Social media has lit up after Chelsea was sacked as manager Frank Lampard after less than two years in charge.
Lampard was appointed as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2019 and has been building a squad of young and hungry players but, after a good start to this season, the team have hit a bad run of form and owner Roman Abramovich has reportedly run out of patience.
Chelsea have slipped to ninth in the Premier League table and Abramovich reportedly is set to replace Lampard with Thomas Tuchel, the German former manager of Paris St Germain.
In a statement on the club's website Abramovich said: "This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him. He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers."
Former England and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker, now a top TV presenter, tweeted that the decision to sack Lampard was “utterly ludicrous” and added: “Patience being a virtue is seldon recognised in this sport. They never learn.”
Chelsea beat Luton, of the second tier, on Sunday, 24 January, with two goals from England striker Tammy Abraham in the opening 17 minutes.
But goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was at fault when Luton scored and striker Timo Werner - a key summer signing by Lampard - again under-performed.
Chelsea now travel to Barnsley in the fifth round with the FA Cup presenting the club’s best chance of a trophy this season.
Thomas Tuchel, who is set to replace him, was fired as Paris St Germain manager last month, only five months after leading them to a Champions League final, which they lost to Bayern Munich.
The 47-year-old German won two consecutive league titles with PSG and before that impressed at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.