Should Di Matteo have been axed? Who will take over at Stamford Bridge? Read our experts' thoughts...
Roberto Di Matteo has been given his marching orders by Chelsea, just months after winning the Champions League. See what the Sky Sports News experts think of the move - and who the Blues may turn to next...
Graeme Souness: Liverpool player and manager - 1978-84, 1991-94
"It stinks of people making decisions at Chelsea who don't really understand how it works. I don't think that anyone could come in and do the job differently. It was only very recently this season that we were talking about how good a job he (Roberto Di Matteo) was doing. He has been asked to get them playing in a different way, which will not happen overnight no matter who is in charge. Making changes does not work.
"If you look at any team that has been successful - and the most obvious one and the most successful one in the history of football arguably Man United - it takes time. It was four years before Fergie won anything and seven before he won a league and look how that has paid dividends for them now. There is not a magic wand in football. I just don't see the common sense in doing it. If you go there, you go there knowing that it will not damage your CV at the end of it if you get sacked because that is the way Chelsea are right now. But I just don't see the common sense in it."
Ruud Gullit: Chelsea player and manager - 1995-98
"It seems that if you win something at Chelsea you get sacked, and if you don't you can stay! I have a feeling Roman Abramovich had someone else in the frame before Chelsea won the Champions League and when they won it, that man - maybe Jose Mourinho, because he signed a new contract at Real Madrid just after the Blues won the trophy - thought: 'I can only lose'.
"Mourinho was appreciated in England because he was controversial, but in Italy they didn't like his attitude and the same thing has happened in Spain. A lot of people would love to see him back and I don't think Chelsea would have sacked Roberto Di Matteo if they didn't have anyone in mind. The board wants a Barcelona style of football but Chelsea must not throw away their identity."
Kerry Dixon: Chelsea - 1983-92
"The hierarchy don't expect results like (the 3-0 loss to Juventus) and they expect to be competing in the latter stages of the Champions League, which looks very unlikely now, so Robbie has paid the price, but with the club in transition and the team having changed its style of play I think he has been a bit unlucky.
"Someone will always want the Chelsea manager's job as it is one of the top jobs in Europe and you have the opportunity to manage a side that is going to win things - and boost your CV. I don't think Rafa Benitez would a popular choice, but Mourinho would be, while the hierarchy would like to think Pep Guardiola could replicate what he did at Barcelona. I'm sure Harry Redknapp would welcome and relish the opportunity to take over on an interim basis, too."
John Hollins - Chelsea manager 1985-88
"It's no surprise Di Matteo has gone as the results over the last two months or so have been poor; I watched the (Juventus) game last night and it just went from bad to worse. I couldn't see any spark and as soon as it finished I felt that would be it for Di Matteo.
"That was Di Matteo's biggest game and I thought he would have gone all out for it, rather than play cagey. It's easy to say from the side but if you're going to go out you might as well go out in a bit of glory and who knows what would have happened if he had the centre-forwards out there and attacked Juventus."
Graham Hunter: Spanish-football journalist and Revista pundit
"Benitez is somebody who is known to have an instant effect on players and player systems; Fernando Torres, who is one of the principal under-performing assets at the club, has said that Benitez taught him, changed him, moulded him, made him a better striker when he came to Liverpool and Torres, despite his pallid performances, remains a firm favourite of Roman Abramovich.
"Benitez is available and would take the job if the terms were right, and it looks to me as if the word which has been filtering about the training ground for some days now is that it's a strong possibility that Benitez is next seems to be well-founded. Until you see the ink drying don't believe it, but I think he's the leading horse."
Tony Cascarino: Chelsea - 1992-94
"I think the failure to get out of the group stages of the Champions League is a pretty poor return for a club with a huge wage bill and a big transfer kitty and Di Matteo even admitted himself that if you fail at Chelsea, you lose your job. In normal circumstances you would think that he would warrant some time on the job, but the owner hires and fires on a regular basis.
"The club has still achieved many goals in that time; they have won Premier Leagues, FA Cups, the Carling Cup and Champions League, so let's face it, his strategy works. I think he will keep on hiring and firing, but I think Benitez will come in and steady the ship until the end of the season, as he nearly came into the job before Di Mateo - and then everyone will be looking at Guardiola in the summer."
Guillem Balague: Spanish-football journalist and Revista pundit
"Benitez has not been contacted - and I don't think he expects to be after nothing happened when there was contact made after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked - while there were conversations with Guardiola very recently but Pep said that he wants to continue with his sabbatical - and he is not going to stop that now.
"I am sure the process of seducing Pep will continue but I think Chelsea will go for a coach who will stay until the end of the season. I will throw in the name of Avram Grant; he is very good friends with Abramovich so it makes sense for him to take the job on a temporary basis."
