Will Chelsea manager Antonio Conte become the latest victim to fall prey to the cycle of chopping and changing coaches at Stamford Bridge? DEAN WORKMAN explores.
The Italian manager took charge of a wounded Chelsea side last season who were looking for greener pastures following their dismal title defence under Jose Mourinho the season before.
After a rocky start to life at Stamford Bridge, the former Juventus mentor revolutionised the league with his 3-4-3 formation as the Blues stormed to the Premier League title.
This season, however, has not gone according to plan. Conte began the season on the back foot as he bemoaned the lack of support he received from his board during the transfer window. While the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City spent big, Chelsea lost key players in Nemanja Matić and Diego Costa while failing to properly replace the two vital cogs of the machine which saw them clinch the league title the season before.
Chelsea and Conte seem to be in a constant state of flux this season, one minute the club is in crisis and the next, they are on the up, At the moment, however, there is no positives for the Italian after his suffered back-to-back losses to Manchester United and Manchester City – leaving them 25 points adrift of the table-toppers and five points off a Champions League spot. To add to their misery, Conte’s men face the prospect of Champions League elimination at the hands of La Liga giants Barcelona in the second-leg of their Round of 16 tie at the Camp Nou.
Despite being in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, failure to qualify for next seasons Champions League could prove fatal for Conte’s Chelsea career.
Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo and André Villas-Boas are just five of the twelve different managers who have been in charge of the Blues since Abramovich’s bought the club in June 2003.
The owner is infamous for his lack of patience with managers, even those who have been successful at the club. In both of Mourinho’s spells at Chelsea, he left mid-season having been successful the season before, Carlo Ancelotti was sacked following winning a league and cup double the previous season and who could forget Roberto di Matteo who guided Chelsea to their maiden Champions League triumph but was then sacked in the following season.
Unless the former Italian national team coach can mastermind a near-perfect ending to the season, he could well be nearing the end of his time at Stamford Bridge. Sooner than later.
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