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Chelsea have been one of the most successful clubs in Europe since Roman Abramovich took over the Blues nearly two decades ago.
The club has managed to win 19 titles, which includes five Premier League, two Champions League, two Europa League and five FA Cup titles since Abramovich's arrival in 2003.
Chelsea have gone through a lot of managers under Roman Abramovich
As a result of Roman Abramovich's quest for glory in England and abroad, Chelsea have gone through several managers, with very few lasting more than two seasons at the helm before being sacked.
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Frank Lampard was the latest manager who was sacked by the Russian after being in charge for 18 months. Thomas Tuchel was brought in to succeed the club legend and has done a brilliant job so far, leading the Blues to Champions League glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League and a FA Cup final.
While the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte enjoyed plenty of success at Stamford Bridge, there were others who struggled during their time at the club and were not able to make the desired impact.
On that note, here we take a look at five such managers who struggled at Chelsea during the Roman Abramovich era:
#5 Frank Lampard (2019-21)
After cutting short his managerial stint with Derby, Frank Lampard was offered the chance by Roman Abramovich to return to his beloved Chelsea in the summer of 2019.
The club legend didn't do too badly in his first season, given the fact that Chelsea's best player, Eden Hazard, had just left for Real Madrid, and the club were unable to make any signings due to a FIFA transfer ban.
He secured Champions League football for 2020-21, finishing fourth, bringing in youth and academy graduates into the first team and also reaching the FA Cup final.
But things went all went wrong in his second season after Abramovich gave Lampard £220 million to spend on Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Lampard couldn't find the right system for all his new signings, and results took a hit, which ultimately resulted in the Chelsea legend getting the sack.
When Lampard departed, Chelsea were languishing in ninth place in the Premier League, 11 points off the top. The Englishman left with the lowest points per game ratio of any Chelsea manager in the Roman Abramovich era.
#4 Rafael Benitez (2012-13)
Rafael Benitez's appointment at Chelsea as interim-manager by Roman Abramovich in 2013 was met with a lot of fury from Blues fans.
He was unwelcome at Chelsea owing to the comments he made about the Chelsea fans during his time with Liverpool. Some Chelsea supporters would even argue that Rafael Benitez should be higher on this list.
On paper, Rafael Benitez's record appears rather impressive at Chelsea, with a European trophy and a third-placed finish. When he was appointed by Abramovich, the Blues were in the same spot and four points off the leaders. They ended the season 14 points from the top and the manager seemingly struggling to connect with the players.
Winning the Europa League is no easy feat, although it was hardly won against the most competitive of fields; a run against Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharest, Rubin Kazan, Basel and Benfica ought to be navigated by any of the top six Premier League teams.
#3 Guus Hiddink (2009, 2015-16)
Guus Hiddink was brought in at Chelsea twice by Roman Abramovich mid-season to steady the ship, but only one of his reigns was a success.
His first spell in charge during 2009 saw him lead Chelsea to FA Cup glory and the semi-finals of the Champions League, losing narrowly (and controversially) to Barcelona. He lost only once in the 22 games he was in charge, finishing second in the Premier League.
The 2015-16 season, however, was one to forget for Chelsea after Guus Hiddink was called in by Abramovich for the second time at the club. That happened after Jose Mourinho was sacked and the Blues were languishing in 16th place in the Premier League.
With Chelsea already out of the League Cup, Hiddink saw his side fall out of the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain for the second consecutive season before the Blues endured a quarter-final defeat against Everton in the FA Cup.
Eventually, Chelsea had to settle for a lowly tenth-place finish as Hiddink’s second reign was nowhere near as successful as his first, with the Dutch manager winning just ten of his 27 games.
#2 Andre Villas-Boas (2011-12)
Roman Abramovich hired Andre Villas-Boas on the back of the Portuguese's stunning continental treble with Porto the previous season. There was a lot of buzz around the man dubbed the next Mourinho, as he had productive ideas on how the club should play and introduce younger players.
Unfortunately, the Portuguese manager was too quick in trying to phase out Chelsea's older guard and largely failed to assert any kind of authority over them during his short stint. That affected the team's performances, and another trophyless season looked to be looming, which forced Abramovich to let the Portuguese go after he was just nine months into his tenure.
Abramovich brought in Roberto Di Matteo to take the reins from Villas-Boas, and the latter watched his players lift the FA Cup and the Champions League just two months after his sacking.
#1 Luis Felipe Scolari (2008-09)
Needing a big-name appointment to appease the fans, Roman Abramovich hired the then Portugal national team head coach Luis Felipe Scolari on a lucrative three-year contract, said to be one of the biggest ever handed to a manager.
Chelsea fans were pretty excited on Scolari's arrival. But that excitement was short-lived, as the Blues looked uninspired, and the first rumours of player-power at the club broke through.
The Brazilian was sacked just seven months into the campaign for failing to sustain a convincing title challenge, with Chelsea falling seven points behind league leaders Manchester United.
Despite being third in the league at the time of Scolari’s departure, the Blues looked like they were going nowhere under the Brazilian, who later claimed he was sacked for 'communication issues' – for not being fluent enough in English.
