London, England

Former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott feels the decision to sack Roberto Di Matteo as manager is justified.

"Results and performances haven't been to the level of a club of this magnitude," Elliott told BBC Sport.

Di Matteo steered Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League titles in the 8 months he was in charge.

He became the seventh manager to be fired since Russian billionaire Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

The club made an impressive start to this campaign but have won just two of their last eight games in all competitions.

He was dismissed after a 3-0 Champions League defeat at Juventus that leaves them on the brink of elimination.

Former Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair disagreed with his ex-teammate Elliott's views, arguing that Abramovich's policy is destabilising the club.

"New managers always want new players and the stability isn't there," he told BBC Sport. "There were problems in the dressing room and Robbie sorted all that out and was able to win trophies as well. You would have thought he would have been given a lot longer."

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers also disagreed with the sacking due to his recent success in the Champions League and FA Cup.

Chelsea has appointed former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as an interim manager and are reported to be targeting former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as manager.

 

Chelsea hires Rafa Benitez as interim manager

London, England

Premier League squad Chelsea has picked veteran Spaniard Rafa Benitez as interim manager, replacing Roberto Di Matteo, who was fired after the team's 3-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League.

Di Matteo was given the boot after the loss moved Chelsea to the brink of becoming the first defending champion eliminated from the Champions League group stage.

The 52-year-old Benitez, who last worked with Inter in 2010, is scheduled to meet the players at the training ground in Cobham Thursday. He will be the ninth manager under Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich since he bought the club in 2003.

Aside from struggling in the Champions League, Chelsea is also groping for form in the Premier League.

The team had been leading for much of the season before dropping to third place behind defending champion Manchester City and Manchester United after garnering just two points in its last four games.

"The team's recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season," Chelsea said in a statement.

In the Champions League, Chelsea is in third place in Group E behind Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus with one match left. The Blues next face Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, but they could still be eliminated even if they win depending on the result of the other game.

"The club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup competitions. Our aim is to remain as competitive as possible and challenge strongly on all fronts," Chelsea said.

Chelsea's next game will be a home Premier League match against Manchester City Sunday.

Di Matteo took over from the fired Andre Villas-Boas in March, initially on a temporary basis.

Despite the squabbling factions within the squad, Di Matteo led Chelsea to the FA Cup title and then the Champions League crown, beating Barcelona in the semifinals and then Bayern Munich in the final.

"We will never forget the huge contribution he has made to this club's history," Chelsea's statement said.

 

Copyright © 2012 AHN - All Rights Reserved