The Premier League managers most under pressure going into the Christmas period

While Christmas is a time of joy, goodwill and vile gluttony for the rest of us, it can be absolutely lethal for football managers. With fixtures coming thick and fast and a gruelling schedule across the festive period, it is the worst possible time to preside over a team in dismal form. Just as a flurry of snow can bring Britain to a standstill, so too can a flurry of defeats bring a manager’s time at a club to a shuddering halt.

With the busy Christmas fixture list looming, here are the managers most under pressure heading into the holiday season.

Mark Hughes

When he was brought in to replace Tony Pulis, it was suggested that Mark Hughes could change Stoke’s public image. Rather than be seen as a bunch of hard lads who specialised in kicking others sides off the pitch, the powers that be at the Potteries imagined Stoke transformed into a stylish and sophisticated team.

READ MORE: Hughes fighting to save his job at Stoke

Instead, they have ended up with a team which is neither hard nor sophisticated but somewhere indistinct and inbetween. Currently 15th in the table and a mere three points above the relegation zone, a run of winnable Christmas fixtures – including games against West Ham, West Brom and Huddersfield – will have to end with a fair number of points for Hughes to be able to shrug off the increasingly vociferous criticism.

Paul Clement

Paul Clement may have helped the Swans escape relegation by the breadth of a feather last season, but things are looking pretty bleak this time around. Swansea are currently second from bottom and have tasted victory only once since mid October, though their long wait for a win at least came to an end this weekend with a narrow triumph over West Brom.

Nonetheless, with matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and a resurgent Everton on the horizon, Clement could well find himself on another losing streak before long. In the midst of all that, he faces a proverbial ‘six pointer’ against rock-bottom Crystal Palace, the result of which will surely have major implications for the safety of his job.

Rafa Benitez

While Rafa can draw on deep reserves of goodwill from the fans at St James’ Park, a run of six defeats in seven games would be enough to endanger any Premier League boss.

With Newcastle undergoing a turbulent time off the field and subject to a takeover led by financier Amanda Staveley, sacking Benitez would only deepen the sense of crisis at the club. Nonetheless, burdened by the weight of problems on and off the field, Rafa could be forgiven for struggling to get into the Christmas spirit.

READ MORE: Conte worried by Chelsea’s squad size

Special mention: Ludicrous as it might seem to most of us considering that he won the league title in his first season as manager, stories about tensions between Antonio Conte and the Chelsea hierarchy won’t go away.

From reports of his dissatisfaction with Chelsea’s summer transfer business to suggestions that the board are spooked by the team’s middling form, the Christmas period could be vitally important with regards to Conte’s future. Having ruled the Blues out of this season’s title race already, the Italian must be aware that – crazy as it may be – Chelsea managers have been dismissed for less.