The Carling Cup final defeat has hit Chelsea hard. Defeat in the final of a competition often derided as the Mickey Mouse Cup has sent shock waves through Stamford Bridge.

Roman Abramovich is said to have launched three inquests into the defeat at Wembley. Avram Grant has received an enormous amount of criticism in recent days. Juande Ramos undoubtedly illustrated the tactical shortcomings of the Israeli manager, and his decision to remove Michael Essien with two minutes to go of normal time may come to haunt Jose Mourinho’s successor.

Mourinho, as many of the newspapers have pointed out, won all his cup finals as Chelsea manager (Liverpool will testify that he had a bigger problem with semi-finals).

'These last few days may have convinced Abramovich that it was a mistake to appoint Grant'


But there is no way the Special One would have stood for such a listless display at Wembley and it is almost inconceivable that he would have left Joe Cole, Chelsea’s best player in their run to the final, on the bench until deep into extra time.

Similarly the position of Henk ten Cate has been questioned since the 2-1 defeat by Spurs. The Dutchman, nicknamed the 'Volcano', picked a fight with John Terry in the final training session before the Wembley showpiece. This undoubtedly unsettled an already simmering dressing room and was one of many causes that contributed to a poor showing in the final on Sunday.

Terry led the Chelsea players on an excursion to play paintball this week and it was noticeable that missing from the outing were Grant and Ten Cate.

The period before extra-time in the Carling Cup final also threw up the question as to who actually makes the decisions at Chelsea. Steve Clarke and Terry could be seen urging the huddled Chelsea players whilst Ten Cate and Grant looked on. Earlier on this season it was claimed that Clarke had provided the rallying call that turned a 1-0 half-time deficit into a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage against Fulham.

These last few days may have convinced Abramovich that it was a mistake to appoint Grant. The Russian oligarch made the decision since he was friends with the Israeli and on the recommendation of super agent Pini Zahavi.

Today the media claim that Frank Rijkaard will be the new Chelsea manager next season and many of the Chelsea fans have already written off this season and are hoping Grant and Co do not do any long-term damage.

Ultimately Chelsea have all but secured a place in the Champions League next season and can still win three competitions. But the nagging feeling remains that Grant cannot beat the very best, which Chelsea will have to do to win any of the trophies they are still competing for.

Time is of the essence. Tomorrow Chelsea take on West Ham and next week play the second-leg of their Champions League tie against Olympiakos. It is quite possible that their ambitions in both these tournaments could be dashed in just seven days.

Similarly, if all goes to form Chelsea will face Manchester United in the FA Cup at some point this season - but Grant is extremely unlikely to engineer a victory over Sir Alex Ferguson.

With so much still to play for this season, why wait to sack Grant and Ten Cate? The alternatives might not be great; giving Terry or Clarke the job of picking the team is not ideal, but they may have more chance of winning silverware than Grant and his assistant.

According to a report in The Sun, Red Rom has already booked hotels and restaurants around the May 21 showpiece in his native Russia. Chelsea may scrape past Olympiakos in the Champions League next week but once they come up against a good side and a great manager they will be dumped out.

It is not too late to sack Grant and Ten Cate. Why wait when three trophies can still be won this season, including a glorious homecoming for Abramovich?