Chelsea's defeat to rivals Manchester United on Saturday evening was a damning indictment on Liam Rosenior for a number of reasons, not least the contrasting trajectories of the two clubs in recent months.
There was just a week between the appointment of Rosenior and his compatriot, Michael Carrick, yet while the latter has overseen a resurgence at Old Trafford, the Blues have gone backwards since Enzo Maresca's exit.
Maresca's record at Chelsea (timeless)
Indeed, Rosenior departs his post with the Blues languishing in seventh, having picked up just 17 points in his 13 Premier League games in charge.
Carrick, for comparison, has steered United into third, picking up 26 points in his 12 league games to date, losing only twice.
Chelsea managers - PL PPG*
Coach
Grant
Mourinho
Conte
Ancelotti
Benitez
Scolari
Tuchel
Hiddink
Sarri
Di Matteo
*Top 10 - since 2000
The Stamford Bridge side have seen their Champions League ambitions go up in smoke, with the next permanent manager dealt a rough hand heading into this summer.
Who Chelsea could hire to replace Rosenior
Even with an FA Cup semi-final on the horizon, the Blues don't appear set to appoint an interim for the remainder of the campaign, with Callum McFarlane set to make the step up until the summer.
That will buy BlueCo time to make the right call when it comes to the next permanent hire at Stamford Bridge, with a raft of high profile managers set to be on the market at the end of the season.
Among those is Andoni Iraola, following the confirmation that he will leave Bournemouth upon the expiry of his contract, with the former Rayo Vallecano boss certainly in the frame to succeed Rosenior.
iraola record
That has been corroborated by TEAMtalk, albeit with the report also outlining that departing Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is being considered too.
Like Iraola, the Austrian coach is heading for the exit door at Selhurst Park with his own deal set to expire in June, the FA Cup-winning coach having made no secret of his desire to move on earlier in the campaign.
Why Glasner would be an upgrade on Iraola
Iraola, currently enjoying a 14-game unbeaten run in the Premier League with the Cherries, is certainly an attractive target due to the fine work he has done on the south coast, more than keeping the club afloat despite a raft of key departures, be it Antoine Semenyo or Dean Huijsen.
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Glasner, to his credit, has done much the same in south London, however, even if he has been more vocal about his frustrations over the make-up of his squad, with Palace losing the likes of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi over recent years.
Regardless of the tension that has built between Glasner and the Eagles support, there's no denying just what a revelation he has been at the club, perhaps representing an upgrade on Iraola considering his record for claiming silverware.
Indeed, the 51-year-old led his current side to a first-ever FA Cup triumph last season, beating Manchester City in the final, while subsequently seeing off Liverpool on their return to Wembley for the Community Shield.
Conference League glory could lie in wait come May, all being well, while Glasner previously enjoyed European success at Eintracht Frankfurt, after beating the likes of Barcelona en route to winning the Europa League in 2022.
Aside from a Cypriot Cup at AEK Larnaca, Iraola's managerial career to date has not been quite so fruitful, thus giving Glasner the edge in that regard.
Such winning experience at the elite level has also seen the Palace boss hailed by Jamie O'Hara as a "better manager" than Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, with the Spaniard having only claimed the FA Cup himself in over six years at the Emirates.
oliver-glasner
The title appears to be slipping away from the Gunners again, while there's no guarantee of a long-awaited Champions League success, ensuring Arteta could finish the season empty-handed again.
Glasner, unlike the Basque pair, has now proven he can claim silverware at more than one club, and somewhat against the odds too, ensuring he could be the man to get Chelsea back to winning ways.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner before the match
His football may not be glamorous, but boy is it effective, while the manner in which he has nurtured youngsters like Adam Wharton should be music to the ears of the BlueCo regime.
He's Premier League-proven and proven at winning major honours - what's not to like?
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He'd be an excellent choice.