Schalke’s Roberto Di Matteo is enjoying a good return to management in the German Bundesliga, and is going some way to resurrecting his reputation for an eventual return to the Premier League. He joined the Blues in October 2014, and has since turned things around with the top-four chasers.
After his sacking from Chelsea in November 2012, the Swiss coach mulled over a number of offers in the Premier League, before finally deciding on a position that met his demands almost a year later. There were many clubs interested in the former Chelsea player, but Di Matteo remained patient for his ideal opportunity.
Considering the 44-year-old won the Champions League with Chelsea during his short-lived spell as Stamford Bridge, he wanted another taste of Europe with the next club he joined. The Premier League top-four are tough jobs to get, as clubs always want a manager with a lengthy CV and history of multiple trophy wins. Di Matteo, while having won a major trophy, was still somewhat unproven at the top leave due to his short time with the Londoners.
The Swiss coach has earned his stripes in management, however, spending time with MK Dons, earning promotion to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion, and having assistant manager at Chelsea before getting the job on a fulltime basis, so he been active enough for the last seven years.
But when the chance to succeed Jens Keller at Schlake opened up, Di Matteo couldn’t resist. The Germans, while struggling with form at the time, were a team regularly in the Champions League every season. They boasted talented individuals, such as Julian Draxler and Klass Jan Huntelaar, and were in a false position in the league table given the resources and players at their disposal. Di Matteo certainly felt any manager worth their salt could turn the club around.
He’s doing exactly that now, picking up eight wins and two draws from the 14 league games played since his appointment, as well as getting the German club to the second round of the Champions League – where they will face holders Real Madrid. In the league, Schalke are currently fourth in the table after 21 games, seven places higher than when he initially took charge. But England will be calling for his return.
Di Matteo has an affinity with English football from his time spent with Chelsea, and as a manager he’s enjoyed some great moments of success for a young boss in the country too. For Premier League clubs taking notice, the 44-year-old has certainly gone some way to proving his time with Chelsea wasn’t mere fluke, and that his achievements in the game were more than deserved.
If he can deliver a top-four finish with Schalke as expected, he will be inundated with offers from England, so could we see a return of Di Matteo?
