If there is one tough decision the Chelsea management board is to make real quick, that will be the dilemma as to who succeeds the interim caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo. The Italian born coach has achieved in less than four month arguably what mourinho could not in his brief spell at Chelsea except perhaps the premier league title. Most Chelsea fan are still basking in the euphoria of their triumph over world super power Barcelona and former European Champion Bayern Munich to clinch their first ever Champions league title. Considering the team poor run in the league after dipping further down the table signalling what would have become their worst season ever; Andrea Villa Boas was shown the exit door thus paving way for the Italian as a caretaker manager.
The impasse to appoint a long term future manager may linger on; factions within the Chelsea board hierarchy are torn between offering Di matteo a permanent deal or probably a year contract. This rises the poser- what is/are the criterion for a permanent deal? It will be unfair if he was given just a year contract after bringing two silverwares, most especially the Champions league trophy that had long eluded the club. He has managed the old guards at Chelsea to bring out the best in them a feat Villa boa could not achieve. His CV looks incredible at the moment and he deserves the job. Soccer analysts further argues that Di matteo may actually not be the best for Chelsea, they atoned his resounding success to individual players determination and hunger for success rather than his esteem professionalism in the game.
Football is a contest of goals not aesthetic. Di matteo has achieved what older managers are still yearning for. He was able to organise a fractured dressing room; the same “bigwigs” that dangled the axe on former manager Andrea Villa Boas. Di Matteo was fated for the 3-1loss to Napoli, ever since, the dexterity with which he took each of the remaining champions league matches to the delight of his critics would remain a critical success point in his career. The second leg against Barcelona was a class by all standards and the final drama in Munich was perfected in heaven. Nothing had suggested that the match would go the Chelsea way; even the book makers and soccer bets had gone in favour of Bayern. The atmosphere at the stadium was electrifying, earlier before the kick off, Bayern Munich fans had unveiled a huge banner along with a set of boldly written messages: USER STADT, USER STADION, USER POKAL translating to (Our town, our stadium, our cup) it was a graceless statement that never came to past as the sky would- and always remained blue all night.
Club owner Abramovich is known for his penchant for success, he has paid a whooping 2billion pounds to hire and fire coaches in recent times. The 24million pounds spent on Drogba would go down as his most effective buy as Chelsea owner. Drogba has consistently saved Chelsea blushes pulling them back from the brink of disaster times without number; He has taken one of the greatest decisions in his career departing the club when the ovation is loudest. With Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou also giving the green light to leave, this would pave way for an additional one year contract for the thirtysomething year old trio of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry.
All contract talks are shrouded in secrecy and Di Matteo oblivious of his impatient Russian billionaire owner has come out to defend his future by saying the speculations about his role at Chelsea is “irrelevant “and he will “accept” whatever the future has in store for him.
Wale Bakare (@waleflame)
Lagos Nigeria.
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