Yesterday’s papers in England claim there will soon be two managerial vacancies in West London as both Queen Park Rangers’ Mark Hughes and Chelsea’s Roberto di Matteo are said to be in line for imminent sackings.
Hughes’s departure has been on the cards for some while given his side’s abysmal start to the season, but Di Matteo seemed untouchable given his side’s Champions League victory last year and their barnstorming start to the current campaign. So despite the Blues suffering poor results in the last few weeks, the Daily Mail’s report that the Italian’s job is in “serious jeopardy” comes as something of a surprise. The recent poor results “have caused owner Roman Abramovich to lose his patience”, the paper claims.
The report adds that Di Matteo who had a furious post-match row with some of his players, among them Petr Cech and David Luiz, with screams overhead from the changing room including epithets such as “rubbish, and you all know it” and “call yourself Champions League winners?”
It is not just the Mail claiming that Di Matteo is very possibly on his way: the Daily Telegraph and Daily Star follow suit, and the Star even adds that Jose Mourinho will be the man to replace him. The tabloid claims it has “the picture that proves Jose Mourinho could soon be back at Chelsea” – but rather than showing Mourinho splitting a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with Abramovich, it shows Mourinho’s 16-year-old daughter enrolling at an art college in London that is “just six miles” from Stamford Bridge.
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