It has been almost a week since Chelsea announced the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
Since then a lot has occurred: The Blues have hired interim manager Guus Hiddink, have found their ideal replacement (A.K.A. Guardiola) – unless Man City have something to say about that – and Mourinho has reportedly already found another job at Man United.
Nonetheless, the issue of his Stamford Bridge departure remains a highly discussed topic, with former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti weighing in with his thoughts.
The Italian boss was highly tipped with a return to London following the end of his post-Real Madrid sabbatical; however, Carletto has opted for a move to Germany, agreeing a deal with Bayern Munich.
The 56-year-old, set to replace Pep Guardiola next summer, delivered his verdict on what caused the curtain to fall on the Special One’s second spell with Chelsea, blaming a “lack of motivation” from the players for his sacking.
"That is the most difficult job for a coach because within a group, both one that is doing well and one that is doing badly, there are always problems to resolve," Ancelotti told Goal.
"When things are going well, there is a risk of relaxation; when things are going badly, obviously there is a loss of confidence.
"The coach must always keep a good balance in that sense, lifting the confidence levels particularly when things don't seem to be working.
"It's a little of this that Mourinho paid for, the fact that the team had not started like last year, when they had a tremendous desire to do well after a bad year.
"This year it was exactly the opposite; he paid for the lack of motivation among the players."
A 9th defeat in 16 games was the last straw for owner Roman Abramovich, who now must hope the London giants can salvage what remains from this season to clinch a respectable finish, with a spot in next season’s Champions League almost out of reach.
Chelsea sit in 15th spot, three points above the relegation zone, and will host Watford on Boxing Day.
