Chelsea Admits Mistake in Firing Andre Villas-Boas

On Sunday morning (or night if you were across the pond), Chelsea sacked their beleaguered manager Andre Villas-Boas. It ends a tumultuous eight-month stint where the 34-year-old never seemed on solid footing.

This firing shows one thing: Chelsea made a mistake by hiring the Portuguese gaffer in the first place. 

Aside from winning the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy in the preseason, the boys from Stamford Bridge have simply not performed up to their lofty standards—a problem that ultimately falls squarely upon the shoulders of Villas-Boas.

In order to manage Chelsea, the gaffer needs to be flexible. Like any major English side, the manager has to corral the mass amount of egos presently on the roster. A positive accord needs to be there in order for the team to function in a cohesive manner.

Chelsea didn't seem to really have that under AVB. Why is that?

For one thing, captain John Terry proved to be an immense distraction for his side. Not only was Terry publicly stripped of his captaincy of the English national team, but he was also embroiled in a racial criminal charge against fellow English player Anton Ferdinand.

Coincidentally, Ferdinand's brother Rio is Terry's partner in the back for the national team.

Additionally, Villas-Boas never seemed to be on good terms with Chelsea lynch pin Frank Lampard. Lampard has been a staple on the squad for over a decade. His continual brilliance has been a constant for the club.

Nevertheless, the new manager did not select Lampard on a consistent basis. With that came questioning from both the squad and the media, and by Lampard himself.

The English International went public with his pleas of both irritation and confusion. He even admitted to personal problems between manager and player.   

When a player of Lampard's prestige openly questions the manager, it holds come clout. His service to Chelsea over the years more than justifies his qualms.

Lampard is also the club's current leading scorer.

Villas-Boas also constantly spoke out moves needed in order to improve the club. Strangely enough, he focused considerably on his former players at FC Porto. Throughout his tenure, Porto men such as Hulk, Falcao, Joao Moutinho and Alvaro Pereira have all been rumored to be heading to England.

It's not exactly a vote of confidence for the existing players on the squad. Concurrently, with the egos on Chelsea, I'm sure it ruffled a few feathers in the process.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that AVB is a very good manager. At 33, he established himself as one of the best young managers in the world during his time at FC Porto.

At Porto, he not only became the youngest manager to win the UEFA Europa League, but he also won the Portuguese Cup, the Portuguese Supercup and the Primera Liga.  

However, when making the leap to a club with the magnitude of Chelsea, the pressures and expectations are exponentially heightened.  

What does this say about Chelsea?

For one thing, they lost a ton of money. Owner Roman Abramovich shelled out $45 million to fire former manager Carlo Ancellotti and bring in Villas-Boas. 

Another aspect is the handling of AVB in the first place. Did Abramovich truly give Villas-Boas enough time to fully implement his style and place his stamp on the club? 

I don't think he did.

Currently, Chelsea does sit at fifth in the table, a staggering 20 points behind Manchester City. Villas-Boas also did have the worst record of any manager under Abramovich.

But the owner was too quick to pull the trigger. Given that the summer transfer window is upcoming, potential moves could have taken place in order to not only improve the prospects of the club, but to also tailor the talents to Villas-Boas' preferred style of play. 

Abramovich shouldn't have relied upon a coach with little experience, especially when presiding under a veteran high-priced team. 

AVB and the side were just never able to mesh successfully. In regards to a future manager, it sounds as if Abramovich is targeting Barcelona gaffer Pep Guardiola.

I don't know how viable persuading Guardiola to England really is, considering he has the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta to work with.  

Regardless, this messy eight-month episode between Villas-Boas and Chelsea is over.  

I liken Boas-Villas to that of a young, flickering star.

When he was appointed as Chelsea's top man, the star's trajectory skyrocketed up into the heavens with an abundance of vigor.

Fast-forward to today, and that star has burned out, falling into oblivion.