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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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Chelsea’s Italian head coach Antonio Conte (top) is thrown in the air by his players as they celebrate being confirmed Premier League champions after the English Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich, west Midlands on May 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony Devlin (Photo credit should read ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Italian head coach Antonio Conte (top) is thrown in the air by his players as they celebrate being confirmed Premier League champions after the English Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich, west Midlands on May 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony Devlin (Photo credit should read ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. Antonio Conte

Tenure: 2016 to 18
Trophies: Premier League, FA Cup
Record: 69-17-20

After the Mourinho Pt. II project had failed miserably, Italian National Team manager Antonio Conte was hired by Abramovich. He was given the hard task of transforming a disheveled Chelsea team that had finished 10th the previous season and turning them around quickly.

The start to the Italian’s tenure was good with three back-to-back wins in the Premier League. However, with two consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal saw Conte change the formation to his preferred three at the back. This change was seen as a groundbreaking moment in his debut campaign. The tactical switch saw players like Victor Moses—who was lost in the loan system beforehand—integrated into the first team and what a revelation it turned out to be.

Chelsea went on a 13-game winning run, which included six consecutive clean sheets, following the formational shift. This was the catalyst for the Blues’ eventual Premier League title victory. They went on to set a record at the time (it’s since been broken) with 30 wins in a domestic campaign. Chelsea even reached the FA Cup final, but it was beaten by Arsenal.

Unfortunately, the second season turned out to be rather poor. Conte informed Diego Costa that he was not in his plans for the future, but the manager informed the Spaniard in a text message, which angered the Chelsea hierarchy. Apart from this, Conte was known to have tantrums when he didn’t get the players he wanted in the transfer market. The same thing happened during the second season and it resulted in Conte never really getting all of the players he wanted to bring into the club. An opening day loss to Burnley and defeats to the likes of Bournemouth, Newcastle, Watford and West Ham summed up Chelsea’s season, despite the Italian winning the FA Cup in his last match for the Blues. He was let go right before the start of the following season, but the lovable manager’s huge successes in such a short time earn him a high ranking on this list.

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