Di Matteo could be at Chelsea for keeps
ROBERTO Di Matteo has emerged as a contender to take over at Chelsea full time after guiding the team to within 90 minutes of the Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has recognised the Italian interim manager’s impact since he replaced Andre Villas-boas and is considering promoting him at the end of the season.
Various candidates have been put to Abramovich by agents, but Di Matteo is now among the frontrunners after impressing the Russian owner with the results he has achieved in temporary charge.
Chelsea have booked an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham and need only to avoid defeat by Benfica at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. An upturn in league results has also left Di Matteo confident they can achieve fourth place in the Barclays Premier League.
Chelsea officials have been impressed with the Italian’s strategy, while his relationship with influential senior players is strong.
Di Matteo has not been afraid to take risks by leaving out big names, notably in Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League win at Benfica, but he has the respect of the squad.
Senior players like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien, who were all on the bench on Tuesday, were told the reasons for their omissions and played a full and enthusiastic part in the squad’s preparations for the first leg.
Di Matteo has changed the training-ground environment at the club and, if he can display his tactical acumen by guiding Chelsea into the last four of the Champions League, that could be enough to seal the deal for him.
Abramovich concedes the Chelsea squad do not have the strength of European heavyweights Real Madrid or potential Champions League semi-final opponents Barcelona, and the Russian has been targeting a manager who can not only unite the dressing room but is capable of identifying top young talent as well as bridging the sizeable gap between the academy and the first team.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will not contest the decision to play their FA Cup semi-final on a Sunday — even though it looks certain to leave them at a disadvantage in Europe.
The FA will not ask Liverpool to play their semi-final against Everton on Sunday, April 15 because it is the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, so that tie will be held the previous day.
It also makes sense for travel reasons to avoid a Merseyside derby in London on a Sunday but it will deny Chelsea extra recovery time if they defend a 1-0 first-leg lead and knock Benfica out of the Champions League next week.
The first leg of their European semi-final would then be played on Wednesday, April 18 and, although the tie would be at Stamford Bridge, their opponents — be it AC Milan or Barcelona — will enjoy at least one extra day to recover from their weekend game.
Barcelona are scheduled to play at Levante and Milan at home to Genoa, both on the Saturday, although, with help from the Italian FA, Milan have moved some games to Friday evenings this season to extend preparation time for the Champions League.
Chelsea face the possibility of extra time and penalties at Wembley against Tottenham on the Sunday and must hope the FA will offer some help with an early kick-off time.
Di Matteo (right) has urged the authorities to do more to support English teams in Europe but the FA and the Premier League are anxious to protect the integrity of their own competitions and not be seen to favour one club above another.
Further complicating Chelsea’s case is the fact that Harry Redknapp’s side could lose out if Chelsea win the European Cup and finish fifth in the Premier League because they would then qualify for next season’s Champions League at the expense of the team finishing fourth, possibly Tottenham.