When it happened, it seemed inevitable but yet there was still something that rankled about the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti from Chelsea. Even this, by the standards of the owner Roman Abramovich, was harsh.
Just under two hours after a 1-0 defeat to Everton, the antithesis to Chelsea as a model of stability, Ancelotti was informed that his services were no longer required. The 51 year-old finds himself out of a job merely a year after leading the Blues to their first ever domestic double of Premier League and FA Cup.
Why? One season without a trophy.
It all went up in smoke for Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge
In a move that will leave Arsene Wenger thanking his lucky stars on the other side of London that his chairman is not as demanding, Abramovich mercilessly destroyed any form of stability Chelsea had gained over his two years in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Since taking control of the club in 2003, the Russian owner has overseen the departure of six managers: Claudio Ranieri, José Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and now Ancelotti.
The Italian was brought in to guide Chelsea to the one trophy that eludes Abramovich, the one he so desperately craves - the Champions League. Having won the trophy twice with AC Milan, Ancelotti was seen as the man who could deliver the missing part of the jigsaw for the Abramovich reign.
However, old friend Mourinho put pay to that dream in the 2009/10 season as his Inter Milan side went on to lift the trophy. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United can repeat that feat with victory against Barcelona at Wembley on Saturday evening.
Ferguson and Mourinho put pay to Ancelotti's Champions League dreams
Many thought that Ancelotti was resigned to the sack following the Champions League exit to the Premier League Champions regardless of whether or not he won a domestic honour; though they no longer seem to register on the Abramovich radar.
Failure to deliver the Champions League is enough to earn a one-way ticket out of Stamford Bridge. The pay-off ain't bad, mind you.
Fingers will inevitably point to the unexpected and inexplicable departure of the popular Ray Wilkins, the man seen as the go-between of Ancelotti and the squad. The downturn in form after the sacking of Wilkins was alarming and took longer than it should have to resolve.
A return of 10 points from 11 games was disastrous and ultimately left them too much work to do in the title race, gifting Manchester United their 19th crown.
Ray Wilkins' departure was seen as a turning point in Ancelotti's reign
Poor form aside, the performances of £50m January signing Fernando Torres did little to aid the cause of Ancelotti. With numerous failed integrations into the side and one goal since his arrival from Liverpool, Torres had looked a shadow of his former self and there are no signs of that changing - one lucky goal against a despondent West Ham aside.
Rifts within the camp are rife if rumours are to be believed. Talismanic frontman Didier Drogba no longer feels wanted at the Bridge as a result of the Torres transfer and wants out. A public argument at Old Trafford with David Luiz failed to quash rumours of internal problems. Morale, it seems, is at an all-time low.
As harsh as the sacking is, perhaps it is time for Ancelotti to move on. The squad he inherited is aged and does not appear to be improving with John Terry, Frank Lampard and Drogba are all into their thirties and the remainder of the first-team looking more and more laboured as the weeks went by.
Clearly, a motivator is needed.
The one prize that Abramovich's millions haven't been able to buy
FC Porto's Andre Villas-Boas has been linked with the vacant post but he has recently stated a desire to "build a dynasty" at the Estádio do Dragao; Guus Hiddink has insisted that his loyalties lie with the Turkish national side and José Mourinho has no desire to return to Stamford Bridge as he wishes to remain at Real Madrid.
This leaves just two men left from the front-runners with the bookmakers.
Dutch footballing icon Marco Van Basten is favourite for the job but his lack of and disappointing managerial experiences may prove to be a decisive factor. Rumours suggest that he will be appointed as head coach whilst Hiddink takes up his preferred role as Director of Football.
Harry Redknapp's position at Spurs is comfortable but, having tasted Champions League football last season, he may want more and it is something that Chelsea can provide. He is no stranger to crossing rivalries having moved to-and-fro between Southampton and Portsmouth. This move, however, may be a bridge too far.
Whoever takes the manager's job at Chelsea will be sipping from a poisoned chalice and under immediate pressure to deliver Abramovich's personal Holy Grail. It is obvious that he will stop at nothing to see that Chelsea are European Champions and there will be few who envy the next man given the task of making it happen.
Out of the ones linked, Hiddink would by my personal favourite to take over. He was great last time, built a good rapport with both the Fans and Players in such a short amount of time, had us playing decent stuff without even making his mark on the side. It's just a shame he was only doing it temporarily.
ReplyDeleteHe'd also be given a bit of bonus leeway I think, due to being a personal favourite of Abramovich's.
Ranieri and Mourinho are probably the only totally harsh ones that we sacked I think.
Grant should never have been given a full contract in the first place. Even when he was, pretty much everyone knew he was just going to be staying until the end of the season. Horrible football played, the players had no confidence, and he didn't instill any with his interviews or tactics.
Scolari was just plain incompetent, simple as. We looked good the first few weeks. But then it just went to nothing and he seemed to be approacing a nervous breakdown.
Ancelotti did well winning the double in his first season. But that was thanks to quite a bit of luck. Playing boring football both seasons. We never seemed like we could break down teams with any more than 6 players back. At our best we'd just have about 5 players in their half, with only one in or around the box. We rarely looked to attack. Wanting attractive football is almost as important to what Abramovich wants from the next manager as doing well in the CL. Ancelotti also seemed to be against using the youngsters. Borini, Bertrant, Mcechran, Clifford, Bruma and Van Aanholt all should have been given a bit more time than they should have.