Chelsea are close to having a new manager to replace the soon to depart Antonio Conte after the Italian manager failed to pick up the required feats in the season objectives.
The Italian was particularly critical of the club’s board from the beginning of the season. He questioned the club’s transfer policy and inability to land top targets while admitting the club may have to fight to avoid a ‘Mourinho season’.
That did not work. He was in the middle of it all as Chelsea failed to defend their Premier League title, falling 30 points off Manchester City and crashing out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup in the knockout round.
Many have pointed fingers at Antonio Conte for his failed tactics and poor decisions in the course of the season, but one former Chelsea boss has leaped to his defense. Ruud Gullit believes it is not the managers fault that Chelsea find themselves without Champions League football next season. He is adamant the board should have answered the sack rumors from the beginning of the season to put players mind to rest.
“I’m not blaming it on Conte. I’m blaming it on the rumours from the beginning about whether he was going to have to leave or whatever. Nobody upstairs did anything about it. No one said: ‘Hey, that’s that a rumour, that’s not true. He’s our coach.’ That didn’t happen.
The players who are playing, they don’t care, but the players who are not playing see an opportunity that if he leaves, maybe they can play. So, you get a lot of trouble into the locker room. You don’t need that as a coach. It’s not been a success. It has been a plaster on the wound. It’s been a very hard season. If they could exchange the Champions League place for the FA Cup, they’d do it.”
Ruud Gullit, Goal
