Desailly: Chelsea should appoint Di Matteo as permanent manager
Various other candidates have been put to Abramovich by leading agents since the dismissal of Villas-Boas earlier this month, but his former No.2 is regarded in some quarters as a front-runner.
“Mr Abramovich will do whatever he wants but I would really love to see Di Matteo keep the post,” said Desailly in an interview with Goal.com. “We are already hearing other coaches to come. Big names. Small names. Young. Old. But maybe the secret is to keep Di Matteo. Direct him on the mission and the vision the club have and see what is going to happen.
“I really think that they should give him a chance and I hope he [Abramovich] will keep Di Matteo. As the manager, yes. You just have to cover yourself a bit in the future in case you want to get rid of him. You need to fit somebody else into the club on standby in case in a year or two years’ time you decide to sack Di Matteo.”
Chelsea face Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final next month, are one step away from the Champions League semi-finals and are still in the running to finish fourth in the league.
And Desailly believes the club are benefitting from an improved relationship between the senior players and the manager following the discord towards the end of Villas-Boas’ reign.
Speaking after Chelsea defeated Benfica 1-0 on Tuesday, the former World Cup and European Championships winner said: “You can see the commitment of [Didier] Drogba, [Frank] Lampard and John Terry. It is because of Di Matteo.
“It is because Di Matteo has a clear message to them. England is a country where you give a chance to people. Di Matteo is today in a moment where you should be able to give him the chance.
“What is happening on the field, apart from the game against Tottenham, which was not a very high level game, the Napoli and Benfica games have shown that there is a spirit and something special.”
The former France international believes that the team are suffering as a result of the club’s constant managerial turnover.
“I’ve been a player and after a while the one that comes, you know he will not last,” he explained. “You are not really focused. You do not open up to allow him to deliver his message.
“Di Matteo was already inside. If he gets the job, his message has already been spread. You have seen the commitment of the players. They have not given up. They have maybe not won or been brilliant on the pitch but at least we have seen something.”
Nevertheless, Desailly believes that Villas-Boas will go on to be a success elsewhere.
He added: “With a bit of time, maybe it would have worked. He can develop his skills at another place and I’m sure he will succeed. Specifically for Chelsea it did not work.
“But we are concerned about Chelsea and I really think that the chance should be given to Roberto Di Matteo.”
WearChelsea shirt is one of the best ways to speak out your mind and to convey your message to others that you love Chelsea team. welcome to go and see www.soccer-facebook.com for buy Chelsea shirt
