8 Worst Premier League Manager Sackings From The Past 10 Years

1. Roberto Di Matteo - Chelsea

dimatteo I'd imagine this is perhaps the name that Chelsea fans, as well as many others, would have guessed would top this list, and with good reason. Di Matteo was appointed caretaker manager of Chelsea after the sacking of Andres Villas Boas, and went on to enjoy a roller-coaster ride in the process. Roberto's first three results were wins against Birmingham, Stoke and Napoli, in the latter of which they overturned a 3-1 first leg defeat by winning 4-1 at home to win 5-4 on aggregate - basically putting right AVB's wrong from the first leg. That result created European form that just did not stop. After getting through against Napoli, Roberto's team eased into the semi's with a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica. It was now beginning to look rather serious, but no-one gave them much hope seeing as the remaining teams alongside them were Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Then came 2 of the most extraordinary results I have ever witnessed. Chelsea's 3-2 aggregate win over Barcelona, while playing most of the second leg with 10 men at the Nou Camp, was the most gripping game I've watched for some time. The audacity that scene throws up - Barcelona, who at the time were possibly the greatest team there has ever been, getting knocked out at home by 10-man Chelsea who were not even close to finishing in the top-four in the Premier League. Madness. And it was all down to tactical brilliance from Di Matteo. He read Barcelona's manual, he knew how to stop them, and losing a player didn't even matter because the game plan was just executed so perfectly. The madness continued as Chelsea managed to beat Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout to win the Champions League, their first ever. The match was played in a similar fashion, Roberto opting for the tight defensive ruthless, counter-attacking approach that got his team there. Di Matteo achieved Chelsea's most historic moment, dubbing him the greatest caretaker manager of all time by pundits, and it couldn't have been done by a more humble gentleman. Abramovich was delighted with this, as he is well known to be a man obsessed with the Champions League. But it didn't stop him from sacking Di Matteo after just a few games the following season. This decision was rightly met with the most robust of protests not only from Chelsea fans, but by the whole football world. Honestly, how can you sack a manager that has just brought back the European Cup, it boggles the mind. Furthermore, a kick in the teeth for the fans turned into a Chelsea smile (in a much darker, violent context than some might think) as Abramovich appointed Rafael Benitez as Roberto's replacement, the last person any Chelsea fan wanted to see at their club due to his historic clashes with him and the London club through the media while he was at Liverpool. It was a truly astonishing order of events in such a small space of time, and I believe it the worst manager sacking of the past 10 years and perhaps in the history of football. Do you agree with these entries? Is there any other sackings that you would have listed here that you would like to share? Please share your opinions and thoughts in the comment section below.
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As a recent university graduate and a huge supporter of Celtic FC, what better way to use my inevitable free time to write about my favourite football team? I'll cover most things that the supporters are talking about at the moment, which includes things that directly and indirectly involve the club. At times I may also stray into matters concerning English clubs.