Just in case names like Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink, Pep Guardiola, and Diego Simeone don't make you believe there could be life and happiness in a bleak, future, post-Mourinho world, here are two more names to put into the proverbial hat from which we'll draw the winner of the next severance check sweepstakes.
First up, a familiar face, whose time is quickly running out in Russia. Andre Villas-Boas — no laughing now! — according to various reports (one less reputable than the next, starting with Fichajes in Spain) would be a possible candidate in the summer. AVB's latest projectificated projectation is coming to a swift end at Zenit St. Petersburg. He's already informed the club that he'll be leaving in the summer, in part due to the new restrictions placed on foreign players and salaries, and that was before the Russian Sports Minister's latest crazy rule, which has outlawed all foreign managers in the Russian Premier League. After such insanity, one would think that coming back to the madhouse that is Chelsea would be the furthest thing from his mind. (Not that we'd ever want him back, would we?)
Perhaps a bit more realistic candidate could be former Juventus coach Antonio Conte, but he would also only be a summer appointment, following the Euro 2016 tournament where he will be coaching the Italian national team. According to sources in Italy, Chelsea have already made initial contact to gauge Conte's interest.
As usual, none of this will really matter, because we will beat Liverpool on Saturday, and then go on a 300-match winning streak.