Rightly or wrongly, Roberto di Matteo this morning became the SEVENTH manager sacked during the turbulent reign of Roman Abramovich. Last night’s defeat in Juventus was the final straw for the ruthless Russian owner who has quickly forgotten that it was Di Matteo who delivered the Holy Grail (the Champions League) just a few months ago.
Has Abramovich made the right decision, or is it yet another knee-jerk reaction from a man who clearly has no concept of stability. Eight managers (Guus Hiddink was the only one not to have been sacked) have come and gone, and we can only wonder who will be next to pick up the poisoned chalice.
Let’s have a look back at the men who have fallen on their swords – and you decide if the man at the top was right or wrong.
Claudio Ranieri
The Italian remained in charge through Abramovich's first year, and did a thoroughly good job. The year after he was sacked Chelsea won the Premier League, but Ranieri would argue that success was achieved with the team he built.
Jose Mourinho
The Special One led Chelsea to two league titles and only a power dispute with Abramovich led to his sacking. Mourinho was unhappy with interference in team affairs and maybe the Russian felt Jose was bigger than him. In the eyes of the fans, he was.
Avram Grant
Perhaps not the fans’ favourite to take over from Mourinho but, remarkably, Grant was just a penalty kick away from achieving what Mourinho never did, winning the Champions League with Chelsea. Even that may not have been enough to save him.
Luiz Scolari
Even though he’d managed, and succeeded, at the highest level on the biggest stage of all, 'Big Phil' found himself out of his depth and unable to control Chelsea's big name stars; the first big victim of player power at Stamford Bridge, and lasted a matter of months.
Carlo Ancelotti
Ancelotti was the flavour of the month when he won the double in his first season, getting the side playing some terrific football and the plaudits were well deserved. Despite finishing second the following year, a poor Champions League showing cost him his job.
Andre Villas-Boas
Hiring the youngest manager in the Premier League was seen as a gamble by many, despite his instant success in Portugal. If Scolari couldn’t handle Chelsea’s big name stars, how would AVB cope – the bottom line is, he didn’t...and paid the price quicker than most.
Roberto di Matteo
Perhaps not the ideal replacement after the Villas-Boas debacle, the former West Brom boss steadied the ship and then pointed it in the direction of the Champions League trophy. Roman’s dream had come true, but it didn’t stop him wielding the axe once more.
What do you think? Has Abramovich dropped another clanger or was it the right move at this time? Let us know your view by leaving a comment below
Source: DSG
