That was some debut for Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest’s new boss. After three managers came and went, maybe the fourth time really is the charm.

Pereira didn’t get an easy start, either. Fenerbahce away in a high-stakes Europa League play-off? That’s a baptism by fire. He’s the fourth man in the hot seat this season, stepping in after Forest sent Sean Dyche packing.

Funny thing is, people said the same things about Dyche when he took over. He steadied the team right away, especially after Ange Postecoglou left things in a mess. Dyche brought back the basics: tight defence and no-nonsense football. And honestly, it worked for a bit, just like it did under Nuno Espirito Santo.

But then the wheels started to come off. Forest looked like they were steering straight for relegation with Dyche in charge.

Marinakis, the owner, decided Pereira was the man to avoid disaster. First job: survive Fenerbahçe away. No one expected it to be easy.

Forest actually started well. They kept the ball, used it smartly, and looked sharp. Pereira made a bold call starting two quick wingers, Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, with Morgan Gibbs-White playing just behind Igor Jesus, who’s been unstoppable in the Europa League.

It paid off. Gibbs-White and Jesus linked up for Forest’s second goal after Murillo rampaged forward and finally smashed the ball past Ederson (yes, that Ederson). Jesus barely had to do anything for his seventh Europa League goal in as many games, thanks to a wild headed assist from Gibbs-White – a move you don’t usually get from your playmaker, twisting at the front post and somehow finding the Brazilian.

Then Gibbs-White scored himself in the second half. 3-0 in Istanbul. Forest has one foot in the last 16 already.

Now, let’s be honest, Fenerbahçe aren’t exactly European giants. They haven’t won their league in ages. But with a midfield of Kante, Guendouzi, and Talisca? Semedo and Asensio on the flanks? Is Domenico Tedesco in charge? On paper, they should’ve put up a real fight.

Instead, they were just… awful. Shockingly bad. Honestly, they looked as poor as Qarabag did yesterday.

Forest could’ve slipped up or failed to take advantage, but they didn’t. They bossed the match from start to finish. Never in doubt.

So yeah, it’s a great start for Pereira. But we’ve seen this before. Dyche’s first game looked good, too. We’re not getting carried away just yet.

And let’s be real about Dyche; people call him a firefighter, but how many relegation scraps has he actually won? One with Everton, if you count last season, though most thought they’d survive anyway. He got sacked by Burnley before the end of their last relegation battle, and they went down the season before that, too.

Pereira’s got a better record. He took over Wolves when they were 19th in the Premier League, nine points from 16 games, basically dead and buried. Four months later, they were safe, 12 points clear, and had beaten Manchester United twice. Not bad.

Things eventually went south for him at Wolves, but Forest still saw enough to hand him the keys to their burning house or, if you prefer, the sinking ship. This is the same club that sacked Nuno, hired Ange, then Dyche, so logic isn’t really their thing, but here we are.

Maybe the fourth manager will finally get it right. Forest were excellent against Fenerbahçe and look set for the Europa League last 16. If they keep playing like this, the chaos might finally pay off.

Xabi Alonso just turned down Marseille, who are deep in chaos right now. Meanwhile, talk about him heading back to Liverpool won’t go away. Alonso, now 44, got the boot from Real Madrid in January, just seven months after he left Bayer Leverkusen. Losing to Barcelona in the Super Cup final did him no favours, but honestly, trouble was brewing long before that. Several senior players felt disrespected by Alonso and didn’t buy into his style.

His tense relationship with Vinicius Junior pretty much summed up how things went wrong in the dressing room. Florentino Perez, never one for patience, sacked him. Since then, Alvaro Arbeloa stepped in, and Real seems to be getting back on track.

Alonso’s rough time at the Bernabeu, where he actually spent five years as a player, has made him picky about his next job. French outlet RMC Sport says he immediately said no to Marseille, worried the club is just too much of a mess right now.

Earlier this month, Roberto De Zerbi walked away from managing Marseille, setting off a chain reaction. After a brutal 5-0 loss to PSG, he and the club agreed to part ways. Just four days later, sporting director Medhi Benatia also announced he was leaving, saying the club’s communication had totally broken down and he couldn’t just ignore the situation anymore.

But then Frank McCourt, the club’s owner, stepped in and said Benatia will actually stay until the season ends. The fans weren't happy either; during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Strasbourg, supporters behind both goals boycotted the first 15 minutes and spent the game whistling at their own team.

After Alonso said no, Marseille gave the job to Habib Beye. He used to play for Newcastle and Aston Villa, and now he’s at the Stade Velodrome, even though Rennes just sacked him last week.

As for Alonso, he’s taking his time before picking his next move. Not long ago, he was the hottest coach in Europe. Now, all eyes are on Liverpool, with rumours swirling that he could replace Arne Slot. Last month, a journalist asked Slot if Alonso had called him to talk about taking his job, and Slot had some fun with it. “Yeah, he called me and said, ‘What do you think about the team? "I'm taking over in six months; can you fill me in?" Slot joked.

“Or maybe sooner. Maybe he takes over tomorrow! No, no, no. That’s one of the weirdest questions I’ve ever had. What’s there to say? I’ve been here for over a year and a half, and I really enjoy it. We won the league last season, and this year’s been tougher. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”