Former Chelsea assistant manager and current English national team assistant manager Steve Holland could take over the Blues in a risky yet alluring move.
A week ago, when the heat on Maurizio Sarri was cranked up to its highest level, the fair question was who was up if Sarri was down and out. Gianfranco Zola seemed like the obvious choice, but his recent health issues will likely take him out of contention. The remaining potential options included Joe Edwards, Guus Hiddink, and Frank Lampard. But the best option then and now seems to be Steve Holland.
There is some fire to go with that smoke now. Carefree Youth is a well regarded Chelsea twitter account with an ear to the ground. They have heard that if Chelsea loses the League Cup final, Sarri will be out. And the current plan is to appoint Steve Holland as the interim.
Regardless of where one falls on the Sarri debate, he has dug his own grave in recent weeks. Holland may not excite everyone in the fan base but it is undeniable that he “gets” the club. And a return to what worked with a familiar face might be just what Chelsea needs to come good this season.
Many may question what Holland brings to the table. Perhaps most importantly is experience with these very players.
Holland was the reserve manager way back when Carlo Ancelotti was the Chelsea manager. Since then, Holland has been the assistant manager to Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di-Matteo, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, and Antonio Conte. He knows almost the entire squad inside and out and he has learned from several great managers, including Chelsea’s three title winning managers. It is probably not a coincidence that Chelsea lost their way a bit last season and this season with Holland departing for the English national team set up.
With England, he has been the assistant of Gareth Southgate virtually the entire time Southgate has been in the system. When Southgate jumped from the youth side to the main team, Holland followed and departed Chelsea to devote himself totally to the English setup. Together with Southgate, they devised the back three system that saw England nearly succeed in the World Cup.
Of course, the thing that stands out here is that he was always the bridesmaid, never the bride during all of that. He managed exactly one Chelsea match in his career: a 3-1 win over Sunderland as Hiddink prepared to take over from Mourinho. Prior to joining Chelsea he managed Crewe Alexandria in League One for one full season, finishing just two points above the relegation zone. He was fired November of the next season with Crewe Alexandria rooted to the bottom of the table. They would be relegated at the end of the season.
So while Holland would have a deep understanding of this Chelsea side, there is no guarantee that he is ready to manage them. Though he has learned from some of the world’s best managers, it is never a guarantee that anything rubbed off. Perhaps the only safe prediction is that he would use the youth more.
But, the same was true of Di Matteo in 2012 when he became the interim. But he trusted his players and tapped into what made Chelsea good in the first place. If Holland has gained anything from Ancelotti, Mourinho, and Conte, he could be a true force indeed.