Chelsea’s Champions League triumph on Saturday night goes down as probably the club’s greatest-ever night but, despite making them European champions, interim manager Roberto Di Matteo is still not certain to get the Stamford Bridge job on a permanent basis.
The Blues beat Bayern Munich in their own backyard, albeit on penalties, after the two sides drew 1-1 in normal time at the Allianz Arena and totesport make them 12/1 to retain the crown in 12 months’ time.
Di Matteo’s side had to dig deep to land their first ever European Cup (Barcelona 7/2f – 2012/13 Champions League outright) and it was another resolute defensive display that secured the trophy after a nervy 120 minutes.
Didier Drogba’s header cancelled out Thomas Mueller’s late goal before Petr Cech saved Arjen Robben’s penalty in extra time. The Blues then went on to triumph on spot-kicks.
That cued wild celebrations from the Londoners, who beat the odds to overcome Bayern, so surely Di Matteo can expect the call from owner Roman Abramovich to manage the club on a permanent basis?
Well, not so apparently. Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said in the aftermath of the victory that the Italian is just “in the mix” for the post, with reports suggesting former England manager Fabio Capello is being lined up by Abramovich.
Quite what else the former Blues midfielder has to do to get the post is the question though. Di Matteo has steadied the ship in remarkable fashion since Andre Villas-Boas left and got an under-performing squad to gel quickly with the minimum of fuss.
He then not only guided them to the FA Cup by beating Spurs in the semi-final and Liverpool in the final but also saw off the mighty Barcelona over two legs in the Champions League semi.
If this was any other club, Saturday’s victory over Bayern would have pretty much guaranteed a successful interim manager the full-time job, but things are not quite as straightforward as that at the Bridge (Chelsea 9/2 to win 2012/13 Premier League).
Abramovich has been through more managers than most since he arrived at the club in 2003 with, apparently, his top goal for the club being to win the European Cup and become kings of the continent.
That has now happened but still, it seems, Di Matteo is not certain of the job. The players have been gushing with their praise for him and he definitely has the backing of the fans but whether he will get the chance to take complete control in August remains to be seen.