Another Chelsea Manager Sacked: A History of Chelsea Manager Firings
By
Will Brown
Contributor Updated: 20 January 2025
Will Brown Contributor
William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.
Chelsea Manager Sackings
While the 21st century has seen Chelsea Football Club undergo its most successful period in history, behind the scenes it has been fraught with managerial instability. Since the team’s acquisition by Roman Abramovic, the team has frequently hired and fired a string of managers, which has resulted in uncertainty around its prospects. With another Chelsea manager sacked this year, we’ve dissected the impact of this notorious trend on the team, league, and Chelsea’s fans.
Intro to the Recent Chelsea Coach Sacked and Beyond
In May, the news that “Chelsea sack manager Mauricio Pochettino” saw fans groan in frustration, with many hoping that the post-Abrahamovic-era could finally bring stability to the team. To start this guide, we’ve looked at this recent firing, before going back in time to when the firings began.
This began with Abramovic’s purchasing of the team and transpired over more than a dozen hirings and firings through the following 20 years. After discussing these individual events, we have discussed the criticisms surrounding the owners’ approach and how it’s impacted fans, the team, and the EPL.
- Mauricio Pochettino’s 2024 Sacking
- Abramovic Era Begins Firings
- Mourinho to Mourinho
- Conte to Lampard
- Criticisms of the Firings
- The Impact of Managerial Instability
Mauricio Pochettino: Chelsea Sack Manager Yet Again
In 2023, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed to the role of Chelsea manager after two consecutive years of one-year manager stints at the team. His hiring was officially the first after the Abramovich era and was made under new owner Todd Boehly. Pochettino had a big task ahead of him in rebuilding the young team and producing results.
However, the team showed early signs of struggle in the Premier League followed by an inconsistent Champions League campaign. Pochettino’s performance was put under scrutiny, and in May 2024, he mutually parted ways with the team. With the Chelsea coach sacked, he was then replaced by Enzo Maresca for the 2024-25 season.
So far, Maresca’s performance has produced success. A string of victories has given Chelsea the best start in the league since 2021, with Maresca named EPL Premier League Manager of the Month in September. While this would usually signify confidence in a prolonged tenure with the team, as you’ll learn, the temperamental approach to managers at Chelsea could see loyalties to Maresca turn on a dime.
Abramovich Era Begins Firings
Before 2004, it was common for Chelsea’s managers to last at least two years in the role. But when Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich acquired Chelsea in 2003, the team adopted a zero-tolerance approach to losing. Claudio Ranieri, who had been the manager since 2000, was the first to find this out.
Despite guiding the team to second place in the Premier League, he became the first Chelsea manager sacked under the new owner. He was replaced by José Mourinho, who led the team to unprecedented levels of success. However, as the public later discovered, success wasn’t always important to who stayed and who went.
Abramovich’s impact on the team cannot be understated. Backed by huge financial resources, he rebuilt the team with world-class players. Chelsea won five EPL titles under the owner, five FA Cups, and two UEFA Champions League trophies, making them a regular favorite at best Premier League betting sites. However, his impatience and high expectations from managers earned him a reputation for ruthlessness.
Mourinho to Mourinho
While initially controversial, José Mourinho’s hiring proved to be one of the most inspired decisions by Chelsea’s new owner. In his first two seasons, Chelsea won two Premier League titles — the first in their history. However, Mourinho’s vocal disagreements with Abramovich over playing style came to a head in 2007 and culminated in Mourinho’s departure.
The decision shocked fans at the time and set a trend that Chelsea sack manager recruits if they couldn’t balance their achievements with a harmonious relationship with the owner. After a short stint under Avram Grant and then another under new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, the team hired Carlo Ancelotti in 2009.
Ancelotti immediately produced, with Chelsea securing both a league championship and FA Cup in his first season. However, failing to reproduce his success in his second season, he became the next Chelsea coach sacked by the unforgiving Abramovich. By this stage, the league began to take notice of the team’s exceptionally high standards.
André Villas-Boas was hired between 2011 and 2012 to rejuvenate the squad before being replaced after poor results. As interim manager, Roberto Di Matteo guided the team to its first Champions League triumph and an FA Cup win. Despite this, a poor start to the following season led to his dismissal.
In the 2012–2013 season, Rafael Benítez managed the team to win the UEFA Europa League title, then was replaced by José Mourinho, marking a surprise return to the team. Fans rejoiced at the news, and in 2015, the manager earned the team their third Premier League title. But with tensions on and off the field brewing, Mourinho was sacked for the second time.
Conte to Lampard
In his first year, Antonio Conte brought his 3-4-3 system to Chelsea and led them to a Premier League title in 2017. The following year, he added an FA Cup to the team’s trophy room, but his fiery approach saw clashes with the board brew. He was dismissed that year and replaced by Maurizio Sarri.
Sarri’s fate was ultimately the same. He delivered a Europa League title in 2019 but faced criticism over his unique tactics and icy relationships with players. After a mutual cutting of ties, club legend Frank Lampard was brought into the fold. Although leading the team to qualify for the Champions League, he struggled to maintain consistency.
His tenure helped to develop the team’s young talent, but failing to produce, his contract was terminated mid-season. Following this, Thomas Tuchel’s brief stint won the team the Champions League and FIFA World Cup in 2021. Unsurprisingly, his fate followed that of other successful Chelsea managers and he was sacked early in the 2022 season.
It was around then that ownership of the club was transferred over to Todd Boehly due to Abramovich’s sanctioning related to Russia’s war in Ukraine. There were hopes that the team would take a new approach to its managers, hiring Brighton’s Graham Potter for the 2022-2023 season. Alas, this wasn’t the case, and he was replaced by caretaker Frank Lampard until Mauricio Pochettino’s ill-fated hiring.
Criticisms of the Firings
The answer to “How many coaches has Chelsea sacked?” in the last 20 years is 18 including the team’s caretakers. This has resulted in fair criticisms that the team has struggled to formulate a long-term vision. Although the team has remained competitive, it has resulted in a lack of stability and the development of a cohesive playing style.
It has also created confusion among players, as each new coach introduces new tactics and approaches that can be contradictory to previous managers. With each Chelsea coach sacked, rosters and routinely changed, and this has led to significant expenses on transfers.
The disruption of lineups has produced regular reports of tensions within the squad, with dressing-room fights and clashes between players and managers resulting in dismissals. The lack of cohesion fails to give coaches the authority needed to command respect among players which is in turn seen in their performance.
The Impact of Chelsea’s Managerial Instability
Under the billionaire Abramovich, Chelsea’s expensive hirings and firings could be weathered. However, under new management, a more frugal approach has been taken, which indicates that its previous style will not be sustainable. As for Chelsea’s success, it’s hard to argue that the board’s meddling hasn’t produced desired results at times.
That said, in recent years, Chelsea has struggled to reach the same highs as in the past in the EPL. Fans of the team, who tolerated Abramovich’s approach due to producing results, have now become alienated under the current leadership. Operating at a financial loss this year, the team must find a new strategy.
While Chelsea’s identity undergoes a new period of growth, it’s interesting to see how it will adapt. With every Chelsea manager sacked, it appears that the team has seized the opportunity at reinvention. However, with fewer resources to fund the chaotic managerial style of the past, Chelsea must outline a bold future vision that will bring success and sustainability.
