No2 ... Mancini assisted Eriksson at
Lazio
NOBODY should be shocked that Chelsea are making
contingency plans for Jose Mourinhos departure. Roman Abramovich
is not prepared to sit around twiddling his thumbs waiting to find
out whether his unpredictable manager is going to leave him in the
lurch.
Men with Abramovichs power and money have to be in control. They
will not be held to ransom and dictated to. So Chelsea are planning
for life without Mourinho, and Roberto Mancini, boss of Serie A
leaders Inter Milan, is the man in their sights.
The 4-0 home victory over Wycombe on Tuesday, which took the Blues
to the Carling Cup final, means nothing in the world scheme of
things. Abramovich wants trophies but he also wants a team that
entertains and a manager he can get along with. Mancini is believed
to fit the bill.
Mourinho says he thinks he will still be at Chelsea next season
and has told skipper John Terry so. But that is hardly an
unequivocal commitment and Blues owner Abramovich has tired of
Mourinhos games. At 42, Mancini is nearly two years younger than
the Special One and has a pedigree which makes him an obvious
attraction to a club which, in chief executive Peter Kenyons eyes,
aims to be the worlds leading outfit by 2014.
Mancini is personable and, while he will not be pushed around as
has been shown by his contract dispute with Inter president Massimo
Moratti, he is a man the Blues hierarchy can get along with.
Abramovich ideally favours a young, dynamic motivator like
Mourinho with less aggro. Inters sporting director Marco Branca is
believed to rate Mourinho highly, although Moratti is not so
convinced.
Chelsea, of course, can spend as much money as they want when the
desire takes them and blow Inter out of the water. They also know
Mancini, whose Inter side lead Serie A by 11 points, has long held
a desire to coach in England.
