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Ranking The Chelsea Managers Of The Roman Abramovich Era

Ranking The Chelsea Managers Of The Roman Abramovich Era

Roman Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea has come to an end after 19 years and 21 trophies. But who was their best manager?

Now that the Roman Abramovich era has drawn to a close, Chelsea are able to reflect on the success they have experienced since he became owner back in 2003.

They have won a total of 21 trophies since then, winning every major trophy there is to be won.

The Blues have also had 12 permanent managers at the helm during that time, with current boss Thomas Tuchel now set to embark on the new ownership of Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital and their consortium.

Paul Marriott / Alamy
Paul Marriott / Alamy

Absolute Chelsea have ranked the managers and their success below, with Chelsea now beginning a new chapter in their history:

1) Jose Mourinho 2004-2007

The Portuguese man was Abramovich's first permanent appointment as manager, having dismissed Claudio Ranieri at the end of the 2003/04 campaign.

Such a decision would prove to be majorly successful in the long-term as Chelsea won back-to-back Premier League titles, with the 2004/05 season seeing them set a record for the least amount of goals conceded with just 15.

They also won the FA Cup and two League Cup titles during Mourinho's first stint at the club, which lasted just over three years.

His appointment would see the start of Chelsea's dominance in English football, and he is widely regarded to be the club's greatest manager of all time.

Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy
Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy

2) Thomas Tuchel 2021-Present

After the sacking of Frank Lampard at the beginning of last year, Tuchel was brought in to replace the club legend.

However just four months after he joined he led to the club to their second Champions League title, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final in Porto.

He has also guided them to Super Cup and Club World Cup success during his 16 months in charge, with the Blues completing the set in terms of major trophies.

Boehly, Clearlake and co consortium value the German as one of the 'very best' head coaches in world football, and he is set to remain as boss for the foreseeable future.

PA Images / Alamy
PA Images / Alamy

3) Carlo Ancelotti 2009-2011

After an FA Cup triumph the season before under interim boss Guus Hiddink, Ancelotti was appointed as Chelsea manager, with the Italian having an illustrious record at AC Milan prior his move to Stamford Bridge.

He brought even more success to the club in his first season, winning the double thanks to their Premier League and FA Cup success.

The following campaign saw them finish second in the league, but Abramovich dismissed him after a poor season overall.

4) Roberto Di Matteo 2012

Club legend Di Matteo, who made 166 appearances for the Blues, was initially brought in on an interim basis in March 2012, but his appointment was made permanent that summer.

This was due to his instant success as boss, with Chelsea winning their first ever Champions League title under the Italian, as well as their seventh FA Cup title.

Their European Cup run featured some of the club's greatest moments, including their comeback against Napoli, Fernando Torres' last minute goal against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and Didier Drogba's winning penalty in the final against Bayern Munich.

Aflo Co. Ltd. / Alamy
Aflo Co. Ltd. / Alamy

5) Jose Mourinho 2013-2015

Mourinho made his return to Stamford Bridge for a second stint in charge of the Blues in 2013.

His first season back saw them compete for the league title and finish in the semi-finals of the Champions League, an encouraging return for the former Real Madrid boss.

The following campaign saw Chelsea win the League Cup and their fourth Premier League title, their third under the Portuguese manager.

6) Antonio Conte 2016-2018

Following a dismal 2015/16 campaign for the west London side, Conte was brought in as the club's new permanent manager.

After a 3-0 loss away at Arsenal early on in the season, the Italian changed the team's formation to a 3-4-3 system, with the Blues going on to lift the Premier League trophy come May.

He also won the FA Cup in the following season, but he was soon dismissed as a result of a poor year overall with Chelsea finishing fifth in the league, just a year after they lifted the trophy.

Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy
Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy

7) Frank Lampard 2019-2021 

Chelsea's top scorer and highly argued all time club legend Lampard was hired as boss in just his second managerial stint in his career.

His first season saw the club operate under a transfer embargo and lose their star player in Eden Hazard to Real Madrid.

However he guided the Blues to a top four finish in the league and was able to bring introduce the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James to the senior, with both now being key starters for the current side.

8) Maurizio Sarri 2018-2019

Sarri replaced his fellow Italian Conte in the summer of 2018, moving from Napoli to Chelsea.

News Images / Alamy
News Images / Alamy

The Blues came third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool, and came runners-up in the League Cup against the former.

However he will be remembered for guiding the club to a second Europa League title, in which the final saw them beat their London rivals Arsenal 4-1, with Hazard scoring a brace in his final game for the club.

9) Avram Grant 2007-2008 

Grant replaced Mourinho at the beginning of the 2007/08 campaign after a disappointing start. 

Despite Chelsea not winning any silverware that season, Grant was able to take them to their first ever Champions League final, in which they lost on penalties to Manchester United; they also finished runners-up in the Premier League and the League Cup.

PA Images / Alamy
PA Images / Alamy

10) Claudio Ranieri 2000-2004

Experienced boss Ranieri was already at the club as manager when Abramovich took over, joining in September 2000.

His first season under the new owner was relatively successful as Chelsea finished second in the league and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but the Italian was dismissed at the end of the season.

11) Luiz Felipe Scolari 2008-2009

Scolari joined Chelsea after his stint as the manager of the Portuguese national team.

However poor results on the pitch during the middle stages of the season soon saw the club sack the Brazilian, just seven months into the job.

PA Images / Alamy
PA Images / Alamy

12) Andre Villas-Boas 2011-2012

After winning the Portuguese Cup and Europa League with Porto, Villas-Boas was appointed as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2012.

While the then 33-year-old had a lot of promise as a manager, he led the club to a poor run of results and was dismissed at the beginning of March.

While Chelsea have had a high turnover of managers, they have also experienced a lot of success in the past 19 years.

Abramovich's departure and Boehly/Clearlake's arrival as owner will see the club enter a new chapter in the history, with Tuchel set to lead Chelsea to the possibility of more glory.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy

Topics: Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti