At the start of the season, it looked like Chelsea made the correct decision by sacking Conte and bringing in Sarri but since the defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League at Wembley, the Blues have struggled in almost all competitions. The former Napoli manager has been heavily criticized because of his tactics, especially his insistence on only using Jorginho at the defensive midfield position in place of N’Golo Kanté. Other issues such as his rotation policy and his reliance on only a core group of players have been a major source of criticism.
Though for Chelsea fans everything would have been overlooked had the team continued to win, but the 4-0 defeat to Bournemouth has finally made the fans lose patience with the Italian. And just like the fans, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has a reputation of not hesitating when sacking a manager and he would happily drop the axe on Sarri if the need arises.
Here we look at five managers Chelsea should consider if Chelsea sack Maurizio Sarri next summer-
#5 Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard may not be one of the most high profile managers at this time, but so far considering his first job at Derby and the kind of work he has done it would be safe to say he promises to be an astute tactician in the future. Currently, he is the manager of Derby County and they are very much in the race for promotion to the Premier League while also being in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The attacking style of football Lampard has managed to bring to the Rams has been impressive.
In terms of experience as a manager, Lampard may be the first choice, but if he becomes a Chelsea manager he can command respect from the players due to his legendary status at the club. Managers such as Zinedine Zidane, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Pep Guardiola and Roberto Di Matteo are prime examples of when a former player turned manager may be the answer for a club. Though it would be a gamble to bring in Lampard, but considering his work at Derby and his status as a club icon it might turn out to be a risk worth taking as well.
#4 Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel is the current manager of PSG and he has previously managed Bundesliga giants Borrusia Dortmund, guiding them to DFB Pokal Cup triumph in his final season. Tuchel’s style of play is based on possession-based football but he can switch to counter attacking football as well, as shown by his time at Dortmund
His record in Ligue 1 is fantastic, to say the least. With zero defeats and 18 wins, PSG are at the top of the table, scoring 66 goals in the process. He also managed to top his Champions League group were he faced the likes of Liverpool and Napoli. If Roman Abramovich wants Chelsea to play an attacking style of football, Tuchel should be a good option as he has experience at the top level and he has proved that he can deliver trophies as well.
For Tuchel, it would be a tempting offer to manage a Premier League club. His work at Dortmund is admirable but at PSG he has next to no domestic title challengers to worry about. The Premier League would indeed prove to be a good testing ground for a manager of his calibre and he would relish the challenge.
#3 Diego Simeone
Diego Simeone took charge of Atletico Madrid in 2011 and since then he has continued to challenge two of the best teams of this generation in FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, not only domestically but in Europe as well. His current contract with Atletico Madrid comes to an end in 2020 and there has been speculation that he would want to leave the Wanda Metropolitano in the near future.
Though he may not be able to provide thrilling attacking football to Chelsea fans, he has a good track record when it comes to trophies with seven trophies in eight years with a limited transfer budget and constant departures of key players from the squad. Simeone would be a wonderful choice as he also has a good record of developing young players and it may also be possible that under him Chelsea fans could finally see so many of their top academy players join the first team as well.
Thus given his experience, his record of trophies and his current contract situation at Atletico, he should definitely be considered by the Blues next summer.
#2 Laurent Blanc
Laurent Blanc was a name that was high on the list when Chelsea wanted a replacement for Antonio Conte. The former PSG manager has won 4 Ligue 1 and 2 French League Cups as well during his time at PSG and Bordeaux. Currently, Blanc is unemployed and was also a target for Manchester United before they appointed Ole Solskjær after sacking Jose Mourinho.
Financially speaking, he would be the most convenient option for Chelsea as he is currently unemployed. He also has a good record in winning league titles, as it was under his guidance that Bordeaux managed to win Ligue 1 in the 2008-09 season. He also has an excellent record internationally with the French National Team.
His style of play has been clearly influenced by Barcelona as he was himself a player at the Camp Nou. Blanc’s style of football is based on possession, technically better players and freedom in the final third.
Given his experience, availability and Abramovich’s desire for Chelsea to play stylish attacking football, he would be arguably the perfect replacement if Sarri is not there next season at Stamford Bridge.
#1 Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is an immortal name in world football. First, he achieved much success as a player and just within 3 years he won everything as a manager including an unprecedented three back-to-back Champions League titles.
Since leaving Real Madrid Zizou has been unemployed. Zidane is Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard’s idol as well and if Chelsea appoint him he could convince Hazard to stay at Stamford Bridge. Under him, Real Madrid managed to play some breathtaking football, cementing their legacy as one of the best ever sides.
He also managed to develop squad players such as Casemiro, Nacho, Asensio and Lucas Vasquez into key players, while world-class players like Ronaldo, Ramos, and Marcelo also took their game to the next level under him. Like Lampard, he is also a big figure in football and he will definitely command the respect from Chelsea players as well. This makes him the perfect pick to manage Chelsea in the future.
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