Chelsea discard manager Di Matteo
Reuters - Wednesday 21 November 2012, 09:19
Chelsea's
madcap managerial merry-go-round spun for the umpteenth time on
Wednesday when Roberto Di Matteo, who guided the club to Champions
League glory just six months ago, was sacked.
Winning
Europe's elite club competition had been a burning desire for Roman
Abramovich since the Russian billionaire took over as the owner at
Stamford Bridge in 2003.
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Di
Matteo found the 'Holy Grail' against all the odds in May but Tuesday's
3-0 reverse at Juventus, a defeat that leaves Chelsea on the brink of
Champions League elimination, prompted Abramovich to end the reign of
his eighth manager at the club.
"The
team's recent performances and results have not been good enough and
the owner and board felt a change was necessary now to keep the club
moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part
of the season," the club said on their website.
Chelsea,
who have won only two of their last eight games in all competitions,
added they would be making an announcement shortly regarding a new
manager with bookmakers listing former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez
and ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as early favourites.
"The
club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages
of the Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for
the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup
competitions," the club said.
"The
owner and the board would like to thank Roberto for all he has done for
the club since taking over in March. Roberto helped guide us to an
historic Champions League victory and a seventh FA Cup.
"We
will never forget the huge contribution he has made to this club's
history and he will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge."
GREAT SEASON
Di
Matteo was assistant coach before taking over the first team in a
caretaker capacity when Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas was sacked in
March and he helped turn a mediocre season into a great one.
The
Italian inherited a team 3-1 down to Napoli in the first leg of the
last 16 of the Champions League but he inspired a thrilling fightback
in the second leg.
Chelsea
then knocked out Benfica in the quarter-finals before beating
overwhelming favourites Barcelona in the semis and defeating Bayern
Munich on penalties in the final in the German team's own Allianz Arena
stadium.
Di Matteo had also
won the FA Cup two weeks earlier by overcoming Liverpool 2-1 in the
final at Wembley and the reward for achieving a memorable trophy double
was to be elevated to permanent first-team coach at the end of the
campaign.
Chelsea backed the
Italian in the close season by making a host of expensive signings,
including Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard and young Brazilian midfielder
Oscar.
The Londoners won the
Champions League in gritty fashion with a series of backs-to-the-wall
performances but the start of the new season heralded a new vibrant
attacking style with Hazard, Oscar and Spaniard Juan Mata pulling the
strings.
Abramovich had
always wanted his Chelsea side to play with flair and panache in the
manner of Barcelona, probably the best team in world football, and they
started the new season in scintillating fashion with seven wins in
eight league matches.
The
underlying feeling among the fans at Stamford Bridge, however, was that
the new-look team had been set up to emulate the passing system created
by Guardiola and that perhaps Di Matteo was simply keeping the seat
warm for the former Barcelona coach.
Guardiola walked away from Barca last season, saying he needed a year away from the game to recharge his batteries.
Abramovich
has courted him in the past and it would surprise no one to see the
former Spain midfielder take the next spin on the Chelsea
merry-go-round.
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