Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has shared his belief that the Blues hierarchy was right to sack Jose Mourinho last December.
After a disastrous start to the season in which the club flirted with the relegation zone, Chelsea opted to take the decision to make a change on the bench.
It was in stark contrast to their form last season, with Mourinho guiding his side to the Premier League title as they looked set to build and continue to dominate.
However, Courtois has discussed what he believes was behind their poor start and why ultimately it was the best decision for all concerned that his former boss left.
“It is hard to explain why our season has been bad. Maybe it is as a result of our pre-season preparations, which were very brief,” he told The Sun.
“We returned to training on July 16 and six days later we were already playing a match against New York Red Bulls.
“We weren’t in a good physical shape. We then lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield and went on to make a bad start in the league. A downward spiral set in.
“We needed a change of manager at that point – I have no doubts about it. We drew too many matches and we have also conceded goals too easily. I could have done better with some of them.”
The change has been a successful one for the Premier League outfit, with Guus Hiddink replacing Mourinho and improving the atmosphere and league standing during his tenure thus far.
While the Dutchman will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, Chelsea will be back in the market as they search for a long-term successor to Mourinho as they have yet to officially announce their next appointment despite significant speculation.
Based on the assessment by Courtois, the Belgian will be keen to see a manager appointed soon after Euro 2016 in order to give the squad time to adjust and work with their new boss ahead of the new season.
Nevertheless, perhaps his explanation is a little too simple in the sense that Mourinho’s problems were much deeper with various incidents both on and off the field forcing the club to take action in an attempt to try and salvage something from the campaign.