The Pride of London
Fansided

Ranking every Chelsea manager under Roman Abramovich

By ROSHAAN KAPOOR

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 12: Thomas Tuchel the manager / head coach of Chelsea and Roman Abrahimovic owner of Chelsea during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021 Final match between Chelsea v Palmeiras at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on February 12, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 12: Thomas Tuchel the manager / head coach of Chelsea and Roman Abrahimovic owner of Chelsea during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021 Final match between Chelsea v Palmeiras at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on February 12, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 20: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti prepares substitutes Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on March 20, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 20: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti prepares substitutes Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on March 20, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

3. Carlo Ancelotti

Tenure: 2009 to 2011
Trophies: Premier League, FA Cup
Record: 67-20-22

After the unsuccessful appointment of Scolari and Hiddink returning to Russia, Mr. Ancelotti was given the job at Chelsea. The Italian was a success domestically for the club, leading them to the Premier League and FA Cup double—the only time the club has achieved this in its history.

During their Premier League win, the Blues scored a then-record breaking 103 goals that included 7 or more-goal victories on four occasions. An 8-0 win over Wigan Athletic on the final day sealed the title before a 1-0 win over Portsmouth wrapped up the FA Cup. Despite the successful end to his first season, small cracks started to appear toward the conclusion. There were doubts about Ancelotti’s ability to motivate some players, about his tactical impact and power to change to a Plan B when Plan A was not working. All of this coincided with a change in rationale by the owner, who wanted Chelsea to be more youthful and exciting.

The next season, the Italian started with a depleted squad due to a bad summer transfer window. The likes of Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Deco were not replaced in the squad, which left obvious holes. Ancelotti gave chances to a few young up and coming players—such as Jeffrey Bruma and Josh McEachran—but they were not always a success. As the season went on, the manager had his own personal issues, which also contributed to his downfall at the club.

The Blues went on to splash the cash in the January transfer window and bring in the likes of Fernando Torres and David Luiz, but neither of them were the signings the manager wanted to make. Positive results in the month of March and April meant that Chelsea would finish in the second spot in the Premier League, but this was not deemed good enough by the Russian owner after a huge investment, which resulted in the sacking of Ancelotti.

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