One of England's legendary football clubs is making a change at the top. Chelsea is parting ways with coach Andre Villas-Boas after 8 months. The Portuguese coach came to the club amid great fanfare, but ultimately that gamble never paid off.
This was during much happier times for Andre Villas Boas and Chelsea. The Portuguese coach was hired by the team in June after he led Porto to the Europa League championship. He was tabbed to bring the Blues back to prominence, but Villas-Boas' magic in Portugal never translated in the Premiership.
Chelsea have struggled all year and trail 3-1 in their round-of-16 Champions League tie against Napoli ahead of the March 14 second leg, while they sit fifth in the Premier League table with 46 points from 27 games.
And missing out on the Champions League could cost the team millions in extra revenue. Plus the buyout of the fired manager's contract -- some estimates believe it could cost Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich up to 60-million dollars.
Expectations and meeting them are high on the owner's priority list and if they are not met, he is not shy to make changes. Villas Boas replaced Carlo Ancelotti who was fired after failing to win a trophy last season, despite winning two the previous year.
Now the change has been rumoured for weeks following a string of poor performances by Chelsea, so now the club has to go about finding a replacement -- and for most supporters they hope the team returns to the past and brings back Jose Mourinho.
Roberto Di Matteo has been appointed first-team coach on an interim basis until the end of the season, his first game in charge will be Tuesday's FA cup fifth round replay at Birmingham.
英超豪门切尔西俱乐部官方宣布,主帅博阿斯正式被解雇,俱乐部名宿罗伯特-迪马特奥被临时任命为切尔西新主教练,他将执教蓝军直到本赛季结束。