Chelsea surprisingly brought Rafael Benitez out of the coaching wilderness on Wednesday, hiring the Spaniard in an interim role after mercilessly firing the man who guided the club to its first Champions League title just six months ago.
Benitez agreed to a contract with the European champions until the end of the season, nearly two years after being fired by Inter Milan in his last coaching position. He filled the vacancy created by Roberto Di Matteo's sudden departure earlier in the day following the team's dip in form over the past month.
Tuesday's 3-0 loss to Juventus proved to be Di Matteo's final match in charge, the result in Turin leaving Chelsea third in its Champions League group and in danger of becoming the first holders to fail to reach the knockout stage.
"I am extremely proud of the successes and trophies that we were able to bring to the club in recent months," said Di Matteo, who also won the FA Cup last season during his spell as interim coach before being taken on full-time in June.
"Lifting Chelsea's first Champions League trophy, in Munich, was the best achievement in club history and without doubt the highlight of my career to date, both as a player and manager. It is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life."
Di Matteo's exit was another demonstration of the ruthlessness of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who is up to his ninth manager since buying the club in 2003.
The 52-year-old Benitez comes with experience, having also been in charge of Valencia and Liverpool - the club where he won the Champions League in 2005 and took it to the 2007 final.
Chelsea fans will be concerned about Benitez's record at Inter, where he lasted barely six months, and also his style of play, which is widely regarded as defensive.
"The owner and the board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives," Chelsea said in a statement.
Benitez was flying to London from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and will meet the squad for the first time at the club's training ground today. His first match in charge will be in the Premier League on Sunday at home to Manchester City, the reigning champion and unbeaten leader.
