Roberto Di Matteo | March 2012 – Nov 2012
With AVB out, Roman gave the job to club legend Roberto Di Matteo until the end of the
season, but no one could have foreseen what he would go onto achieve.
Against all the odds, Di Matteo led his club to FA Cup success over a rampant Liverpool side, followed by Champions League glory against Bayern Munich. He had brought the Holy Grail to Stamford Bridge at long last! Chelsea defended like their lives depended on it, and had much better squads years previously, but as Gary Neville famously said in commentary, “It was written in the stars”.
Sadly things didn’t go so well for Di Matteo after he was made permanent manager, struggling to find league form, and losing his job in November after a 1-0 defeat to struggling West Brom.
Why He Deserved The Sack
Let’s be honest, he was never going to be a long-term choice under Abramovich but he had to give him the job after what Roberto achieved. Di Matteo allowed leaders like Terry, Lampard and Drogba to take control and help manage results, but once he was given the suit things changed, and not for the better. He simply wasn’t good enough, but will go down in history for that night in Munich.
Rafael Benitez | Nov 2012 – May 2013
The most controversial managerial appointment in Roman’s time at Chelsea. Hiring former Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez was a bad call on so many levels, but replacing a club legend like Di Matteo just left Rafa with no chance.
His static defensive style of play didn’t help win over doubters, either. Although he did manage to get the best out of record signing Fernando Torres while at the helm, and also guided the team to Europa League glory.
Rafa desperately wanted the role on a permanent basis, but it just wasn’t practical. Roman had his eyes on a new man, or rather an old man. Benitez would go on to coach at Inter Milan, Napoli, Real Madrid (!), and Newcastle to varying degrees of success.
Jose Mourinho | June 2013 – Dec 2015
The second coming of the Special One at Chelsea was a sensational moment and felt like a huge turning point in the way the club was run. We’d been through just about every manager imaginable before returning to Mourinho, still the club’s most successful coach. Sadly, it was not to be.
Mourinho brought back a winning mentality at Chelsea along with trophies, including another Premier League title, but he also brought with him his old ways of creating fights with everyone in his path, which ultimately led to his downfall when a public bust-up with the club doctor left the entire football club red faced. Jose was sacked just a few months later, with the team languishing in 16th place after an abysmal start to the season.
Why He Deserved The Sack
He had lost his mojo, and was moody and depressed after his time at Real Madrid didn’t go as planned. Argumentative as ever. Not as fun to watch. Tactically dated to the rest of the top coaches. Too demanding of top players. Making enemies with everyone he came across.
Guus Hiddink | Dec 2015 – May 2016
Speaking of second comings, it was next the turn of Guus Hiddink to save the club’s season in an interim role. Sadly, there was no miracle this time around, and he could only manage to stabilise results and help them finish 10th.
Hiddink wasn’t the manager he once was. He still garnered huge respect, but he had been out of the game at that level for quite some time. The players had already downed tools for the
season, so it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Dutchman. Needless to say there was very little clamour for Hiddink to get the job on a full-time basis this time around.
Antonio Conte | July 2016 – July 2018
Success was brought back to Chelsea thanks to Roman’s somewhat brave hiring of the volatile Antonio Conte. The Italian was known for falling out with owners, but also had a knack of winning trophies, which he did at Stamford Bridge, capturing the club’s first league title in three years.
Revolutionising the league by adapting a 3-4-3 system, hardly ever seen in the Premier League, bamboozling managers along the way, winning the title by seven points and capturing the hearts of the Stamford Bridge faithful along the way.
Unfortunately, like all managers at Chelsea, the good times didn’t last, and Conte was shown the door after the following season which saw him finish 5th, but still leave with an FA Cup victory.
Conte is now at Inter Milan doing great things, but still warring with the owners over transfers and funds. Say what you will about the man, he is a talented coach that knows how to get results and the best out of lesser talented players.
Why He Deserved The Sack
Super volatile. Lost his passion and motivation in his second season. Other managers found ways around his new system to nullify it. Fell out with Diego Costa, and failed to replace him.
Argued with Roman for not signing the players he wanted. Constantly critical of the club’s transfer policy which is a big no-no under Abramovich.