Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly bought himself some time in charge of Chelsea after overseeing two 3-1 wins over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, but it would be wrong to assume his job is completely safe.
The new Chelsea ownership group showed that they can act under the pressure of displeased fans. That's what brought Graham Potter down less than a year ago.
One of the coaches Chelsea reportedly interviewed to succeed Potter was Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim. He did not get the job, but his body of work since then suggests that he should be back in the frame should Pochettino get the sack.
Since taking over at Sporting four years ago, Amorim led the club to their first league trophy in 19 years, while also grabbing a couple of Portuguese League Cups. This season, his side is toe-to-toe with Benfica for another Liga Portugal title.
Tactical style and strengths
Think of Amorim as a modern version of Antonio Conte, albeit not as combustible on the touchline.
The constant feature of his team is a back three. However, the central defender is not used as a last man but as someone who can move forward and join the double pivot in the buildup. That would not be good news for Thiago Silva even if he stayed beyond this season.
The wing-backs are attack-minded, holding the width in possession, while the front three are narrow and fluid, with players constantly rotating and overloading inside channels.
Out of possession, Amorim's team can be flexible. They prefer to press high, with all three forwards and at least one wing-back involved. They can also drop low in a 5-2-3 shape. In both cases, the aim is to close the central lines, force the attacking team to the flank and narrow the space and passing lanes for the player on the ball.
Potential weakness
Ruben Amorim is a coach who rightly excites top European clubs. The question mark about him is whether he can make his system work as efficiently outside of the Portuguese league.
As a head coach, Amorim has not worked outside Portugal. Even as a player, he did not play in another European country, with his only stint abroad being a season at Al-Wakrah in Qatar.
In recent history, Chelsea hired two coaches who had never managed outside Portugal. One, Jose Mourinho, worked out fine; the other, Andre Villas-Boas, not so much. But they had experiences abroad, even if not as head coaches. So, hiring Amorim would represent a risk, regardless of his qualities.
Lineup 1
Let's imagine how the current Chelsea squad would fit in under Amorim if he took over now.
We're also bearing in mind the current injury problems, which is why Reece James is not in our XI. Malo Gusto seems to be fitting in just as well, though.
The biggest question seems to be up front. Nicolas Jackson has yet to convince he deserves to start regularly for Chelsea with all players fit. Perhaps, the solution would be to move Conor Gallagher forward, since there would be one midfield slot less under Amorim.
Lineup 2
Now, imagine if Amorim arrives at Stamford Bridge in the summer. He would not be given endless transfer funds, but some areas would need to be strengthened, particularly at centre-back and centre-forward.
It is possible that James could move to a familiar and less physically demanding role in the back three which would also help keep Gusto in.
Up front, though, a transfer is all but inevitable, and Chelsea have been linked with a centre-forward who just happens to thrive under Amorim at Sporting (16 goals and eight assists in 19 league games at the time of writing).
His name is Viktor Gyokeres, he's familiar with English football, having spent three years in the Championship, and this season, he compares favourably even with Victor Osimhen.
