The rich Russian will always be remembered as an impatient and obsessive boss, with no clear long-term vision for the club- unless he admits his biggest mistake.
A lack of patience is never an endearing attribute, in any walk of life. Especially when you are a billionaire football club owner.
Back in 2003 when Abramovich took over at Stamford Bridge, he was an unknown quantity, many believed he would not even be here by the year 2012, he would have got bored and left.
That was based on the assumption Chelsea would have won everything easily, but the Russian’s obsession with winning the Champions League has been his undoing.
When he first arrived, Chelsea were seen by players and managers alike as the most exciting destination in football, now they are seen as one of the most destructive.
Look at comments from managers this week, Brendan Rodgers said a Chelsea move would ‘destroy’ his career, Luiz Scolari said life for a new boss would be ‘hell’, while the chances of Pep Guardiola moving the the Bridge seems slim to none.
Why would he risk ruining his reputation and being sacked within months, undoing all his good work at Barcelona?
Chelsea have lost the attractiveness which made them so appealing to managers and players. Yes the money they can offer will always bring somebody in, but not the very best.
Whatever happens in the future, Abramovich’s legacy is already set, as a boss unwilling to give his managers time, and judging by comments from pundits and players this week, will always be looked down upon in football circles, rather than admired.
This is unless he makes a last ditch attempt to rescue his legacy, by admitting his biggest error- sacking Jose Mourinho – and offering him his job back.
Under Mourinho, Chelsea were more successful than any other time in their history, or since, save for one gleaming season under Carlo Ancelotti, and had the power to attract the very best players in their positions at their peak, Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, and Ashley Cole.
He was accused of his critics of playing dull, pragmatic football, but it was winning football, and Abramovich would surely appreciate this now. Plus at Real Madrid this season and the last, he has proved he can create a winning yet exciting team.
If Mourinho came back, Abramovich would be admitting a mistake, but his critics would admire him for it. Mourinho could get on with repairing and rebuilding a new Chelsea team, and the years without him would be viewed as Chelsea’s ‘wilderness’ years.
Appoint somebody else, a Benitez, an Eriksson, and watch the history of Scolari or Villas-Boas repeat itself as supporters yearn for their Portuguese idol.
image: © http://www.flickr.com/photos/dphuonq/
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