How have Chelsea fared after previous mid-season sackings?

The man who dubbed himself ‘the Normal One’ was extremely unlucky not to have clinched at least one trophy, but proved that high standards can still be maintained after a mid-season sacking.

Guus Hiddink

The former Netherlands boss, who recently endured an underwhelming second stint in charge of his national side, took over at Chelsea in February 2009, in a bid to clean up the mess that had been left behind by lacklustre Brazilian boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Hiddink was instantly a hit with the Blues squad, immediately bonding with the players and his impressive temporary tenure resulted in an FA Cup triumph that year, as they toppled Everton in the final at Wembley.

Roberto Di Matteo

Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas arrived in England with a huge reputation, similar to that of his former mentor Mourinho, after guiding his nation’s top-flight giants Porto to European success, but his time at Chelsea was to be short and not so sweet.

Former Blues player Roberto Di Matteo eventually took over for the young boss, after a stumbling start to his Stamford Bridge reign, and the Italian unexpectedly delivered what fans and club owner Abramovich had been craving, a Champions League victory. He also capped off his short managerial stint with an FA Cup coup, crowning the club double champions.

Rafa Benitez

Di Matteo was sacked the following term in November 2012 and former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez succeeded him as interim coach, with the Spaniard also guiding the club to silverware success after his arrival.

Despite his appointment being met by much discontent among fans, Benitez struck through the abuse from the stands each week to help the club gain the 2012/13 Europa League.

The current Real Madrid coach became only the second manager in history to have lifted both Europa League and Champions League trophies after Giovanni Trapattoni, rounding off a successful temporary term in north London.

The next man chosen to succeed Mourinho at the Stamford Bridge helm will hope to emulate these previous coaches’ paths to glory after taking charge at the midway season point, with Chelsea 16/1 for another Champions League triumph.

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