“The problem at Stamford Bridge, ” Oliver Glasner as Chelsea manager, is NOT HAPPENING.
Srećko Šijaković It will not work at all. Maybe he has a respectable career and has already proven himself by winning trophies with Crystal Palace. Olivier Glanser has charisma, experience, authority, and the personality required to manage a club as demanding as Chelsea FC.
But the real issue is his football. The play stale of his football. Oliver Glasner is way too defensive for Chelsea, and that is why he is not a candidate for the position of Chelsea manager. That is why Iraola is where we are talking about playing styles and adaptability to this Chelsea team.
Chelsea cannot hand over an entire long-term project to a manager whose core ideas are primarily defensive. Modern Chelsea needs attacking structure, positional dominance, creativity, and progressive football. The club already possesses enough players capable of defending at a high level.
“Jose Mourinho and John Terry.“
Defensive football at Chelsea also carries a completely different historical weight compared to most clubs because of the legacy created by José Mourinho. Chelsea built eras around elite defenders such as John Terry and Gary Cahill. For years, the club dominated English football through defensive aggression, mentality, physicality, and tactical discipline.
But football at Stamford Bridge has changed.
Chelsea playing reactive football today feels entirely different from the Mourinho era because the current squad is not mentally or structurally built to dominate through defensive control alone. In fact, Chelsea already looks extremely unstable defensively this season, and appointing a manager with even more conservative ideas could push the entire project backwards.
We already saw a major ideological shift in 2019 when Maurizio Sarri arrived with possession football and midfield control centred around Jorginho. Sarri eventually left for Juventus FC after just one season, but Chelsea still moved toward a more offensive and progressive direction afterwards.
Chelsea prefers and plays a style that is efficient, offensive and attractive.
That is why a Chelsea side built primarily around defending becomes dangerous long-term. At this club, expectations are different. Chelsea fans do not simply want survival, compactness, and transitions. They expect dominance, attacking football, personality, and evolution.
Oliver Glasner should not become Chelsea manager — not because he lacks quality, leadership, or tactical understanding, but because his football philosophy does not naturally align with Chelsea’s long-term identity. His methods at Crystal Palace are very clear: compact defensive organisation, reactive transitions, and limited positional dominance in possession.
The very good sides of Oliver Gleasner as Chelsea manager.
Glasner would probably improve several Chelsea players immediately. Wesley Fofana could look outstanding under him again, especially inside a more protected defensive structure.
Alongside Trevoh Chalobah, Chelsea could develop a physically dominant centre-back partnership. Marc Cucurella would likely thrive in Glasner’s tactical system. He would be the best in positioning, moving on, defending and attacking.
But Chelsea does not simply need defensive organisation.
Chelsea needs a manager capable of building elite attacking football for both the present and the future — a coach with progressive offensive ideas, positional structure, and the ambition to evolve the club beyond defensive stability.
About the Author
