CHELSEA used former star and Champions League-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo to help model TWO new retro shirts.
Supporters joked “Todd Boehly is trying to make us homeless” as the gorgeous jerseys were released this week.
Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk led the way as they posed in black and white jerseys paying tribute to Chelsea’s success in 1998 under the legendary Gianluca Vialli.
The Italian replaced Ruud Gullit as player-manager in February that year before winning the League Cup a month later.
Vialli followed that up with success in the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup in May.
And in August, Chelsea beat Real Madrid to land the Uefa Super Cup.
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The Blues wore their famous Autoglass top back then, which featured the controversial modernised badge which was eventually ditched by Roman Abramovich in 2005.
Fans immediately fell in love with the reissued jersey as Nkunku and Mudryk tried their hands at modelling.
But it was the inclusion of Di Matteo, who scored in the 2-0 League Cup final win over Middlesbrough, which really excited them.
As well as the other two trophies in 1998, he also won two FA Cups and a Charity Shield in five seasons as a Chelsea player.
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Di Matteo then returned as manager in 2012 before leading the Blues to FA Cup and maiden Champions League glory.
He was sacked later that year after Chelsea became the first defending European champions to be eliminated at the group stage.
And Di Matteo was controversially replaced by Liverpool hero Rafa Benitez, leading to great discontent at Stamford Bridge.
Fans were therefore delighted to see him included in the photoshoot for the new jerseys.
However, with the black and white shirts costing £50 each on Chelsea’s Megastore, supporters also joked that Blues chief Boehly was “trying to make us homeless.”
One said: “This club never forgets legends… good to see you Di Matteo.”
Another declared: “Should have made it next season’s kits.”
One noted: “Thank you legendary coach for that Champions League glory, we will never forget.”
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Another boomed: “No way ya’ll slipped Di Matteo in there like that.”
One added: “Boehly is trying to make Chelsea fans homeless at this point.”
How Pochettino can solve Chelsea’s midfield crisis thanks to the works of a 13th century poet
By Andy Dillon
IT IS HIGHLY unlikely that Mauricio Pochettino is familiar with the work of Rumi.
Whether the renowned Islamic poet and mystic had the tactical dilemmas facing Chelsea’s head coach in mind while dreaming up his scholarly works in 13th century Afghanistan, we will never know.
It’s fair to say Rumi was not a regular in The Shed at Stamford Bridge.
Yet one of his most famous quotations strikes right at the heart of Pochettino’s problems trying to transform his team into consistent challengers at the top end of the Premier League.
It was Rumi who wrote so prophetically: “Two birds tied together. They will not be able to fly even though they have four wings.”
He could have scribbled that on the back of his programme from so many of Chelsea’s games this season with regard to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
There is a feeling among regular Chelsea watchers that while it is a blow on a personal level for Fernandez to be ruled out for the rest of the season with his injury problem, it may yet turn to Pochettino’s advantage.
For it allows Caicedo to roam that patch in front of his defence with greater freedom. Both players are exceptional individual talents.
Read Andy Dillon’s take on Chelsea’s midfield in full.
Or check out all of Andy Dillon’s articles.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
