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Manager changes at Chelsea has in real not upset life to deliver good results, having long term servants on the field and in the boardroom, basically delivering continuity somewhere else than at the helm of a football manager.
Chelsea made changes in management also in the 2011/12 season. Andre Villas-Boas was in charge from the start of the season until the 4th of March when Roberto Di Matteo took over, assisted by Steve Holland and Eddie Newton.
Roberto Di Matteo and his Chelsea team came to vicory winning 4-3 on penalties. The result being 1-1 at full time. Thomas Muller scored for Bayern in the 83rd minute, Drogba equalizing in the 88th. Juan Mata missed his penalty, David Luiz, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole scored.
The Chelsea team on the night of the Champions League final, was one with a lot iconic players in it. Petr Cech in goal, Jose Bosingwa, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Ashley Cole played in the back four. Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata was the midfield trio. Flank duo, Salomon Kalou and Ryan Bertrand, up-front Didier Drogba. Florent Malouda and Fernando Torres came on from the subs bench.
This was in itself an iconic team, with an age average of 27,7 years. This is close to the ideal, as teams with avarage age from 26,5 to 29, looks to be the norm of those who are likely to win the major trophies. You also need a certain blend of old and young, previous experience from these type of games. The oldest Chelsea players on the field were Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, both 33 years of age. Jon Obi Mikel, Juan Mata and Ryan Bertrand the youngest members of the team, age 25, 24 and 22.
Petr Cech spent a few more years at Chelsea, leaving to join Arsenal in 2015, being their goalkeeper until 2019, when he retired and returned to Chelsea, becoming a technical and performance director. He left the club in 2022. He is still competing in sports, but has changed from football to icehockey, playing for Belfast Giants. An extraordinary story and unexpected turn in life for a professional footballer.
In the back four on the day was Jose Bosingwa. He left Chelsea to join QPR a couple of months after the Champions League experience. After one season at Loftus Road he relocated again and joined Trabzonspor, finishing his career at the club in 2016. He was born in Kongo but represented Portugal at international level, being capped 27 times. Bosingwa is one a bit special, winning Champions League twice, first with FC Porto and later this win with Chelsea. Not much said about Bosingwa after his retirement but been involved with UEFA as an ambassodor.
David Luiz was a colourful defender for The Blues with his curly hair and arrogant and sometimes risky style of play. The Brazilian left Chelsea to join PSG in 2014, returning to Stamford Bridge in 2016, moving to Arsenal in 2019. He joined Flamengo in 2021, and after three and a half years, 37 years old, he recently made a move to Forteleza.
Gary Cahill partnered Luiz in the game, as the central defender with 61 caps for England never let The Blues down. He joined Chelsea in January 2012, being signed from Bolton. He stayed with Chelsea until 2019, when joining Crystal Palace and from here moving to Bournemouth where he finished his playing career in 2022. He was last summer having some sort of ambassodor role at Chelsea during their US visits as well as this season doing punditry work for different channels.
Ashley Cole played in his preferred position, left back. A super player coming to Chelsea from Arsenal. 107 England full caps and part of the Chelsea camp from 2006 to 2014. A move to Roma never turned out as we would have expected, only playing 11 Serie A games in two seasons. Leaving to join LA Galaxy in 2016, being there until 2018, before he joined Derby in a player coach capacity under Frank Lampard. He has since his retirement in 2019 been in coaching both at club and international level. He followed Lampard to Chelsea and later Everton. He has since worked at Birmingham with Wayne Rooney, combinng this with a role for England at several coaching levels. He was an assistant under Lee Carsley and has a full term position at this point, but no longer associated with the coaching team put in place by Thomas Tuchel.
Jon Obi Mikel was among the younger member of this Chelsea line-up, playing at the club from 2006 to 2017. He moved to China and played for Tianjin TEDA for a year, making a return to play in England for Middlesbrough. Then a move to Turkey, back to England playing for Stoke, before retiring from the game in 2021. He is at the time running his own very popular, The Obi One Podcast.
Frank Lampard doing bits in the Championship. đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/Lr5aDYfS29
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 14, 2025
Frank Lampard played at Chelsea until 2014 when he initially moved to New York City, but shortly after surprisingly agreed to a move to Man City as a free agent. After a season at The Etihad he was back with New York City and played in the MLS until 2016. He then moved into management, starting his career with Derby County, back in 2018, becoming a popular man at Pride Park. He made the play-off’s with The Rams and when Chelsea came calling, he was of course eager to get the chance. He was in charge at Stamford Bridge from 2019 to 2021. He was later hired by Everton, having a new run at Chelsea, this time as a caretaker, and in 2024 again back in full, this time with Coventry, having success with The Sky Blues at the moment.
Salomon Kalou left Chelsea just weeks after becoming a Champions League winner, joining Lille. He signed for the French club on a free transfer after being released. He joined Chelsea in 2006, spending 6 years of his career at Stamford Bridge. He joined Hertha Berlin in 2014, beeing their top star and influential staying until 2020, moving to Brazil, playing for Botafogo. The now 39 year old Kalou played last for a club in Djibouti.
Juan Mata was the attacking creative midfielder in the team. He stayed at Chelsea until 2014, moving to Man Utd, staying at Old Trafford until 2022. Moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan and at the of 36 now playing in Australia with Western Sydney Wanderers.
Didier Drogba moved from Chelsea shortly after the win, departing for China to play for Shanghai Shenhua. He had a short stay and moved to Galatasaray in 2013, with a return to Chelsea in 2014. He moved to the US in 2015 signing for Montreal Impact, before finishing his playing career at Phoenix Rising. In 2018, Drogba was appointed Vice President of Peace and Sport, an independent organisation based in Monaco and under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco that works in areas around the world where people are estranged from one another. On 2 December 2019, Drogba co-hosted the 2019 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris. On 29 November 2021, the duo co-hosted the next ceremony in 2021 which saw Lionel Messi receive the men’s award for a record seventh time whilst Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Féminin. Drogba will also co-host the 2023 and 2024 editions of the award.
Ryan Bertrand was the surprise pick for this final, as the perfect set up always have it’s weakest link. Bertrand was at Chelsea until 2015, but during his time at Stamford Bridge he was often out on loan, and from such a spell in 2014, he then joined Southampton in a full move after one season, playing for The Saints until 2021, signing for Leicester. His time at Leicester was difficult, having a number of injury problems during his two year stay with The Foxes. Bertrand is a founder of the fintech brokerage Silicon Markets which provides machine learning and algorithmic trading tools for retail traders in the Foreign Exchange and CFD markets.
80 capped french internatinal, Flourent Malouda came off the bench in the 73rd minute to be part of this very special victory. He stayed at Chelsea until 2013, moving to Trabzonspor. He later had played for a year at Metz, before moving to India, playing for Delhi Dynamos and Wadi Degia. His last involvement in his playing career was with Luxembourg club FC Differdange 03, ending in 2018. Malouda later became a coach at Swiss club FC Zurich, but his contract was cancelled in April 2019 after less than 2 months. Malouda has eight children. His son Aaron Malouda is a professional footballer.
Fernando Torres also participated, coming on in the 84th minute. Torres left Chelsea in 2014, joining AC Milan on loan and from 2015 signing full term. A return to Atletico Madrid, first on loan and permanent from 2016, ending his second spell with Atletico in 2018, moving to Japan to play for Sagan Tosu for a season, having his final year of his playing career in 2019. On 25 July 2021, Torres became head coach of Atlético Madrid’s Juvenil A (U19) team. He is now the head coach of Atlético Madrid B.
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