Roberto di Matteo now stands in familiar territory at Chelsea: the narrow patch of opportunity between the carefree existence of being the club's compromise manager and the glorious possibilities of the Champions League.
Avram Grant landed there, too, when his lugubrious, aloof nature took Chelsea to the brink of triumph in a penalty shoot-out in the final in Moscow in May 2008, while Guus Hiddink fell short in the semi-final the following year as caretaker manager, before lifting the FA Cup.
Now Di Matteo, who was not even Roman Abramovich's first-choice to replace Andre Villas-Boas – even temporarily – when the Portuguese manager was sacked in March, will lead his side in the FA Cup final then the Champions League final within the space of 14 days next month. In his understated, self-deprecating manner, Di Matteo has restored the old spirit of aggressive, diligent authority that was first established under Jose Mourinho.
During the two legs of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, Chelsea dredged from their past a fastidious and selfless approach that was enough to curtail the stylish aplomb of their opponents. Players that had railed against the idealism of Villas-Boas, and the coldness he deployed in assigning some of them to the margins, have suddenly rediscovered their conviction and allegiance to the cause of the team over their own interests.
At Camp Nou on Tuesday night, after John Terry had briefly allowed his selfish, hostile instincts to flare and was sent-off for foolishly kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the back, Chelsea defended resourcefully. Didier Drogba covered the right flank then the left during the second-half, and for much of the game there was no striker left upfield. The approach was out of necessity, but Di Matteo has still applied some tactical shrewdness to his team selections.
In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, the Italian played Ramires, the energetic Brazilian midfielder, in an unaccustomed role on the left side to cover the attacking surges of Dani Alves. He also kept Frank Lampard on the right of his midfield three, so that he would not run into the space often occupied by Lionel Messi. Di Matteo earned a MBA from the London School of Economics after his playing career was ended by injury, and Chelsea executives have been impressed by his meticulous approach to the job, which included staying up all night to devise a game-plan for the second leg of their Champions League second round tie against Napoli.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, Villas Boas, and even Carlo Ancelotti, to an extent, were unable to manage the task of renewing the core of the side put together with such force and conceit by Mourinho. Even Ancelotti's success came from taking the best elements of the likes of Terry, Lampard, Petr Cech, Drogba and Michael Essien. Grant, who signed a four-year contract when Mourinho left but never shrugged off the aura of being a temporary appointment, Hiddink and Di Matteo have been able to thrive because they were not mistrusted by that old core.
Many of them had become disillusioned under Villas-Boas, and Drogba's future still remains unresolved despite his contract expiring at the end of the season. But there is recognition among the players that Di Matteo is not threatening their self-important roles in the hierarchy of the club and that all of them are best served by working together for the good of the team. Like Grant, Di Matteo has an unobtrusive personality, and all of his public comments deliver praise for his players, as though his own role is secondary. He does not possess the charisma or garlanded career of Hiddink, but he has made a virtue of that self-effacing air.
The Italian is a shrewd operator, and in stabilising the dressing room – and re-empowering the heavyweight egos it contains – he might yet deliver the prize that Abramovich has spent nine years of his life, and almost £1bn of his money, chasing. Yet even in the moment of supreme achievement for a club that has become obsessed by its pursuit of the Champions League, Di Matteo would already be pursued by a dismissive scorn.
He has been interviewed for the permanent manager's position, and Abramovich has already pledged to pay him the Champions League bonuses of Villas-Boas, but Di Matteo remains an inexperienced manager, at least in comparison to his rivals for the position. At West Brom, his last club, he was sacked for becoming distant and uncertain when the team encountered a spell of bad form. It remains the only stumble of his coaching career, but the best managers prove their worth in how they handle adversity.
Abramovich is thought to still consider Mourinho to be one of the best and may even be keen enough to bring the Portuguese back and disregard the fractious nature of his departure. No successor has been able to eclipse the overbearing nature of his reign, and he remains the manager most equipped to deliver the instant success and esteem that owners crave.
Mourinho will, though, demand that any return be on his own terms. In the meantime, Di Matteo is quietly, and assuredly, building a reputation for unflappable, astute management, even if it does not carry the same obligation to plan the long-term development of the team and so risk disrupting the self-centred icons in the dressing room. He will, regardless, be prized for this spell.
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