Avram Grant has claimed Chelsea would have secured the Premier League title if he had been at the helm from the beginning of the season.
Grant had his contracted terminated by the Stamford Bridge club on Saturday after just eight months in charge.
The Israeli took over from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea last September with the club fifth in the table at the time.
Grant went on to push Manchester United all the way for the title, only to miss out by two points on the final day of the season.
And he has insisted that Chelsea would be have been crowned 2007/08 champions had he taken the reins sooner.
"I tell you this: If Chelsea had played at the beginning of the season like they did at the end then they would definitely have been champions of England ahead of Manchester United," Grant told The Sun.
"Over the last three months of the season with me working as manager, we were never called boring Chelsea.
"No-one expected Chelsea to win things because when I took over, the team were fifth and had just been held to a Champions League draw by Rosenborg.
"No-one believed we would have finished second and reached the Champions League final in Moscow."
Grant had his contracted terminated by the Stamford Bridge club on Saturday after just eight months in charge.
The Israeli took over from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea last September with the club fifth in the table at the time.
Grant went on to push Manchester United all the way for the title, only to miss out by two points on the final day of the season.
And he has insisted that Chelsea would be have been crowned 2007/08 champions had he taken the reins sooner.
"I tell you this: If Chelsea had played at the beginning of the season like they did at the end then they would definitely have been champions of England ahead of Manchester United," Grant told The Sun.
"Over the last three months of the season with me working as manager, we were never called boring Chelsea.
"No-one expected Chelsea to win things because when I took over, the team were fifth and had just been held to a Champions League draw by Rosenborg.
"No-one believed we would have finished second and reached the Champions League final in Moscow."