It was bound to happen. Fans were expecting it to happen. The man is question was waiting for it to happen. The news that Carlo Ancelotti was sacked by Chelsea filtered through the relevant channels mere hours after the Premier League season ended. The story eclipsed the furore surrounding Survival Sunday, ironic that the day before was the supposed 'Rapture'. For Blackpool, Birmingham City and Ancelotti however, the powers that be were less than kind to the downbeat trio compared to us mere mortals.
The news was inevitable for Carlo let's face it. Months of speculation began to mount after Chelsea's shocking form leading up to the difficult Christmas break. The same time period saw the Italian continuously deny claims he was on the move from Stamford Bridge with boyhood club Roma the expected destination.
Nonetheless, the surprise of the whole fiasco was, in fact, the timing of the firing. Having gone 1-0 down to 10-men Everton courtesy of Jermaine Beckford's, second hand, George Weah-esc effort, the cry around Goodison was 'you're getting sacked in the morning'. Waiting until the morning to find out the dreaded news would have been a blessing for Ancelotti. In fact, he found himself out of a job less than two hours after kick-off and was left gobsmacked by the news that had been delivered within the confines of Goodison Park's hallways.
Nonetheless, the surprise of the whole fiasco was, in fact, the timing of the firing. Having gone 1-0 down to 10-men Everton courtesy of Jermaine Beckford's, second hand, George Weah-esc effort, the cry around Goodison was 'you're getting sacked in the morning'. Waiting until the morning to find out the dreaded news would have been a blessing for Ancelotti. In fact, he found himself out of a job less than two hours after kick-off and was left gobsmacked by the news that had been delivered within the confines of Goodison Park's hallways.
An all too similar scenario to Avram Grant's sacking last week but, unlike Grant, Ancelotti didn't deserve the boot. His first season in charge bought Chelsea's first ever domestic double and after a shaky mid-season, came close to usurping Manchester United at the Premier League summit. They may have fallen at the final hurdle but the fact they came so close to overtaking the eventual Champions after being fifteen points behind them at one point is a testament to the ability of the manager.
The upturn in fortunes significantly improved after the January transfer window and the signing of David Luiz from Benfica proved an astute one at £25m as the Brazilian added steel and quality to the Chelsea back-line that craved a player of his calibre. Granted Torres made the move from Liverpool but his impact was minimal in comparison to Luiz. Yet it was Ancelotti that got his team moving again after they stall following a superb start to the season.
However, after the events of yesterday, it is back to the drawing board for Chelsea. Roman Abramovich will want a quality manager that can land him the one prize he craves; the Champions League. Guus Hiddink is the one man he wants but with the Dutchman focused on Turkey's European Championship campaign, Abramovich will have to look elsewhere. Marco Van Basten has been recommended by Hiddink and the Russian will seriously consider the former Ajax manager due to Hiddink still having a major say in the goings on at Chelsea.
However, as good a striker Van Basten may have been, the same cannot be said about his managerial skills. Twice he has led Holland to national tournaments only to have seen his side crash out at the first knock-out stage while his one year at Ajax saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League. Not the best track record for Abramovich to look at. Nonetheless, Van Basten still remains the bookies favourites to succeed Ancelotti at Chelsea.
Andre Villas-Boas is also held in high regard and, after leading FC Porto to the treble this season, has become one of the most sought managers in the world. The 33 year-old is also familiar with his surroundings at Stamford Bridge having been assistant manager to Jose Mourinho during his spell at Chelsea. At boyhood club Porto, he has broken all of Mourinho's records which has landed him on the radar of Europe's best clubs. However, the Portuguese tactician has pledged his future to Porto for another year at least after guiding them to huge success this season.
Sticking with Portuguese managers and, to be exact, Mourinho himself. The Special One is still loved at Stamford Bridge and, as reports suggest, he has patched up his differences with Abramovich. Would he fancy a second crack at guiding Chelsea to Champions League glory? You wouldn't bet against it. An indifferent year at Real Madrid could see Mourinho complete a full cycle of Europe's top clubs and see him wind up at Stamford Bridge before the new season starts.
It remains to be seen who will take charge of Chelsea for the new season but whoever does will have to live up to the high expectations of Abramovich and face the consequences should those expectations not be met.
Anyway, I have got to go to work *sigh*.
Laters,
Macca
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