Deja Vu all over again for Chelsea

The revolving door at Stamford Bridge has sprung into action once again, as Chelsea sack yet another manager. Roberto Di Matteo paid the price for the Blues' likely failure to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, despite unexpectedly winning the competition just six months ago. The greatest night in the club's history came a couple of weeks after the Italian - who also won honours as a player with Chelsea - led them to FA Cup final success.

Despite rumours at the time that he would not get the job on a full-time basis, he had undoubtedly earned the chance to lead the team through another season, and although their struggles in Europe have been a cause for concern this year, their Barclays Premier League form has seen them keep the pace with the two Manchester clubs, and Chelsea were finally starting to look like a 'new' team, following the integrations of the likes of Oscar and Eden Hazard into the midfield in place of more established names such as Frank Lampard.

The problem remains Fernando Torres however. While it is not his fault entirely of course that Di Matteo has gone, you think an in-form Torres leading the line would have produced better results of late. His omission from the starting XI in Turin last night against Juventus was a clear sign that he was unfancied by Di Matteo. The problem is that it's Torres or Daniel Sturridge, and the English striker was hardly a viable replacement given his struggles.

Three managers have now tried and failed to get the best out of Torres, which perhaps explains that the current favourite to take over is former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez. If he did come in and rejuvenate Torres, then the fans may grudgingly accept that it was the right decision, but I cannot imagine many of them being too happy at the potential appointment of a man who was often the nemesis of much-loved former gaffer Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea need stability badly. Keeping a manager longer than a year would be a good start. Yet, for as long as Pep Guardiola remains on his sabbatical from football following his departure from Barcelona, the speculation that he will one day head for SW6 remains high. So would the new man in the hotseat only be keeping it warm for the rest of this season? Time will tell, but I can't think that Benitez or any other successor would be too happy about being an unofficial interim boss.

TWIF 3 - United, England, Forest

Before a ball had been kicked this season I predicted that Manchester United would win the Barclays Premier League, and although Chelsea made a fast start, and Manchester City continue to pick up points without hitting top gear, I haven't changed my mind, and this past Saturday evening's game against Aston Villa just showed why they are once again favourites. (Ladbrokes have them at just 10/11 for the title now.) United's record at Villa Park - unbeaten there since 1995 - meant that we all assumed that three points would be theirs. Nobody expected then that they would fall 2-0 behind. Yet even at that point there was a feeling that Sir Alex Ferguson's team could fight back. We have seen it enough times. Like the Reading v Arsenal game a couple of weeks ago, all it took was that first goal back for the ball to start rolling. Ferguson has the league's top scorer in Robin van Persie, and England's best player in Wayne Rooney leading his line, yet it was Javier Hernandez who would prove the match winner with two goals and a big part in the third, which went down as an own goal. Chicharito may be further down the pecking order than he would like, but he remains one of the league's deadliest finishers when given a chance. That and his own and his team's never-say-die attitude in adversity looks like being the key to another title tilt.

England head to Sweden on Wednesday night for a friendly which, if I'm being honest, I'm not eagerly anticipating. The next World Cup qualifier is not until March, so I'm not too sure what Roy Hodsgon can learn from it in terms of tactics and systems. The fact that Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Jonjo Shelvey, Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon have all pulled out due to injuries suggests that their club managers don't want their players going out for a meaningless game. I wonder how many of those five will be back in club shirts this weekend? It does however open the door for a couple of others to make their mark. Carl Jenkinson deserves an opportunity after showing remarkable improvement in his form this season for Arsenal, and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace, who no doubt will be a top player in the future, has a very early chance to show why most of the Premier League wants him when the transfer window opens. Even if they do make their England debuts, they're not fully committed to the Three Lions though, as it's only a friendly. Jenkinson has represented Finland at youth level, and Zaha could still play for Ivory Coast. The idea of selecting your nationality has got to stop. In my opinion, they are both English and should play for England. Teams shouldn't be allowed to bring in ringers. It hasn't got Scotland very far, has it!

My team Nottingham Forest continued their solid progress in the npower Championship with a hard-earned point at local rivals Leicester City on Saturday. The home side had every right to feel aggrieved with Forest's penalty which made the final score 2-2 - replays suggested that the defender took the ball - yet even so, their profligacy in front of goal meant that they didn't deserve more than what they got. Besides, we were due a piece of luck; that was our first spot kick awarded to us for 60 games! Forest have drawn more times(8) than any other team in the league, and if they are going to achieve more than their current mid-table position, they need to start turning some of those into wins. They have only lost three times however, and arguably they could have got results in two of those. Maybe we aren't as high in the table as we should be, but I was disappointed to read Paul Taylor's piece in the Nottingham Post which implored the owners to keep faith in manager Sean O'Driscoll. There is no suggestion that his job is under threat. The Al-Hasawis know that the task of making Forest great again is a long term plan, and to suggest otherwise is making smoke without fire.