New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will know the Champions League is of prime importance to the Blues next season as he looks to bring trophies to Stamford Bridge.
The Portuguese boss was brought in to replace Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian was axed following a trophy-less season in 2010/11, even though he won the double at Chelsea 12 months earlier.
It is well known that the Champions League is the one trophy Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich dreams of seeing his side win, and it is the only tournament the West London side have yet to win under his tenure.
The leading coaches across Europe were linked to the Stamford Bridge hot-seat during the summer and it is a risky move for the Blues to plump for the relatively untried Villas-Boas. Anyone looking to bet on Champions League winner will be wondering if he has what it takes to bring Chelsea glory.
He guided Porto to league, cup and Europa League success but at the age of 33 he is the same age as John Terry and Frank Lampard, so it is a gamble to bring him in.
Villas-Boas will be under pressure to deliver trophies in his first season at Chelsea and the Champions League will be the main ambition, with the coach set to spend big money before the campaign gets underway to build a squad capable of delivering that glory.
Chelsea did underperform last season and Villas-Boas will know what is expected of him, but if he could win the Champions League in his first campaign in charge then he would show the Blues big-wigs were right in taking a gamble on him. Those who bet on Champions League games will be keeping a close eye on his progress.
This success would also ensure he is spoken of in the same bracket of his former boss Jose Mourinho, and maybe Villas-Boas can take the moniker of 'The Special One' away from his countryman.
No comments:
Post a Comment