Chelsea assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo happy to work for Andre Villas ... - Telegraph.co.uk
A 3-0 win over Wolves on Saturday marked the end of a poor series of results that had left questions over Villas-Boas' future at Chelsea.
The Blues made good progress under the 34-year-old at the start of the season, but a run of four defeats in seven games left the club fifth in the league and in danger of not making the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era.
The Portuguese's inexperience - this is only his second full year in club management - has left doubts about his potential to lead the Londoners to silverware, but Di Matteo insists the former Porto boss is the man to lead Chelsea to glory.
"He's very well-prepared and mature for his young age," said Di Matteo, who took his first management job at 38.
"He knows he has a very wide knowledge of the Premier League and football in general.
"There is a lot of focus on his age, but he's a very ambitious and talented manager and he knows his stuff."
Chelsea have a chance to build on the victory over Wolves tomorrow when they face Liverpool in the Carling Cup quarter-final at Stamford Bridge.
Despite fielding relatively youthful sides in the wins over Fulham and Everton earlier in the competition, the Carling Cup holds a special place in the hearts of Chelsea and of Di Matteo in particular.
Di Matteo scored the winning goal in the League Cup final at Wembley in 1998, and seven years later the Blues won the competition again in what was to be the first of six trophies won under Jose Mourinho.
Despite accusations the tournament has been devalued in recent years, Di Matteo thinks lifting the cup in February's final could have a huge impact on the Blues' push for silverware in other competitions, and on Villas-Boas' chances of keeping his job.
"(In 1998) it gave the team a real belief, a momentum," Di Matteo said.
"Then and now are two different situations, but it gave that team a good, positive effect to go on and win the Cup Winners' Cup and finish the season well.
"This year we've looked at it as a trophy for us to win.
"It's a chance to win a cup. It can give a very positive momentum if you win a trophy in that part of the season.
"It's the first one we can win and we are still in all the competitions, so we have a chance to win them all.
"In terms of the manager, winning a trophy is always very important."
Di Matteo refused to reveal whether Fernando Torres would face his former club after starting the last four games on the Chelsea bench.
Villas-Boas is likely to blood the likes of Josh McEachran, Romelu Lukaku and Ryan Bertrand, while captain John Terry is suspended and Raul Meireles is cup-tied.
29 Nov, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEFWvRrZfV0bykRLkIzvL6QXN9E0A&url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8921151/Chelsea-assistant-manager-Roberto-Di-Matteo-happy-to-work-for-Andre-Villas-Boas-but-will-review-his-role-next-summer.html
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