5 Chelsea managers who struggled the most during the Abramovich era
Chelsea have been one of the most successful clubs in Europe since Roman Abramovich took over the Blues nearly two decades ago.
The club has managed to win 19 titles, which includes five Premier League, two Champions League, two Europa League and five FA Cup titles since Abramovich's arrival in 2003.
Chelsea have gone through a lot of managers under Roman Abramovich
As a result of Roman Abramovich's quest for glory in England and abroad, Chelsea have gone through several managers, with very few lasting more than two seasons at the helm before being sacked.
Frank Lampard was the latest manager who was sacked by the Russian after being in charge for 18 months. Thomas Tuchel was brought in to succeed the club legend and has done a brilliant job so far, leading the Blues to Champions League glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League and a FA Cup final.
While the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte enjoyed plenty of success at Stamford Bridge, there were others who struggled during their time at the club and were not able to make the desired impact.
On that note, here we take a look at five such managers who struggled at Chelsea during the Roman Abramovich era:
#5 Frank Lampard (2019-21)
After cutting short his managerial stint with Derby, Frank Lampard was offered the chance by Roman Abramovich to return to his beloved Chelsea in the summer of 2019.
The club legend didn't do too badly in his first season, given the fact that Chelsea's best player, Eden Hazard, had just left for Real Madrid, and the club were unable to make any signings due to a FIFA transfer ban.
He secured Champions League football for 2020-21, finishing fourth, bringing in youth and academy graduates into the first team and also reaching the FA Cup final.
But things went all went wrong in his second season after Abramovich gave Lampard £220 million to spend on Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Lampard couldn't find the right system for all his new signings, and results took a hit, which ultimately resulted in the Chelsea legend getting the sack.
When Lampard departed, Chelsea were languishing in ninth place in the Premier League, 11 points off the top. The Englishman left with the lowest points per game ratio of any Chelsea manager in the Roman Abramovich era.
#4 Rafael Benitez (2012-13)
Rafael Benitez's appointment at Chelsea as interim-manager by Roman Abramovich in 2013 was met with a lot of fury from Blues fans.
He was unwelcome at Chelsea owing to the comments he made about the Chelsea fans during his time with Liverpool. Some Chelsea supporters would even argue that Rafael Benitez should be higher on this list.
On paper, Rafael Benitez's record appears rather impressive at Chelsea, with a European trophy and a third-placed finish. When he was appointed by Abramovich, the Blues were in the same spot and four points off the leaders. They ended the season 14 points from the top and the manager seemingly struggling to connect with the players.
Winning the Europa League is no easy feat, although it was hardly won against the most competitive of fields; a run against Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharest, Rubin Kazan, Basel and Benfica ought to be navigated by any of the top six Premier League teams.