Who in their right mind would want to take over from Ancelotti as Chelsea manager?
The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich will have already prepared his shortlist of new managers, for what has become a club that the Russian sees more as a train set than a professional outfit.
Whether the winning of the Champions League will cut any ice with Abramovich we shall only know in June, although many doubt that he will want to keep the Italian tactician on. As always he likes to makes changes, if that means changing some of the staff without the manager knowing then so be it.
The problem for Abramovich is that the collection of managers who would like to manage Chelsea are shortening, at least those with talent are anyway. Managers of top quality will not want to go to a club where they will only have a year or two to win the Champions League, they will certainly not want their own staff being sacked around them whilst not knowing whether their own job is still safe.
Some managers however will want a crack at it, they like the idea of managing a West London club and with Abramovich likely to find his wallet amidst the wrapping paper after Christmas, will savour the amount of spending power that Chelsea can muscle up if they really want to.
But who would want to take the reins at Chelsea after Ancelotti? There are no real youngsters coming through, the likes of Kakuta a myth where potential always looked to go sour, the ageing legs of Lampard, Terry and Drogba are also no longer a reason that will excite even the most direct managers.
There are a few names that Abramovich would love to have at Stamford Bridge but whether they will be keen to join is a big question.
Guus Hiddink is one manager who left with his reputation intact having won the FA Cup but he was somewhat of a loan signing for a short period, you could almost say he was in a “no lose” situation. Whether he would be able to stick it out for a period over two years is also a big ask, he took over the reigns of Chelsea from the Brazilian guy that looks like Gene Hackman, the team back then, had players who were reaching their peak or just on it, taking over this January or even next summer would be something different entirely.
The one name that Abramovich will really want at Chelsea is Pep Guardiola. The Barcelona manager has enjoyed great success with the Catalan club but then he took over a team that was bristling with so much talent even Bryan Robson would have taken them places. Getting Guardiola to take over a team that play nothing like the style he will crave will do more damage than good and it is obvious he will not be given the time to build the team he and Abramovich would require.
For Ancelotti it is difficult not to feel sorry for him, he is one of the best out there, but what do you do? The club has an owner who cannot be fired, that is the real danger, ultimately he is making the decisions, and wrong ones at that.
