-field matters.

Watford were the first team to jump this season and got rid of Xisco Munoz at the start of October.

Steve Bruce was then sacked quickly after the takeover that saw Newcastle become the talk of the town and Eddie Howe has been drafted in.

Nuno Espirito Santo was shown the door by Tottenham recently and was replaced by Antonio Conte.

And three more clubs have since been forced into action as Norwich sacked Daniel Farke, Dean Smith left Aston Villa and of course, Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

That has seen fresh faces as Eddie Howe, Steven Gerrard and Smith were reintroduced as managers and already kicked off their first games in the league with a flourish.

Managers across the league will be looking over their shoulders as we approach the hectic festive period with one man under more pressure than most.

According to the latest odds from Betfair, the manager who is most at risk is Rafa Benitez.

But successive heavy defeats to Man City and Arsenal has seen Marcelo Bielsa's odds hammered into 3/1 from as big as 16/1 only a week before.

Leeds have been urged to replace Bielsa after their 'baffling' tactics saw them concede 11 goals in two Premier League games.

But the Everton boss is still favoured to go first after he endured a torrid run of results.

The Spaniard is now thought to be on the brink after their huge 4-1 loss to rivals Liverpool.

Since then Rafa has managed a 2-1 win against Arsenal in the final few moments to secure his first win in seven matches in the league.

But he then fell to Crystal Palace in similar fashion losing 3-1 and managed to scrape a fortunate 1-1 draw away at Chelsea.

Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton is also under pressure, as is Claudio Ranieri who could be a victim of Watford's hire-and-fire approach.

Leicester City have fallen short this term which means that Brendan Rodgers' position could be under scrutiny.

At the other end of the list are Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Chelsea's Thomas Tuchel and City gaffer Pep Guardiola who are near-certainties to keep hold of their prestigious roles.

David Moyes' heroics at West Ham have also seen his job become secure.