So Roberto De Zerbi has officially apologised to Tottenham fans for comments he made about Mason Greenwood back when he was Marseille boss. And look, fair play to the man for addressing it. But this got me down an absolute rabbit hole because managers apologising is genuinely one of the most underrated genres in football content. The memes write themselves. 💀

So here it is. The All-Time XI of Managers Who Had to Say Sorry, ranked by how chaotic the apology actually was. Formation: 4-3-3 of pure regret.

GK: Claudio Ranieri (Sorry for getting sacked by Leicester, apparently?)

The man won the Premier League and then had to basically apologise for existing nine months later when the players reportedly wanted him gone. Imagine winning the league and then being the one who has to take the L. Vibes: absolutely rancid. Chaos level: 8/10 😭

RB: Roberto De Zerbi (Sorry to Spurs fans, 2026)

The reason we're here today. De Zerbi rocking up at Tottenham and immediately having to address comments from a completely different country and a completely different job. POV: you start a new position and your old tweets surface. We've all been there. Some of us just aren't managing in the Premier League when it happens. Chaos level: 6/10

CB: Jose Mourinho (Sorry to basically everyone, constantly)

Jose never actually apologises, which is what makes him perfect for this XI. The man could set fire to the stadium and then blame the fire for being in the wrong place. Anti-apology king. He's in this team purely because the absence of a sorry IS the sorry. This is cinema. Chaos level: 10/10 🔥

CB: Unai Emery (Sorry for "Good Ebening")

He never actually apologised for this but the internet decided he needed to. The man was just speaking English and we turned him into a meme for three years. He then went and became one of the best managers in Europe at Villa. Revenge arc complete. Chaos level: 7/10

LB: Graham Potter (Sorry for everything at Chelsea)

Potter's entire Chelsea tenure was basically one long apology. Every press conference had the energy of a man who'd accidentally walked into someone else's house and was too polite to leave. No caption needed. Chaos level: 7/10 💀

CM: Pep Guardiola (Sorry for rotating too much)

Pep has apologised to players for leaving them out more times than most managers have actual team talks. The roulette wheel spins and someone gets hurt. Usually the fans' Fantasy Premier League teams. Chaos level: 6/10

CM: Jurgen Klopp (Sorry for running onto the pitch vs Everton)

2018. Origi scores. Klopp sprints onto the pitch like he's been released from captivity. Gets fined. Apologises. Would absolutely do it again. Iconic. Chaos level: 9/10 ⚽

CM: Antonio Conte (Sorry for calling his own players not good enough)

Conte at Spurs went on a rant so volcanic that he basically apologised himself out of a job. The man sacked himself in a press conference. Unprecedented. Legendary. Tottenham DNA. Chaos level: 10/10 😭

RW: Arsene Wenger (Sorry, I didn't see it)

The GOAT of non-apologies. Twenty years of "I did not see the incident" is technically never having to say sorry. Wenger walked so every manager who dodges questions could run. Chaos level: 8/10 🐐

ST: Louis van Gaal (Sorry for boring football at United)

He wasn't sorry. He was never sorry. But Manchester United fans needed someone to apologise for the "philosophy" era and LVG drew the short straw. The man once fell over on the touchline to prove a point to a referee. You cannot coach this level of chaos. Chaos level: 9/10

LW: Marcelo Bielsa (Sorry for Spygate)

Bielsa got caught sending someone to spy on Derby's training and then held a PowerPoint presentation explaining that he'd spied on EVERY opponent. The apology that was actually a flex. Absolutely generational behaviour. Chaos level: 11/10 🔥💀

De Zerbi, welcome to the squad mate. You're in good company. Chaotic, unhinged, deeply entertaining company.