Does AVB’s exit clear the way for the arrival of this Chelsea fan favourite?

With the England job vacant we’ve seen many articles reminding us about how it is a job that results in nothing but the tarnishing of managerial records. Even Fabio Capello, a man who has won a domestic title with every club he’s managed at, couldn’t find an answer to England’s woes. It’s touted as “the impossible job” with good reason. However there seems to be a managerial job that’s even more difficult to succeed in. Simply because delivering trophies isn’t enough. So when Chelsea FC ended up languishing in 5th place, crucially outside of the Champions League qualification places that bring in so much money, it wasn’t a surprise to see Andre Villas-Boas sacked.

There were such high hopes for Chelsea this season. They were justified too. With Andre Villas-Boas they had the most exciting young manager around who notched up an impressive haul of four trophies in his only season as manager of Portuguese club Porto.  After becoming the youngest ever manager to win a European trophy and dominating the domestic league (Benfica came second with 63 points whilst AVB’s Porto remained undefeated and finished on 84 points) it seemed inevitable that one of the giants of European football would come calling.

Chelsea ended up paying a record £13.3 million fee for a manager who was not only tasked with bringing trophies and his excellent style of football to Stamford Bridge but also had to revolutionise  a club notorious for its player-power issue. If reports from inside the Chelsea camp are to be believed; this would be his downfall.

Part of the Chelsea revolution included phasing out some of the older players like Drogba and Lampard. The problem with this is that the only thing bigger than these senior players’ wages are their egos. Lampard, in particular, did not take too kindly to being left on the bench after being a mainstay in the starting eleven for years. He simply refused to accept the fact that part of AVB’s mandate was to revitalise an aging team and, as a 33 year old footballer, Lampard wasn’t so much approaching the twilight of his career as stumbling about in the darkness searching for his Zimmer frame.

That’s not to say he couldn’t still do a job for the club he’s adored at. His 10 goals and 5 assists this season are a testament to the fact that he’s still a very able, very talented midfielder but with ageing legs and Juan Mata’s natural role being very similar to Lampard’s, he was always going to find his chances at starting more limited than ever before. You wouldn’t find a player of a different top European club describing his relationship with his manager as “not ideal”.

Could you imagine the repercussions if a player for Manchester United did anything to discredit Alex Ferguson? You don’t have to. Just look at what happened to those that have. Jaap Stam, for example, was one of the best defenders in the world but after speaking out against Sir Alex he was sold to Lazio.

You get the feeling that there is only one manager in the world who can fully control this set of players. The man who brought in half of them in the first place. With Jose Mourinho revered by Chelsea fans and the fact he’s unhappy in Madrid, you can’t help but feel there’s more than a chance of him returning to Stamford Bridge. If we’re lucky, The Special One could be coming home.