Rafa Benitez is going down as popular as an SS officer at a bar mitzvah among the Stamford Bridge faithful, with the unfair sacking of Di Matteo, not renewing Frank Lampard’s contract and of course terrible results, so when will the eventual sacking take place ? who will succeed him ? We will only have to wait and see.
Rafa’s recent results are as bad as (in many cases worse than) the form that saw the departure of his predecessors. But results are not always the main reason behind why Roman Abramovich keep sacking his managers. Jose Mourinho’s firing had nothing to do with results, but was all about Roman showing “The Special One” who controlled the club. Avram Grant seldom seemed likely to be any more than a caretaker – despite protestations from the club. Luis Felipe Scolari went because Champions League qualification was at risk, and Carlo Ancelotti because he had raised expectations so high in his first season that his second, with an aging team in transition seemed a failure. Andre Villas-Boas, like Scolari, risked Champions League qualification and about Di Matteo, well there are so many theories as to why that happened, but let’s just leave it there.
So here are the top 5 candidates who can take Chelsea’s hot seat:
Jurgen Klopp:The Dortmund manager has transformed Dortmund from a mid table purgatory to dark horses for the Champions League. He’s unearthed gems such as Gotzë, Subotic, and Sahin, and is very prudent in signing unknown players and turning them into superstars! (Hummels and Lewandowski to name a few) If Roman decides to look for a manager who is capable of building a team from scratch, Klopp is his man. He could deliver world class players and make a couple of bonafide Chelsea legends in the process.
Marcello Lippi:
The mastermind behind Italy’s 2006 World Cup win in Germany, this masterful Italian could bring defensive stability to an ailing Chelsea side that has been dogged by controversy and rumoured off field strafe. Currently plying his trade in China with Guangzhou Evergrande F.C, Marcello could make a sensational move to England and he has even admitted his interest in the Chelsea job previously when Carlo Ancelotti’s job was at risk back in 2011.
Giofranco Zola:
The Chelsea legend has been enjoying success at Watford, and if they get promoted and do a Ispwich Town as opposed to a Derby County, Roman may well whip out the chequebook for the best loved Italian midget since Mario.
Guus Hiddink:
No stranger to the chaos at Stamford Bridge having won a FA cup in his 4 month caretaker role in 2009, if the pressure at Anzhi gets too much the man who took South Korea to the semi finals of the 2002 World Cup may well see Stamford Bridge as a tempting option. Though he has announced his decision to step aside from football management at the end of this season, Hiddink can still be roped in for the second time at the bridge if Roman really wants him back. It is well known that the two have close contacts still and the fact that Chelsea fans love Guus will give him an additional encouragement to take up the job.
Jose Mourinho:
There is nothing much to talk about Jose. He is everyone’s first choice. The fans love him, he has always loved his job at Stamford Bridge, but the question is will he leave Real Madrid?