Villas-Boas denies Lampard rift

Lampard last week admitted for the first time his relationship with Villas-Boas had “not been ideal”, but Villas-Boas this afternoon reiterated it was “good, excellent”.

The Blues manager claimed that did not mean he and Lampard needed to hold clear-the-air talks on the matter, insisting they were still on speaking terms.

“It’s just a manager-player relationship in the end,” Villas-Boas said.

“Frank’s words are genuine.

“They are genuine from a player that has a reflection of a relationship between us.

“For me, it’s fine, I have no problems with it.”

Star midfielder Lampard has been unhappy with the number of games he has missed this season but Villas-Boas said: “I have to choose the team and I try to choose the best team for every single game.

“It hasn’t involved Frank a couple of times but it doesn’t mean I have a personal problem with him.

“His own interpretation of the relationship is his own but I have no problem with it and I explained it to him.

“They are decisions I have to take for the benefit of the team, always.”

Chelsea fans left little doubt who they would back in any dispute between Villas-Boas and Lampard during last weekend’s Premier League win over Bolton, repeatedly singing the latter’s name throughout.

Villas-Boas was not worried about losing the battle for hearts and minds, saying: “No, not at all. I think the fans take the team’s side.

“We were winning 3-0 – everybody’s happy, no?”

He added of Lampard, who broke another two Chelsea goalscoring records: “He’s a legend of the football club. If they chant his name during the whole game, it’s because he represents exactly that.

“He achieved two great individual records in that game and I think he fully deserves it.

“I hope one day to have the curriculum that Frank has at this football club, which is amazing in terms of trophies.

“If that is the case, that means that I will be a successful manager and my shadow will be lurking over other managers of this football club.”

Frank Lampard emotional after Chelsea fans show support

Lampard admitted for the first time on Saturday his relationship with Blues boss Villas-Boas had ‘not been ideal’, amid speculation of a falling-out between the pair.

Even before he made three separate pieces of history by scoring his 12th goal of the season in their much-needed 3-0 Premier League win over Bolton, his was the name on the lips of the Stamford Bridge crowd.

‘Super Frankie Lampard’, they sang about the man who repaid their adulation with the 150th league goal of his career and his 125th in the league for Chelsea, the latter taking him ahead of legendary striker Jimmy Greaves in the all-time Blues scoring charts.

The 33-year-old midfielder also became the first player to reach double figures in the Premier League for nine consecutive seasons.

‘I just want to play and the way the fans were with me was amazing,’ said Lampard. ‘It’s lump-in-the-throat stuff when they sing your name like that.

The fans have stuck with us brilliantly. It’s been a tough old season.’
Saturday’s match was the fourth this season in which Lampard was scored on his return from being benched by Villas-Boas and he added: ‘When I play I know I can contribute.’

The victory over Bolton was Chelsea’s first in six matches and Lampard demanded consistency in their push for the top four, adding: ‘It can’t be a false dawn. We need to carry on.’

Villas-Boas insists he wants Lampard to stay at the club, but added: ‘It does not depend on me. It depends on three parts – I want him, [he] wants to stay and the club wants him.’

← MESSI, PIQUE AND XAVI, GLOW IN THE DARK SIDE OF THE CHAMPIONS

Chelsea’s AVB commits ‘managerial suicide’

Posted on February 22, 2012 by www.soccer - facebook.com

Andres Villas-Boas is committing managerial suicide by attempting to take revenge on the Chelsea old guard which backfired spectacularly when they were beaten 3-1 by Naples in the Champions League last 16 first round clash on Tuesday.

When details of Chelsea’s team sheet were revealed there was widespread disbelief.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: “It has all the makings of managerial suicide.”

Graeme Souness added: “If Cole is 90 per cent, he’s still better than Bosingwa at 100 per cent.”

Chelsea players were up in arms against the young Portuguese manager even before their Naples defeat for relegating Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien were dumped to the bench.

But it was a gamble which he may have to rue after having lost skipper John Terry for up to two months just hours before kick-off.

Villas-Boas was left clinging to his job desperately as Chelsea threw away the lead given them by Juan Mata to slip to a nightmare defeat.

Two goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi either side of an Edinson Cavani strike left Chelsea facing a second leg mountain to climb at Stamford Bridge next week but it was the selection decisions that put Villas-Boas under fire.

It was payback for criticising Villas-Boas who held a clear-the-air meeting on Sunday to get their honest opinions on their poor results.

Lampard and Essien were forthright in their views — but it was Cole who spoke out most strongly, according to The Sun.

The England left-back told AVB: “I came here to win medals and trophies, but I’m never going to do that with your tactics”.

Cole is also unhappy as he feels “like a robot” with Villas-Boas telling him exactly how to play, rather than giving him freedom.

Chelsea’s players were infuriated when their three team-mates were put on the bench for speaking out ahead of the Champions League clash.

The boss even told Cole “you made it personal”.

England star Cole was further angered when he saw his manager on TV claiming that he had been left out over concerns that he was not fully fit.

Cole insisted he was 100 per cent ready to play and has the last laugh when he was called into action after 12 minutes following an injury to Jose Bosigwa while Lampard came on late in the match.

Villas-Boas did not attempt to explain his team selection and insisted he would be in charge for the second leg.

“Whatever explanations I gave you would be fantastic if we’d won but are now useless given the result of the game, so there’s no point,” said the Chelsea manager.

“We wanted two hard-working midfielders sitting in front of the defence. That’s not to say that Lamps could not do it, for sure he could, but that was the decision we took.

“It was technical decisions. You can have your opinion but it was based on what was the best team in my thoughts.

“I had a conversation with Ashley and Frank. Normally, through the players that they are and the players with the experience they have, they felt they could have helped the team.

“That’s perfectly understandable. Of course, they were disappointed but they were decisions they have to accept and move on.”

Whether Lampard in particular will “accept and move on” remains to be seen.

Gunners slip lets blues in

LONDON – Chelsea and Arsenal experienced contrasting late drama in the Premier League on Monday with an 89th-minute Frank Lampard goal giving Chelsea a 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Bobby Zamora’s last-gasp strike handed Fulham a 2-1 win over Arsenal.

The late goals followed Sunderland’s last-kick winner over league leaders Manchester City on Sunday.

Arsenal had Johan Djourou sent off 12 minutes from time before Zamora’s goal in the third minute of stoppage time sent them crashing to defeat.

In Monday’s other matches all the away teams won with Swansea City earning a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa, Stoke City beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and Norwich City winning 2-1 at fellow promoted club Queens Park Rangers.

Arsenal slipped one place to fifth after Chelsea’s earlier win but seemed set to reclaim a top four spot having taken a 1-0 lead at Craven Cottage with the game moving towards its finale. Laurent Koscielny put Arsenal ahead with a 21st-minute header but Fulham, who lost 5-0 to Manchester United in their last home game, came back strongly in the second half.

They went close to equalising three times before Djourou was sent off for hauling back Zamora in the 78th minute, which helped tip the match even more in their favour. Steve Sidwell, who won the FA Youth Cup at Arsenal but never made the first team, finally headed Fulham level after 85 minutes before Zamora smashed in the winner with a slightly mis-hit left-foot volley with seconds remaining.

Fulham manager Martin Jol, who enjoyed his first Premier League victory over Arsene Wenger’s side in nine attempts, told Sky Sports: “It was amazing. It’s a big compliment to all the players.”

But Wenger claimed Djourou should not have been sent off and that Arsenal should have had a penalty in the first half when Gervinho was tripped in the box.

Meanwhile, Chelsea ended a four-match winless streak when Lampard struck late to secure victory at Wolves.

“It’s a massive win,” Lampard told the BBC. “Everyone knows we are having a tough time but the determination shone through and I think we deserved it.”

Manchester United visit seventh-placed Newcastle United and Everton engage Bolton in today’s only