What has become clear over the course of 2022/23 is that Chelsea need the right manager in charge next season. The Blues require an elite coach who can also reflect and channel supporters' emotions to help galvanise the club as a whole.
Graham Potter failed to find much success in west London and could not convince many fans of his temperament, while results were not good enough for that critique to fall by the wayside. Frank Lampard undoubtedly understands what it means to represent Chelsea but has yet been unable to transform that into three points. Thomas Tuchel had been able to balance both during his early time in the job, but perhaps couldn't sustain player relationships to the extent required for more success.
It is not an easy task to find such a manager of course, and sometimes a face can only fit for a short time and find success, as Tuchel did when taking over part way through the season to eventually lift the Champions League trophy. The Blues have not been able to repeat that this term but managed a similar boon in 2012.
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Success is what Chelsea have lived off for the last two decades and they will be entirely without it this season. While the club is in transition, there is sure to be a degree of expectation in 2023/24 for whoever lands in the hot seat.
Juan Mata, speaking with Pedro Pinto about the Champions League final being held in Turkey, believes a coach has a crucial role in providing success in the biggest competitions. However, it's not necessarily just in tactical intuition.
The Spaniard explained: "I remember, in that 2012 season, we had a tough time, because when we were losing 3-1 in Naples, André Villas-Boas was sacked, which led to Roberto Di Matteo, staying in charge of the team. He ended up winning the FA Cup and the Champions League Final. For me, he was very good on a personal level, he knew how to talk to the players and how to motivate them, depending on their personalities. I remember, for example, the last meeting before we went to the Champions League Final, we were sitting in a room like this, and suddenly he started showing a video of our families sending us good luck messages, and for me that was the first example I had, at a high level, where the coach thought about the personal side of the players before a big game. He was very good at that and it helped us."
Perhaps Chelsea can find a more sustained boost on this occasion with an appointment that arrives at the end of the season. Finding a personal connection could prove difficult with the size of Chelsea's squad, until it is possible for it to be trimmed down, but it is an area where Mauricio Pochettino could find success. Some players are said even to be already excited about the prospect.
The former Spurs boss' man-management style has already been commented on by Lampard. The connection the 51-year-old manages with his players appears to be something the caretaker boss allowed to inspire him into coaching.
Lampard said: "I see someone like [Mauricio] Pochettino and his relationship with players -- like both a boss and a bit of a friend -- and I love that I sometimes see coaches trying to be clones of someone else. I don't want to be a clone, I want to be my own man."
Mata also discussed his memories of the 2012 Champions League final and the joy of preparing for European matches, something the Blues will be without next term. There was only one answer that came to mind when the former Blues winger was asked who the best player he'd called a teammate was in the competition, however.
Mata added: “If I think about the Champions League and the times we played together at Chelsea, and when we won the competition, the first big man that comes to mind is Didier Drogba. He scored the goal in the final, he scored the last penalty, he was a leader on and off the pitch, and he is definitely one of the best strikers of the last 20/30 years, so he has to be there. He was very helpful to me during my time in London, and he comes to my mind when I think of the Champions League. I also have to mention John Terry, Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Van Persie, and many other greats that I had the chance to play with. But when I think of the Champions League and that final in Munich it has to be Didier.”
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