Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has opened up about why one managerial appointment during the club’s golden era of the 2010s never worked out.
The West London club became a dominant force in the Premier League, winning three titles and their first UEFA Champions League title in 2012, after beating Bayern Munich on penalties.
Whether it was Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Antonio Conte, Chelsea have had some world class managers at the helm who have won Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge in what was a dominant era.
However, for one Chelsea manager in particular, it did not work out in West London and ex-Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel has attempted to explain why it didn’t work out.
Obi Mikel details all about manager
Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Chelsea midfielder has detailed why Andre Villas-Boas, who did not even last a season at Chelsea, lost his job. It turns out that there was a falling out between Villas-Boas and club captain John Terry.
“No it wasn’t,” Mikel said when asked if Villas-Boas’ man management skills were good enough. “I think the problem with AVB was, he was there with Jose [Mourinho], he was there when he was in his 20s.
“He saw the club and the players, he was friends with the players, and then he thought, ‘OK now I’m a manager, I need to do something, I need to show them that they have to respect me.’
“But he came in and he did it in a different, totally wrong way. JT is a captain that fights for his players, demands a lot from the club to make sure the players are looked after – especially the players that have been there.
Villas-Boas decided that his players would fly in economy class when going to Hong Kong, which was a decision that naturally was not a popular one for the majority of the Chelsea team, not least Terry.
Chelsea’s managerial record
Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea were, alongside Manchester United, the dominant team of the 2000s and the 2010s but since the Russian’s departure from Stamford Bridge, the club have faltered.
Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino have all left after apparent fallings out with the new owners and former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is the next man in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea simply have to give the Argentine time to develop at the club and be given the players he needs to rebuild the West London club. Despite the success Chelsea had under Abramovich’s trigger happy style, patience is needed for Maresca.
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