Chelsea have appointed former manager and player Frank Lampard as caretaker manager four days after the sacking of Graham Potter.
Lampard returns for his second spell in charge of the club on a deal lasting until the end of the season as Chelsea’s hunt for a permanent manager continues.
Here, Football Mad Reuben Rosso-Powell looks at the success of Chelsea’s interim coaches over the last decade.
Guus Hiddink: February 2009 – May 2009 and December 2015 – June 2016. Major honours: FA Cup 2009
Guus Hiddink enjoyed two spells as Chelsea’s interim manager in both the 2008/09 season and the 2015/16 season after he was called upon by previous owner Roman Abramovich to steady the ship after underwhelming starts to each campaign.
In 2008 he replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari where he guided Chelsea to a third place finish in the Premier League as well as going on to win the FA Cup at Wembley with a 2-1 victory over Everton.
Hiddink returned in December 2015 after Chelsea parted ways with Jose Mourinho for a second time. The Dutch manager did not win any silverware during his second stint at Stamford Bridge and was replaced by Antonio Conte in the summer of 2016.
Roberto Di Matteo: March 2012 – November 21 2012. Major honours: FA Cup 2012, Champions League 2012
After the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas in March 2012, Roberto Di Matteo took charge of Chelsea on an interim basis where his side achieved an FA Cup and Champions League double.
His position was made permanent after Chelsea’s triumph over Bayern Munich in the Champions League but was cut short in the 2012/13 season where he was sacked after a poor start to the campaign.
Rafa Benitez: November 2012 – May 2013. Major honours: Europa League 2013
Chelsea turned heads as they opted for former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez as their interim coach in 2012, where the Spaniard led the Blues to a third-place Premier League finish and Europa League glory.
Benitez’ time at Chelsea was marred by supporter hostilities due to his previous time at Liverpool and also raised eyebrows through his treatment of captain John Terry who was largely frozen out of his starting XI for the duration of his stint in charge.
