Roman Abramovich’s savage statement before Chelsea boss’ sacking after sub infuriated owner

Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti was sacked by then Blues owner Roman Abramovich in 2011 after finishing runners-up in the Premier League and failing to win silverware

Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that Roman Abramovich threatened to sack him at Chelsea over a substitution he made in a Champions League quarter-final. The Italian manager, who now leads the Brazil national team, spent two seasons in West London under the club’s former Russian owner.

Ancelotti’s first season at Stamford Bridge was seen as a huge success after guiding the Blues to victory in both the FA Cup and Premier League. But the 66-year-old’s second season was less fruitful, culminating in his dismissal at the end of the season after finishing second in the top-flight with no silverware.

One trophy Abramovich was said to be desperate to win at Chelsea was the Champions League. The Blues suffered several near misses, including an agonising penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the 2008 final. Abramovich eventually got his wish in 2012 when interim boss Robert Di Matteo led Chelsea to an improbable victory on spot kicks against Bayern Munich in the German giants’ home stadium.

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The Blues suffered a disappointing Champions League exit a season earlier, losing to United in the last eight under Ancelotti. It came after they broke the then-British transfer record to sign striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool for £50million during the January 2011 transfer window.

And Ancelotti has now opened up on the events around the club’s defeat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and the role Torres played in Abramovich’s dissatisfaction with him.

“Success or failure in Europe is how I would be measured by Abramovich, and the Champions League cost me my job,” he said in his new autobiography, ‘The Dream – Winning the Champions League’.

“The night before the second leg [against United], Abramovich warned the squad that if they didn’t win there would be changes. He then told me that if we lost, I should not bother coming back in the next day.

“Torres was clearly suffering from a lack of confidence and felt the weight of his transfer fee hanging around his neck.

“In the dressing room, Abramovich made it very clear what this defeat meant. What happened next was inevitable.

“Torres was his personal decision and substituting him was a direct rebuke to the owner. Momentarily, I had forgotten that ultimately you can’t beat the owner.”

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