As we so often see with Chelsea, a season of success is then followed by a season of absolute chaos.
And that proved to be the case back in the 2012/13 campaign where Roberto Di Matteo was sacked as manager despite winning the FA Cup and Champions League the term before.
Both a successful player and now coach at the club, the Stamford Bridge faithful were devastated to see Roman Abramovich wield the axe on the Italian and yet another man in the dugout.
But what made things worse for them was seeing a former enemy in Rafael Benitez replace Di Matteo in charge.
The Spaniard, of course, was at the helm of Liverpool during the Merseyside club’s heated encounters in various competitions against the Blues down the years, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of his new supporters.
With Chelsea falling behind in the Premier League and out of the Champions League, though, Abramovich felt he had to make a change.
And in the end, all things considered, it was far from being the worst managerial appointment the Chelsea owner had made since taking over the club.
Under Benitez, the west London outfit secured a third place finish in the Premier League, reached the semi-finals of both English domestic cups and, most significantly, won the Europa League.
Chelsea’s road to Amsterdam: Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucuresti, Rubin Kazan, Basel
Goals from Fernando Torres and Branislav Ivanovic saw Chelsea claim a 2-1 win against Benfica in the final at the Amsterdam Arena to make it back-to-back European triumphs and an overall successful season.
Six years later and the Blues will now be desperate to win the Europa League again, and none more so than their current boss Maurizio Sarri.
Winning the competition would not only give the former Napoli manager his first major honour, but it would also guarantee a pathway into next season’s Champions League and potentially save his job.
While it was not enough to secure Benitez more time at Stamford Bridge, this time round, Europa League success could be the thing to give Chelsea’s latest man in the dugout at least another year in charge.
