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Chelsea Analysis: After 25 Games, How Does Carlo Ancelotti Compare With Past Blues Bosses?
Italian evenly matched with his opposite number tonight, Avram Grant...
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £22.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £33.00 | Draw £31.00 | Chelsea £23.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £32.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £23.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £32.50 | Draw £33.00 | Chelsea £22.50 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £33.00 | Draw £33.50 | Chelsea £23.00 |
|
Dec 16, 2009 1:49:52 PM
With former Chelsea manager Avram Grant returning to Stamford Bridge this evening with his struggling Portsmouth side, it seems only fair to have a look at his record at Stamford Bridge when stacked up against the current occupier of the Blues’ hotseat, Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti has now been in charge for 25 games — let’s not count the Community Shield — with recent stumbles dampening spirits after a flying start. The Italian accepted in his press conference yesterday that if he failed to win a trophy this season he could well expect the sack.
"If you don't win it can be a problem,” he said.
“When you take a team in the final of the Champions League it means you did a good job. The club can decide to change. This is not a problem. I was second with Juventus for two years and the club decided to change the coach. This is normal."
That was exactly the fate that befell Grant, who was but a post’s width from winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2008, and the Israeli commented in his press conference yesterday that perhaps he had been treated harshly.
"I can be very proud what we did at Chelsea. It was a very good season – one of the best," Grant said.
"You look at Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, they needed more than one year but we did it in a short time. I am not only pleased with what we did but how we did it. From the first day the team always developed more than what the club expected.
“The chairman said it was my fault John Terry missed the penalty and why we started the season so badly but what is the job of the manager? To be guilty. The owner took a decision and I had two choices, to look back or to look forward."
Interestingly for chairman Roman Abramovich, the statistics seem to somewhat back up Grant's claims.
Carlo Ancelotti (Aug 2009-Present)
Ancelotti got off to a great start at the Bridge, enjoying 11 straight wins in all competitions before falling foul of the aerial threat of Aston Villa at Villa Park in early October.
Since then away games have proven something of an issue for Ancelotti, with all three of his defeats (and the shootout loss to Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup) coming away from West London.
Nevertheless, having overseen important victories over Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal already, the former AC Milan boss has shown his ability to win the big games — an important attribute that should encourage fans that he can see his side through to a trophy-winning season.
Avram Grant (Sep 2007-May 2008)
Grant was thrown in at the deep end after Jose Mourinho’s somewhat surprising departure, as his first match in charge was against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a game that he would lose 2-0.
From then however, Grant proved himself an able manager, guiding his team through a potentially tricky Champions League group (that included Valencia, Schalke 04 and Rosenborg) without a defeat, as was also the case in both the Carling Cup and FA Cup, where he oversaw comfortable progressions.
In the league, however, results were a bit more mixed, with a couple of disappointing results — a defeat to Arsenal, draws at home with Aston Villa (4-4) and Everton (1-1) — perhaps suggesting that he was not quite up to the challenge.
Nevertheless, as the statistics demonstrate, the much-maligned Grant enjoyed a better opening 25 games to his managerial career than Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge — and without the benefit of a full pre-season to assess his squad.
That is no mean feat — but as he failed to win anything come the season's end it still wasn't quite enough.
And for further comparison:
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Jul 2008-Feb 2009)
The statistics are not kind on Scolari, who has a significantly worse winning percentage than any of the other managers.
The Brazilian initially got off to an inspired start, with impressive early wins against Portsmouth (4-0), Bordeaux (4-0) and Middlesbrough (5-0) getting fans excited for the future.
But his lack of knowledge of the Premier League was arguably exposed as he failed in his encounters with other title rivals — losing at home to Liverpool (1-0) and Arsenal (2-1) — and as results gradually got even worse it was little surprise when Abramovich finally decided to pull the plug in February 2009.
Jose Mourinho (Jun 2004-Sep 2007)
The ‘Special One’ achieved what Avram Grant would subsequently fail to do, as he saw his side defeat Manchester United on his debut as Chelsea manager.
The Portuguese manager went on to enjoy a solid opening 25 games in charge of the club, the most successful of all the managers mentioned here, with his two defeats coming in two away games; at Eastlands against Manchester City (1-0) in the league and in a meaningless final game of the Champions League group stages against his former club, FC Porto (2-1).
Other than that opening fixture against United, however, arguably Mourinho faced a more lenient first 25 games than the other three managers.
But in his next five games at the club he would go on to draw at Highbury against league champions Arsenal and then defeat Liverpool at home — perhaps showing the big game credentials that would help him lead the club to successive Premier League crowns.
Guus Hiddink (Feb 2009-May 2009)
The Dutchman was called in to clean up Scolari's mess, and did well as he guided the squad to victory in the FA Cup — somewhat salvaging their season.
The former Russia coach proved his ability in his 22 games at the club, winning the vast majority of his Premier League encounters — including a notable 4-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates — while only being defeated once, by Tottenham Hotspur.
Unlike the other managers in the list, Hiddink played all his Champions League games at the business end of the competition — against Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona — making his overall record all the more impressive.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
Ancelotti has now been in charge for 25 games — let’s not count the Community Shield — with recent stumbles dampening spirits after a flying start. The Italian accepted in his press conference yesterday that if he failed to win a trophy this season he could well expect the sack.
"If you don't win it can be a problem,” he said.
“When you take a team in the final of the Champions League it means you did a good job. The club can decide to change. This is not a problem. I was second with Juventus for two years and the club decided to change the coach. This is normal."
That was exactly the fate that befell Grant, who was but a post’s width from winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2008, and the Israeli commented in his press conference yesterday that perhaps he had been treated harshly.
"I can be very proud what we did at Chelsea. It was a very good season – one of the best," Grant said.
"You look at Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, they needed more than one year but we did it in a short time. I am not only pleased with what we did but how we did it. From the first day the team always developed more than what the club expected.
“The chairman said it was my fault John Terry missed the penalty and why we started the season so badly but what is the job of the manager? To be guilty. The owner took a decision and I had two choices, to look back or to look forward."
Interestingly for chairman Roman Abramovich, the statistics seem to somewhat back up Grant's claims.
Carlo Ancelotti (Aug 2009-Present)
| Carlo Ancelotti's first 25 games |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
| All competitions (72% wins) |
18 |
4 |
3 |
| Premier League (75% wins) |
12 |
1 |
3 |
| Champions League (66% wins) |
4 |
2 |
0 |
| Carling Cup (66% wins) |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Ancelotti got off to a great start at the Bridge, enjoying 11 straight wins in all competitions before falling foul of the aerial threat of Aston Villa at Villa Park in early October.
Since then away games have proven something of an issue for Ancelotti, with all three of his defeats (and the shootout loss to Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup) coming away from West London.
Nevertheless, having overseen important victories over Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal already, the former AC Milan boss has shown his ability to win the big games — an important attribute that should encourage fans that he can see his side through to a trophy-winning season.
Avram Grant (Sep 2007-May 2008)
| Avram Grant's first 25 games |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
| Overall (72% wins) |
18 |
5 |
2 |
| Premier League (75% wins) |
10 |
3 |
2 |
| Champions League (60% wins) |
3 |
2 |
0 |
| Carling Cup (100% wins) |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| FA Cup (100% wins) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Grant was thrown in at the deep end after Jose Mourinho’s somewhat surprising departure, as his first match in charge was against Manchester United at Old Trafford, a game that he would lose 2-0.
From then however, Grant proved himself an able manager, guiding his team through a potentially tricky Champions League group (that included Valencia, Schalke 04 and Rosenborg) without a defeat, as was also the case in both the Carling Cup and FA Cup, where he oversaw comfortable progressions.
In the league, however, results were a bit more mixed, with a couple of disappointing results — a defeat to Arsenal, draws at home with Aston Villa (4-4) and Everton (1-1) — perhaps suggesting that he was not quite up to the challenge.
Nevertheless, as the statistics demonstrate, the much-maligned Grant enjoyed a better opening 25 games to his managerial career than Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge — and without the benefit of a full pre-season to assess his squad.
That is no mean feat — but as he failed to win anything come the season's end it still wasn't quite enough.
And for further comparison:
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Jul 2008-Feb 2009)
| Luiz Felipe Scolari's first 25 games |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
| All competitions (60% wins) |
15 |
7 |
3 |
| Premier League (65% wins) |
11 |
4 |
2 |
| Champions League (50% wins) |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Carling Cup (50% wins) |
1 |
1 |
0 |
The statistics are not kind on Scolari, who has a significantly worse winning percentage than any of the other managers.
The Brazilian initially got off to an inspired start, with impressive early wins against Portsmouth (4-0), Bordeaux (4-0) and Middlesbrough (5-0) getting fans excited for the future.
But his lack of knowledge of the Premier League was arguably exposed as he failed in his encounters with other title rivals — losing at home to Liverpool (1-0) and Arsenal (2-1) — and as results gradually got even worse it was little surprise when Abramovich finally decided to pull the plug in February 2009.
Jose Mourinho (Jun 2004-Sep 2007)
| Jose Mourinho's first 25 games |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
| All competitions (76% wins) |
19 |
4 |
2 |
| Premier League (75% wins) |
12 |
3 |
1 |
| Champions League (66% wins) |
4 |
1 |
1 |
| Carling Cup (100% wins) |
3 |
0 |
0 |
The ‘Special One’ achieved what Avram Grant would subsequently fail to do, as he saw his side defeat Manchester United on his debut as Chelsea manager.
The Portuguese manager went on to enjoy a solid opening 25 games in charge of the club, the most successful of all the managers mentioned here, with his two defeats coming in two away games; at Eastlands against Manchester City (1-0) in the league and in a meaningless final game of the Champions League group stages against his former club, FC Porto (2-1).
Other than that opening fixture against United, however, arguably Mourinho faced a more lenient first 25 games than the other three managers.
But in his next five games at the club he would go on to draw at Highbury against league champions Arsenal and then defeat Liverpool at home — perhaps showing the big game credentials that would help him lead the club to successive Premier League crowns.
Guus Hiddink (Feb 2009-May 2009)
| Guus Hiddink's first 22 games |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
| All competitions (73% wins) |
16 |
5 |
1 |
| Premier League (85% wins) |
11 |
1 |
1 |
| Champions League (33% wins) |
2 |
4 |
0 |
| FA Cup (100% wins) |
3 |
0 |
0 |
The Dutchman was called in to clean up Scolari's mess, and did well as he guided the squad to victory in the FA Cup — somewhat salvaging their season.
The former Russia coach proved his ability in his 22 games at the club, winning the vast majority of his Premier League encounters — including a notable 4-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates — while only being defeated once, by Tottenham Hotspur.
Unlike the other managers in the list, Hiddink played all his Champions League games at the business end of the competition — against Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona — making his overall record all the more impressive.
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
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