From Vialli to Tuchel: Every Chelsea manager this century ranked
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 12 Sept 2022 16:04 BST
- 6 min read
Chelsea are known as a club that go through managers at a pace unprecedented among Europe’s elite sides.
When Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club earlier this year, some thought that era could be over, yet Todd Boehly’s reign promises to be equally as cut throat if the experience of Thomas Tuchel is to go by.
Indeed, Graham Potter is the 17th manager to take charge at Stamford Bridge since 2000, but how does Tuchel rank with his predecessors?
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Our panel of experts have taken a look and have come up with the definitive ranking of Chelsea’s best managers in the last 22 years.
Without further ado, here they are, ranked from worst to best.
16. Luiz Felipe Scolari (2008-2009)
Scolari's brief stint in English football was an unmitigated disaster. The Brazilian had flirted with the England job previously but chose to come to Chelsea instead, and won just 56% of his matches in charge during a dismal eight month period. Never has a World Cup winning manager appeared so far out of his depth.
15. Andre Villas-Boas (2011-2012)
Dubbed the next Jose Mourinho as he broke through in Portugal having not had any footballing career worth speaking of, Villas-Boas failed to have the same impact at Stamford Bridge has hit compatriot. He struggled at Chelsea, posting a win percentage of under 50 in his relatively brief stint in charge. He was sacked in March 2012.
14. Guus Hiddink (2015-16)
Hiddink was a firefighter for Chelsea following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho after a disastrous start to the season but he failed to replicate the success he enjoyed six seasons earlier. The Blues finished 10th in the Premier League and ended the season without a trophy.
13. Frank Lampard (2019-2021)
Frank Lampard became Chelsea manager off the back of his reputation as a club legend in midfield but also a useful spell at Derby. He joined the team at a difficult point as they were forced to deal with a transfer ban and were forced to bring through a talented group of academy players. Lampard’s limitations really told the following season when there was money to spend. A run of four defeats in six league matches saw him sacked in January 2021.
12. Rafael Benitez (2012-13)
Benitez only took charge of Chelsea on an interim basis following the sacking of Di Matteo. It was a controversial move given his association with Liverpool and a previously hostile relationship with the Blues. He led the club to the Europa League title by beating Benfica and also helped them to third place in the league.
11. Avram Grant (2007-2008)
Less a manager and more a caretaker, Grant simply sent the team that Mourinho had built out for the remainder of the season, and the key figures mostly managed themselves. He will forever be unfortunate for taking them to their first Champions League final only to lose to Manchester United, but there was never any chance of him being given the job on a full-time basis.
10. Gianluca Vialli (1998-2000)
Gianluca Vialli's Chelsea side built from the work started by Ruud Gullit and was not only able to deliver the European Cup Winner's Cup, but also the FA Cup during his time in charge. In fact in 1999 his team were very much in the hunt for the Premier League title, before running out of steam in the final weeks of the season to finish behind Manchester United and Arsenal. His sacking at the beginning of the next season was a surprising one, and Vialli perhaps had more to give in the position - like many of these managers probably did.
9. Claudio Ranieri (2000-2004)
Ranieri spent longer in charge than many people think, but his ultimate legacy to the Blues will be the Champions League qualification which ultimately led to Roman Abramovich's millions. That next season he couldn't deliver instant success despite spending £120m, and Ranieri was always looking over his shoulder for the next man who would come in. That man would ultimately prove to be Jose Mourinho.
8. Roberto Di Matteo (2012)
Was in charge of the club for literally weeks after the sacking of Villas-Boas but did a better job than anyone could have imagined as he led Chelsea to their first Champions League title. It all fell apart thereafter, with Di Matteo sacked after being effectively dumped out of the group stage the following November.
7. Guus Hiddink (2009)
The Dutchman Hiddink was dropped in for the remainder of the season after Scolari’s exit and in a short period transformed a broken team, losing just once in the remaining 22 matches of the campaign and were seconds away from reaching their second Champions League final in a row, only to be denied by a late Andres Iniesta strike for Barcelona. Well received and well liked enough to be welcomed back for a second spell in the future.
6. Maurizio Sarri (2018-19)
The chain-smoking Italian was another one-season wonder at Chelsea. A third-placed finish in the Premier League represented positive progress, particularly as it was married with the Europa League title, in which Chelsea memorably defeated rivals Arsenal in the Baku final. He grew homesick and returned back to Italy at the end of the season to be nearer his parents.
5. Jose Mourinho (2013-15)
Jose Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea wasn’t as spectacular as his first, yet it still delivered the Premier League title in 2014/15 – the club have only won the trophy on one occasion since. Although he signed a new four-year deal a matter of weeks later, he lost nine of 16 Premier League matches and departed, officially, “by mutual consent”. Nevertheless, after some difficult years, Mourinho had dragged Chelsea back to the top of the domestic game.
4. Antonio Conte (2016-18)
Conte arrived when Chelsea were at their lowest ebb, having just finished 10th in the Premier League. Remarkably, he transformed their fortunes by turning them into title winners, breaking the record number of wins in a season at that time. However, the Blues struggled when Conte was forced to juggle Champions League football and was cut free in the summer of 2018 after qualification for that tournament was missed.
3. Carlo Ancelotti (2009-11)
Ancelotti may just be Chelsea’s most under-rated manager of the last couple of decades. After Hiddink had picked up the pieces of Scolari’s disastrous reign, it was his job to put everything back together properly. He did this impressively, leading the club to the Premier League title in his first season in charge – and in some style as they became the first team to score 100 goals in a season. He was sacked after finishing the 2010/11 season in second.
2. Thomas Tuchel (2021-22)
If Lampard’s Chelsea had potential, it was only genuinely realised by Tuchel, who showed up his predecessor by leading the Blues on a late-season charge that saw them finish fourth in the Premier League, having been mid-table when he took over. It was in the Champions League he really shone, though, leading the club to their second European trophy. A decent performance followed in 2021/22, but after a slow start following a huge spend in the summer of 2022, new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly dispatched with the German.
1. Jose Mourinho (2004-07)
It's difficult to underestimate the impact Jose Mourinho had on English football. From his confidence, his manner, his use of language, to how he set up his teams, the rest of the league simply wasn't ready for the two years of complete dominance which resulted in back-to-back Premier League titles. He made the likes of Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard into bona fide club legends and forced the rest of the opposition to up their game considerably.
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