FA Cup / Robert Hughes / 12 May 2009 / 1

As they look for their fourth manager in less than two years, Robert Hughes considers who the next manager to take the hot seat at Stamford Bridge will be and whether the likes of Frank lampard and Didier Drogba will be a part of his plans.

Chelsea's elimination from the Champions League last week was - to say the least - a massive disappointment, but they bounced back in impressive style on Sunday, with a ruthless victory over Arsenal which secured third place. They now have the chance to end the season on a high note by winning the FA Cup, but the long-term future of the club and several of its key players is far from certain.

The main area of doubt, of course, is over who will succeed Guus Hiddink. The man most often linked with the post is AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is currently priced at [3.0] to get the job - although he has recently suggested that he might stay at Milan. A more risky appointment would be Frank Rijkaard, who can be backed at [5.2]. He would probably produce the sort of attacking football supposedly favoured by Roman Abramovich, but it might be at the expense of the resolute defence and battling qualities which have served Chelsea so well in recent years. Hiddink has repeatedly stated that he will be leaving at the end of the season, but can still be backed at [7.6] to stay on, while outsiders include Roberto Mancini at [22.0] and Jose Mourinho at [19.0].

Hiddink was wise to revive the battling, us-against-the-world approach which epitomised Chelsea under Mourinho, but this team and its mentality can't go on forever - sooner or later a new manager will have to start again and build a team in his own image. Scolari tried to do this, but was not given the time to see it through. The revolving-door policy employed by the club when it comes to managers is surely not the way to ensure long-term success. Abramovich needs to realise that not every manager can have the instant impact that Mourinho did, and that the next man in charge will take over a group of players who are older and less hungry for success than the one which Mourinho inherited.

Several key players must now be seriously considering their futures. Even before his behaviour in the wake of the Barcelona defeat, Didier Drogba was constantly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, and the club may now decide that he is more trouble than he's worth. Frank Lampard, having won every possible honour in English football, may now be tempted by a new challenge, and the chance of European success elsewhere.

Mourinho, on the brink of winning the Serie A title with Inter but needing to overhaul a declining squad, has made no secret of his admiration for both players. Meanwhile, Michael Ballack's contract runs out this summer and he is not getting any younger, Nicolas Anelka has scored plenty of goals this season but can surely not be happy at playing on the wing every week, and even Petr Cech - once the outstanding keeper in the League - may be under threat, given that his performances this season have been, at best, erratic.

Of the possible new arrivals, the player most often linked with Chelsea is David Villa, who finally seems likely to move away from Valencia. He may choose to stay in Spain, but should he be tempted by the Premier League, Stamford Bridge looks his most likely destination. Chelsea have also been linked with Russian international Yuri Zhirkov, Real Madrid's Rafael Van der Vaart, and Atletico Madrid's Argentinian star Sergio Aguero, who is rumoured to have a £50 million release clause in his contract - Chelsea are one of only a handful of clubs who could afford that sort of fee.

In the short term, though, the club's focus will be on the FA Cup Final against Everton. In these sort of encounters, it is often the underdogs who are highly-motivated, while the 'bigger' team are more likely to take the occasion for granted and thus may be vulnerable to an upset. However, Chelsea's determination to make up for their Champions League failure, and to reward their departing manager with a trophy, may give them the edge. Admirable though Everton's efforts in the Cup have been this season, they did struggle to overcome a second-string Man Utd side in the semi-final, and will still be without their main creative force (Mikel Arteta) and their best defender (Phil Jagielka). Chelsea can be backed at [1.83] to win the match in 90 minutes and at [1.46] to lift the Cup for the 5th time in their history.

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1. johnrocks | 13 May 2009

   When the supposed 'shock' of FA Cup round four wasn't actually that big of a shock (well not to old big head here) it goes to show how well the big boys did against their inferior rivals over the weekend.

   johnrocks
   

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