Which top Premier League manager needs to win FA Cup most? - ESPN

The FA Cup returns this weekend (stream games live on ESPN+), which poses a question for the Premier League teams now involved in it: which manager needs to win the competition the most?

All 20 top-flight sides enter the competition at the third-round stage, and it comes at a moment when the Premier League is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years. Just six points separate the top five clubs, and this proximity adds fresh emphasis to the debate about the importance of the world's oldest domestic cup competition to its participants. Some managers are eyeing bigger prizes, others are eying a breather for key players. But some might need an FA Cup win to save their jobs.

Here, ESPN takes a look at eight of the top bosses and the conundrum facing them this weekend.

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Guardiola's principal fear this season is guarding against a drop in hunger or standards following Manchester City's stunning treble success. The first competition they can now fail to defend is the FA Cup, although the draw has been kind in pitching them against Championship strugglers Huddersfield Town. Rotation is inevitable given the opponents and recent exertions at the FIFA Club World Cup, so Guardiola can probably wait until later in the month before having to ponder the importance of the FA Cup. Only an early exit would reinforce that some sort of complacency is creeping in.

In truth, Guardiola would no doubt happily sacrifice the FA Cup if it meant winning the Premier League and UEFA Champions League again. But such is the authority with which they played last season that they are surely favourites to win all three again. And the competition comes at a perfect moment for star midfielder