Chelsea vs Valencia preview - AVB: Euro struggle self-inflicted

Posted Tuesday, December 06, 2011 by PA

Andre Villas-Boas admits Chelsea only have themselves to blame for being on the brink of crashing out of the Champions League ahead of their do-or-die showdown against Valencia.

Villas-Boas refused to contemplate the prospect of the Blues exiting the competition before Christmas for the first time or the ignominy of being the man in charge were it to happen.

The 34-year-old last week insisted his job did not depend on the outcome of Tuesday night's game, which Chelsea must win or keep a clean sheet in to progress to the last 16.

But failure would pile more pressure than ever on the new man in charge, who acknowledged mistakes had been made in the Blues' previous Group E matches that have left them facing the unthinkable.

"We just have ourselves to blame," said Villas-Boas, whose side threw away winning positions in their three away games at Valencia, Genk and Bayer Leverkusen.

"During this campaign of five games, we've done pretty well in terms of performances, but the small details have gone away from us in the last couple of minutes, at Valencia and Leverkusen.

"If that hadn't happened, we would have been sitting here in a familiar position, like in the past, and, most likely, having qualified."

Asked whether failure would dent his personal pride, he said: "I'm not going to answer that question.

"My focus is on tomorrow's game, not what's going to happen after tomorrow's game."

He also sidestepped a question whether tomorrow's game was the biggest of his life, saying: "It's irrelevant what the game represents to me.

"Our mindset is to continue in the competition, so we approach the game with maximum care and with confidence for tomorrow."

Villas-Boas insisted there would be no change to the club's new attacking philosophy, despite a goalless draw being enough to progress.

"You've seen us play enough to know that we always take the initiative in a game," he said.

"Valencia will want to get something because a goal represents a lot to them, and makes things even more difficult for us.

"But we will try and take the initiative again and won't change our strategy."

That philosophy will surely change if the game is goalless or Chelsea are ahead by just one going into the closing stages.

But they are a side who have developed an alarming habit of tossing away leads.

"The talent of these players and their qualities allows us to play what is best for the team in a precise moment in a game," Villas-Boas said.

"We'll continue to do that based on what happens tomorrow."

Villas-Boas said Chelsea would take encouragement from clean sheets in their back-to-back 3-0 Barclays Premier League victories against Wolves and Newcastle.

But he added: "Just because we won at Newcastle, we don't fill ourselves with arrogance and say we're on the right track again.

"To do that, we need to go out in the coming games, against top opposition, and achieve consistent results."

Chelsea also need everyone pulling in the same direction and Villas-Boas admitted he had banished Nicolas Anelka and Alex from his first-team squad because their commitment to the cause could not be guaranteed.

He said of the duo, who have both submitted transfer requests: "The players are not being treated like criminals.

"It was discussed with with the board and the players.

"Their professionalism and integrity will never be in doubt, but we want the right mindset.

"For players on the transfer list, the reality is that, eventually, the mindset is not the same."

Villas-Boas shrugged off Frank Lampard's petulant reaction to being substituted at St James' Park on Saturday, saying: "Frank is a top professional and every player wants to spend more time on the pitch.

"But the manager decides things for the team. The manager makes the decision."

And the Portuguese called on the home fans to recreate the atmosphere they produced in the club's famous win over Barcelona six years ago, when Villas-Boas was part of Jose Mourinho's backroom team.

He said: "They can have a massive impact. They will have to unite themselves.

"I have good memories of top European nights at this club, and I know the atmosphere can be raised here, just like we did in the 4-2 against Barcelona.

"If they do that, we would have the right ambience to take on Valencia with that extra input."