Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is treading on thin ice at Stamford Bridge. The Blues lost 3-0 to Barcelona on Wednesday night as the club crashed out of the Champions League, 4-1, on aggregate. Conte now turns his attention to the FA Cup quarterfinals against Leicester and it is thought he could be dismissed if the Blues lose on Sunday.
Could Antonio Conte be sacked after FA Cup quarterfinals?
Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League, eight points ahead of rivals Arsenal, and four points behind Tottenham. Chelsea will now finish the season without a trophy, if the club cannot advance in this weekend’s FA Cup quarterfinals against Leicester.
The Blues’ recent form has been abysmal. Chelsea have won just five of their last 17 fixtures in all competitions. Wednesday night’s loss at Camp Nou showed a team unable to breakdown Barcelona’s defence while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was held accountable for all three goals by the Catalans.
Following Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League, Conte spoke about his future a Stamford Bridge. Although he has been rumoured with a departure all season, it looks increasingly like the Italian will leave at the end of the season – if he isn’t sack before then.
“It’s not about winning or not,” Conte said.
“I think that a coach’s work should be judged on the development of his players and what you see in terms of the value of the squad, not trophies. Chelsea can do better, but the team is growing.”
According to Goal.com, Conte will be given until the end of the season before Chelsea finally remove the Italian. However, a loss in the FA Cup quarterfinals and Chelsea history with managers tells a different story. Since Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003, Chelsea have had 14 managers take charge of the side as either full-time or interim coaches.
Chelsea may only have Champions League qualification to play for this time next week. The Blues must still play Tottenham and Liverpool in the Premier League.