Jose Mourinho: Gianfranco Zola and the options to replace Mourinho as Chelsea manager

The pressure on Jose Mourinho continues to mount. With Chelsea's losing yet again at the weekend, their manager's stadium ban being invoked for his actions during defeat to West Ham the week before and reports that former medic Eva Carneiro will bring legal action against him have combined to create a belief he is on the brink.

The defeat to Liverpool was Chelsea's sixth in 11 Premier League games and a result that left them 15th in the table, four points above the relegation zone and 14 points from the summit.

This week the Blues play Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, a match in which defeat would be disastrous. They then take on Stoke in the Premier League (minus Mourinho due to his ban) before the international break.

With pressure mounting and crucial fixtures on the horizon, Mourinho will probably not appreciate Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola admitting he is keen on taking over at Stamford Bridge.

"My dream, let us say my ambition, is to be Chelsea manager some day in the future," Zola told www.sc.qa.

"However, I realise that I need to improve as a manager if I want to get there. And I am working hard to achieve my goal."

Zola is not the only manager to be linked with replacing Mourinho. Here, we look at the contenders...

Who do you think should replace Mourinho? Or should Chelsea simply stick with their beleagured boss? Let us know in the comments below.