Chelsea should not waste any more time, money and effort searching for a new manager, the solution is staring them right in the face.
You cannot argue with Roberto di Matteo’s record as Chelsea boss so far.
Two Champions League wins out of two, the side look to be heading for the competition’s semi-finals.
They are also into the FA Cup semi-final, and fourth place is not a million miles away in the league; five points is still retrievable with eight games to go.
The better he does, the more difficult it becomes for owner Roman Abramovich to replace him, although admittedly that hasn’t stopped him before – see Carlo Ancelotti and Avram Grant both of who had fine records as Chelsea bosses.
Nevertheless there appears to be a daily rumour mill linking the club to new bosses, the unlikely Pep Guardiola gossip stepped up a gear this week, with Laurent Blanc a top candidate. Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was also moved to distance himself from reports suggesting he would take over at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Yes Abramovich may want a big name, but that policy has not succeeded in the past, see Luis Scolari.
More to the point, is there a bigger name to Chelsea fans than former hero Gianfranco Zola?
Zola and di Matteo could form a ‘dream team’ and given time could work together to regenerate a new, sustainable and successful club.
It has been suggested before, but fans were sceptical whether the pair were up to the task.
Now with di Matteo proving before our very eyes that he is a more capable man than Andre Villas-Boas in inspiring the current squad to success.
Zola’s record at West Ham was not great and deserves scrutiny, but then on the flip side- the club was in a mess.
His experience with interfering owners will have stood him in good stead, while it should also be considered that Avram Grant had a winning record at Chelsea, losing just two Premier League games, but was also unsuccessful at West Ham. Could Zola Grant’s success at Chelsea?
Di Matteo is doing a fine job at present, and while the task at hand is undeniably huge, and will only become greater next season, having old pal Zola alongside him would be a huge plus.
They couldn’t possibly do any worse than Scolari or Villas-Boas, and importantly both know the club inside out and are adored by fans.
Having the fans onside is half the battle, just ask Kenny Dalglish, who has remained in charge at Liverpool despite a chronic run of poor results, when an equally poor record got Roy Hodgson sacked at Anfield.
Fans do not want Rafa Benitez at Stamford Bridge, which would make his job far more difficult. Put in fan favourites Di Matteo and Zola permanently and watch how the gloomy atmosphere is lifted.
Abramovich should just get it over with and appoint the pair full time.
Do you agree?
image: © Ben Sutherland
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