Managerial decisions on the technical performance efficiency : the impact on elite English premier league clubs

Abstract

The key, authoritative figure in a football club, entrusted with the responsibility of achieving the sporting, and the financial success of the club, is the football club's Manager. They are required to perform at an acceptable, pre-defined standard, often in very high-pressure scenarios. When these managers underperform, their position is put in a state of uncertainty. We, therefore, aim to determine the possible effects of managerial succession on sporting performance in the elite English Premier League by implementing a two-stage output-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model using fractional logistic regression to analyze the impact of managerial decisions on teams' efficiency and their handling of the risk management process. The findings contribute to the literature in the field by outlining a key link between managerial decisions and sporting performance. Results show that managers who preferred 4-3-2-1, 4-4-1-1 and 5-3-2 formations have a positive and strong impact on the performance efficiency of their teams, whilst those preferring 3-5-2, 3-1-4-2, 3-4-1-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, 5-4-1 formations significantly reduce the teams' performance. Therefore, in any decision on whether to dismiss a manager, consideration should be given to whether managers have a significant and positive impact on both the match results and the performance efficiency of their teams.