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Abramovich to AVB: 4th place isn’t enough

Comment: 0 February 10th, 2012 by: admin

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich warned manager Andre Villas-Boas that finishing fourth in the Premier League will not be good enough.

The Russian boss watched over AVB and the team in the training grounds for the fourth consecutive day as the team prepared for a trip to Everton on Saturday. He has been seen for five days, monitoring the manager’s tactics and observing his relationship with the players.

As of the moment, Chelsea are fourth in the league table, 14 points behind leaders Manchester City and seven behind third-placers Tottenham Hotspur. They also stand only one point clear of fifth-placed Newcastle United.

As for silverware, the club are still in the running for the season, they are still in the Champions League and FA Cup.

“Finishing fourth will not be honourable for a club of Chelsea’s size. Given their  success, the owner has made it known. He is used to the club finishing first or being runners-up,” said the 34-year-old Villas-Boas, who is the seventh person to manage Chelsea since Abramovich’s acquisition in 2003.

“The reality is that in the last few years there has been a pattern of managers shifting at this club. I’m not saying they paid with their jobs. It was because Roman decided that they should. End of story.

“When we set up at the start of the season, we believed that the team was ready for four trophies. At the moment, we have a Champions League objective because the Premier League objective is not possible.”

Since appearing on the training ground last Saturday, Abramovich has held numerous meetings with AVB and his training staff. He also watched the coaches prepare for last Sunday’s match-up with Manchester United, also asking the manager of the tactics for the game.

Though previous Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said that life became intolerable because of the owner’s presence, Villas-Boas claimed that he can handle the pressure.

“He knows a lot, he is very informed. He follows English and European football, so it’s good to have an opinion.

“As for turning up, I don’t always know – sometimes yes, sometimes no. It is legitimate for him to be there. He is a good person to share knowledge with. He asks me questions and I try to give him answers. There is great empathy and motivation for next year’s project. His focus is with Chelsea, that is what he has transmitted to me.”

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