A solution for Chelsea
There is no doubt that you have to be a certain kind of manager to be able to coach a team like Chelsea.
Firstly, there is the ruthless hierarchy that runs at the top of the club and starts with Roman Abramovich; a man who is not afraid to chop and change when he sees fit. And why not? It is, after all, his club and he treats it as such sparing no manager no matter who it is.
Even Jose Mourinho, arguably the finest manager of this generation, wasn’t able to withstand Abramovich’s wrath and I was extremely surprised to discover that Rafael Benitez still had a job following his rambling monologue after Chelsea’s FA Cup victory over Middlesbrough on Wednesday.
Benitez is clearly struggling to deal with the venom directed at him by Chelsea’s fans and it is having a negative effect on all those involved. Obviously, Benitez isn’t the man for the role, he is certainly no Mourinho, nor a Carlo Ancelloti or Guus Hiddink for that matter.
So, as ever, questions begin about who is the man to take Chelsea forward after what has been a difficult period for the club. I have thought long and hard about the matter and come up with a solution that some may consider a little radical: the new Chelsea manager should be Paolo Di Canio.
His personality would fit perfectly; a fiery and passionate type who would invigorate the dressing room and galvanise the squad.
Yes, he may be unproven at this level but he steered Swindon to promotion and his footballing IQ was evident during his playing days (apart from pushing refs, of course).
Chelsea will no doubt recruit more big names in the future and when you have a lot of ‘star’ players in one team there are also some sizable egos in the dressing room. Abramovich will need a manager who can keep all of these personalities in check and, at the same time, have them all singing from the same hymn sheet.
Mourinho was the master at this as he was able to build rapport with his players and enhance the sense of comradery. I believe Di Canio has a strong enough personality to do the same.
Di Canio is a risk but sometimes in football you need to take some and, if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure Roman will be able to find another ‘interim’.
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