Chelsea have had their fair share of managers in the past two decades, 16 if you're counting caretaker and interim roles.
Club legend and record goalscorer Frank Lampard is in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. The former midfielder has played under world class managers in the past, the likes of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti stand out.
The board haven't been scared to axe their managers, Maurizio Sarri was the latest casualty to use the revolving door, even after winning the UEFA Europa League and finishing third in the Premier League.
Here is a look into some of Chelsea's most successful managers, judged by their win percentage record.
Jose Mourinho (2004/07)
The silky Portuguese manager arrived in West London in 2004 on the back of a magnificent tenure at Porto.
Winning the UEFA Champions League with the Portuguese side put Mourinho on the map, his presence was becoming known around the footballing world and Chelsea potentially awaited a magical era after billionaire, Roman Abramovich bought the club a year before.
Mourinho lasted 184 games in his first spell at Stamford Bridge. The three-year span included two Premier League titles, which were the first in the club's history.
Swagger and confidence is how Mourinho is remembered after his first spell in West London, after labelling himself ‘the special one’ in one of his first encounters with the British press.
A win percentage of 67% is what Mourinho left England with, the highest for the club in the Premier League era.
Antonio Conte (2016/2018)
After a disappointing season the year prior, new hope was installed for Chelsea fans when Antonio Conte walked through the door at the Bridge.
After a successful spell at Juventus, winning a treble of Seria A league titles, Conte became the first Italian to manage the Blues since Roberto Di Matteo, who won the clubs first ever Champions League title after beating Bayern Munich in 2012 on penalties.
After an acceptable start to life at Chelsea, defeats to Liverpool at the Bridge, and Arsenal at The Emirates concluded a familiar switch for Conte. The introduction of a 3-4-3 formation boosted Chelsea up the League table.
A record breaking 13 straight wins for the Blues meant they went on to claim the title in May. A win rate of 65% puts Conte amongst the best statistical Chelsea managers. The spine of Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz, N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa will be remembered for generations to come.
Carlo Ancelotti (2009/11)
After eight years at A.C. Milan, the Italian boss moved to Chelsea after a successful period in the capital of Italy, winning two Champions Leagues in the process.
The Blues finished 3rd a year before the arrival of Ancelotti. Despite starting the season with Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea gave the late Ray Wilkins the job on a caretaker role before hiring Guus Hiddink on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Despite only being in charge for 27 games, Hiddink has the highest win rate of a Chelsea manger with 73%.
Instant success came with Ancelotti at Chelsea. Winning the Premier League was amongst the honours, along with a 61%-win rate. Didier Drogba netted 37 goals in the 2009/10, the forward picked up the golden boot award to assist in the clubs third Premier League title.
Consecutive F.A. Cups was won in the same season, after Hiddink won the trophy a year prior. Chelsea secured the title on the last day of the season, after they smashed Wigan Athletic at the Bridge 8-0 to take the clubs tally to 103 goals for the season, 17 more than second best Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho (2013/15)
After leaving the club in 2007, Mourinho had ‘returned home’ to the delight of Chelsea fans. A successful spell at Real Madrid was enough for the manager to return to the club which he valued most... at the time.
There was optimism heading into the season because of the nature and record of Mourinho. Despite finishing third in his first season back in London, Chelsea narrowly missed out on the title to Manchester City.
The following campaign saw Mourinho secure a third title, the influence of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard was superb, taking Chelsea to back to the top. Things went west in Mourinho’s swansong year, a poor start to the season lead to the sacking of the clubs most successful manager despite having a win rate of 59%, leaving Hiddink with an interim role, who also returned to the club.
Chelsea suffered the worst defence of a title after they finished 10th. This record has recently been beaten by Leicester City after they finished 12th in the 2015/16 season after their title glory a year prior.
Claudio Ranieri (2000/2004)
The sacking of Gianluca Vialli left controversy within the Chelsea fanbase. Ranieri was hired with the role of ‘head coach’, which differed to Vialli who was the manager.
The differing role determines the duties of the individual, the manager will always have more authority and a bigger say in big decisions.
Despite overseeing the takeover of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from Ken Bates for approximately £18million, Ranieri couldn’t meet the demands of the Russian after failing to win a trophy, the closest being an F.A. Cup final defeat in 2002 at the hands of Arsenal.
A second placed finish was secured in 2003/04 but this wasn’t enough for Abramovich, even after a win percentage rate of 54%. The owner axed the Italian with hopes of hiring Mourinho.
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