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Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been ruthless when it comes to sacking managers and appointing new ones. Ever since the Russian oligarch took the reins.
He has been criticized for this cut-and-chop approach. However, Chelsea have always managed to win trophies, thus justifying this approach.
Even last season, something similar happened. Frank Lampard was sacked mid-season. The Englishman was losing game after game and the Blues were performing poorly. There were suggestions that Chelsea should have exercised some patience with the club legend. Abramovich was asked to look at the example of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United. He was urged to support Lampard during this tough time. However, at the first sign of trouble, he decided to sack Lampard and bring in Thomas Tuchel.
Those who argued that Chelsea should have exercised patience with Lampard were forced to eat their words. The German came in and the Blues started to play more expansive and attacking football. When Tuchel came in, his target was to finish in the top four.
Not only did they manage that but they also won the Champions League. Tuchel managed to outclass Pep Guardiola thrice in such a short space of time. The decision to sack Lampard and appoint Tuchel turned out to be excellent after all.
Abramovich did something similar when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012. Andre Villas-Boas was sacked mid-season and Roberto Di Matteo was appointed. Villas Boas did not trust old guards like Lampard and Terry. Di Matteo came in and assigned more responsibility to the senior players. These players turned up for the Blues and won the Champions League and the FA Cup as well.
This has been a recurring theme for the Blues under Abramovich. They hire managers and at the first sign of trouble, they don't hesitate to sack them and appoint a new one. But there's been another recurring theme at Stamford Bridge since 2015. The success that a manager enjoys at Chelsea is rarely replicated the following season.
Success for Chelsea and transfer demands of managers
When Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge, there was a lot of enthusiasm around Chelsea. The Portuguese is, till date, the most successful manager in the club's history. The Blues signed some good players like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas in the summer of 2014. Mourinho realized that his team needed a deep-laying playmaker and a striker. The club obliged and Mourinho delivered the Premier League title along with the League Cup.
However, next season would be disastrous for the club. They finished 10th in the table and were knocked out by PSG in the Champions League Round of 16. The former Inter Milan manager was sacked mid-season and replaced by Guus Hiddink.
One crucial thing to note here is that during the summer transfer window preceding the 2015-16 season, Mourinho relentlessly asked for a new center back. He wanted new signings as well, something he probably should have been given, considering he delivered the league title.
Chelsea were unable to give him the players he had asked for. Mourinho wanted John Stones at the club but the Blues failed to sign him. Although the lack of signings was not the sole reason for his sacking, it did play a part in his eventual downfall.
The Blues appointed Antonio Conte to replace him and the Italian was an instant success in his first season. He won the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final. In his first season, he was very well backed by Chelsea. The likes of N'Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso were signed by the club.
However, in the second season, despite winning the Premier League, he was not backed by the club. Conte wanted Lukaku to replace Costa but the Blues refused to sign him. Instead, they gave him Alvaro Morata. Such was the situation that the club had only four senior midfielders in the squad. Of the four, one was the summer signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko. Eventually, he was also sacked by Abramovich and replaced by Maurizio Sarri.
Both Conte and Mourinho were frustrated with the lack of signings by the Chelsea board. They often spoke in public and voiced their discontent over it as well. Both believed the club should have backed them as they had just won big trophies for them. However things did not go down well for either one.
History repeating itself at Chelsea
At the moment, Thomas Tuchel's situation at Chelsea is playing out in similar fashion. Last season, he won the Champions League, just as Conte and Mourinho won the Premier League. The Blues are yet to sign a player under the German manager. They have tried to sign Erling Haaland but it looks unlikely that they will be able to sign the Norwegian prodigy this summer.
The club seem to be repeating the same mistake they made under Mourinho and Conte. They did not back a manager who won trophies for them in the transfer market and consequently, the next season did not go well for them. This time as well, the club are yet to back their manager in the transfer market.
Though their focus is on signing a striker, it's no secret that they need a center back as well. Cesar Azpilicueta is veering closer to the wrong side of the thirties and Thiago Silva is already there. The Brazilian was an influential figure in Chelsea's strong backline last season.
He will be 37 next season and at his age, he can't be expected to be the talisman he was in defense last season. However, Chelsea are yet to give Thomas Tuchel another center back. The likes of Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi have been sold by the club. Such incidents have happened before as well.
However, the transfer window is open until August 31, 2021, and the Blues still have time to make signings. However, recent football-related documentaries have shown that signing new players involves plenty of negotiations and time. It's unclear how much work Chelsea have done behind closed doors. If we consider the recent news surrounding the Blues, it's been dominated by Erling Haaland. The consensus presently is that the club might not be able to sign him.
Conclusion
Chelsea fans would not want a repeat of the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons. However, early parallels can be drawn. It's clear that Tuchel wants to sign a new striker but it doesn't appear the Blues have made any significant progress on that front.
The club enjoyed success under Mourinho and Conte but failed to back them in the transfer market. The Blues could have gone on to dominate the Premier League had they backed their managers in the transfer market. Tuchel has tasted success at the club but he is yet to be backed in the market, like his predecessors.
After Chelsea failed to back Mourinho and Conte, it resulted in awful seasons for them. The Blues faithful might have to brace for a similar fate this time as well. Should that happen, the club will once again end up in a managerial cycle. They'll hire a new manager who might bring them instant success. But then they won't back him in the transfer market and cause him to stumble in the following campaign.
Perhaps this is why they've failed to dominate the Premier League despite constantly winning trophies. As for Thomas Tuchel, whose relationship with his bosses at PSG and Dortmund turned sour, he could be headed for yet another bitter taste of disappointment.
