Open Mike Monday: Chelsea Crowned European Champs, Coaching Carousel Begins

Chelsea are the champions of Europe, but hardly the champions of European hearts.

Roberto Di Matteo is an FA Cup- and Champions League-winning manager, but he might not have a full-time gig in a few more days.

Montpellier finally sealed their first French title, but they had to go through a riot first.

All that and more this week in Open Mike Monday. Keep reading for all the details, opinions and shenanigans.

Most Confusing Team

This is only the beginning.

In our brave new world of nouveau-riche clubs, mega-money owners and foreign investment, Chelsea will only be the first. Love them or hate them, they're probably here to stay, and there will be more.

Many more.

But what do we make of this Chelsea team?

Their supporters will squawk (granted, they squawk over just about anything), but this has to be said: Chelsea were dominated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

And they were dominated by Barcelona in the semifinal.

And they were dominated by Benfica in the second leg of the quarterfinal.

And they were dominated by Napoli in the first leg of the first knockout round.

And it took a last-matchday victory over Valencia to qualify for the knockout stages.

What does it mean? Nothing, really, other than the fact that Chelsea somehow figured out how to beat teams consistently while simultaneously being outplayed.

Wrap that one around your mind.

And then this: Roberto Di Matteo, who has won the FA Cup and Champions League as interim manager, isn't a shoo-in for the full-time job.

And then this: Chelsea is both wildly popular (thanks to their recent success) and wildly unpopular (thanks to their owner, money and some of their players).

What to make of Chelsea?

The lesson of the Blues' run this season seems to be this: Decide for yourself.

Silliest Summer Spectacle

Speaking of Roberto Di Matteo, the 41-year-old Italian is most likely booked for a spot in this summer's coaching carousel—which can be, at times, even more entertaining than the crazy summer transfer market.

Consider this week's news, which I cribbed from my Sunday gossip roundup:

"

Jupp Heynckes (currently in his third stint with Bayern Munich) thinks Roberto Di Matteo (formerly the manager of West Bromwich Albion) has done enough to earn the full-time Chelsea job.

…

Unfortunately for Di Matteo, Chelsea reportedly want Harry Redknapp (currently the manager of Tottenham Hotspur) instead. Or, on the other hand, they might want Fabio Capello (who is currently unemployed but most recently managed England, the job to which Redknapp was linked for most of the spring).

Next, the word is that Liverpool want Andre Villas-Boas (formerly the manager of Chelsea) is to be their next manager.

Elsewhere, former Manchester United forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly wants to manage Aston Villa, and West Bromwich Albion reportedly want to hire Birmingham (arch-rival of Aston Villa) boss Chris Hughton.

So, in another year, it'll be Solskjaer for England, Villas-Boas for West Brom, Capello for Aston Villa and Di Matteo for Bayern Munich—right?

"

See what I mean? It'll only become more silly as the summer slogs on.

Most Chaotic Title Win

Montpellier won their first French title Sunday, beating Auxerre 2-1 away on the final day of the season.

First, though, the upstarts from the south of France had to endure a few chaotic moments courtesy of the home fans.

From Eurosport-Yahoo!:

"

The joyous celebrations at the end were in stark contrast to the crowd trouble that repeatedly marred the second half of the contest.

Emotions spilled over when Auxerre fans threw tennis balls, toilet paper and tomatoes onto the pitch to cause the first two disruptions.

Referee Said Ennjimi delayed the start of the second half by five minutes and then ushered the players back inside the tunnel after suspending the game again just five minutes after the interval.

However, riot police were called in when the match was halted for the third time in the 70th minute after raging Auxerre supporters threw flares onto the pitch.

With the jeering, whistling and booing fans showing no signs of calming down, the police moved in to evacuate sections of the stands, allowing Montpellier to complete their title charge without any further stoppages.

"

And it was quite a title charge.

Before this season, Montpellier was probably best known as the former club of big stars like Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc and Carlos Valderrama.

Now, though, it's hard not to like their story.

Owned since 1974 by Louis Nicollin, Montpellier earned promotion to Ligue 1 by finishing second in Ligue 2 in 2008-09. They finished fifth their first season in the top flight but fell to 14th the following year.

This season, though, Montpellier beat out big-spending PSG for their first top-flight title. Here's wishing manager Rene Girard and his men a long reign.

Funniest Arrest

How's this for a humorous arrest?

From The Daily Telegraph:

"

A Manchester City fan was arrested and handcuffed for taking the title-winning match ball during a pitch invasion.

The club went to the police and pressed charges after discovering a fan had taken the ball during the post-match celebrations following their 3-2 win over QPR last Sunday.

Joe Broadbent, 17, was tracked down at work by police and arrested on suspicion of theft after being spotted on CCTV.

However, being in a forgiving mood, the club later dropped the charges.

"On Thursday, police were contacted by staff at Manchester City FC who said they wanted to report the theft of a match football," said a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police.

"Acting on information provided, the following day officers arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of theft but de-arrested him shortly after.

"It was decided the most appropriate cause of action was to use Restorative Justice, so the boy was taken to the Etihad Stadium where he met with security staff and resolved the matter."

"

Appropriate indeed. For his part, the kid said he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.

Here in America, we'd pat him on the back, call him a collector and feature him on SportsCenter.

Must be a cultural thing.

Best Summer Plans

So, a memorable European club season is finally coming to its conclusion.

A few big matches remain—including Barcelona's quest for Copa del Rey glory against Athletic Bilbao—but for the most part it's time to turn our attention to the summer schedule.

Thankfully, this summer we have Euro 2012 to keep us busy.

So who ya got? Spain must be considered the favorites, but Germany should put together a run.

Does anyone else think Russia can surprise a few people?

We'll find out soon enough.

Follow @MikeCummings37