Villas-Boas: We are on the right track

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS has admitted Chelsea have endured “a disastrous week” but insists he is still on course to produce a side capable of winning the Barclays Premier League.

Tonight’s trip to Belgium for the Champions League clash with Genk is almost a relief for the Portuguese manager. The past eight days have seen Villas-Boas suffer arguably the biggest setback of his otherwise precocious managerial career, with back-to-back top-flight defeats sandwiching the John Terry racism inquiry, three red cards, and two — or possibly three — FA fines.

Saturday’s 5-3 defeat to Arsenal — the first time Chelsea have conceded five goals in a home game for 22 years — raised questions about Villas-Boas’s philosophy and tactics.

The 34-year-old accepts he and his players needed to learn from their recent travails but is defiant about his Stamford Bridge project.

“There’s always a learning curve in winning and in losing,” he said.

“I think you have to be frank and say that our progress was stopped in a disastrous week for us in terms of results. But you cannot say it’s all gone to ruins. That’s not true.

“There is, of course, back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, which take their toll in terms of the league table.

“But that doesn’t mean that what’s being built is wrong, that the philosophy is wrong, and that we’re not on the right track.

“We are on the right track. What we are building is still right.

“We have been punished in the last week in terms of the results, but it’s up to us to take on the challenge.

“We represent a massive club and we’re not running away from the mistakes, but we have to move on.”

Chelsea were wide open on Saturday and allowed their opponents in behind them far too often, much as they did during last month’s loss at Manchester United.

Villas-Boas was asked umpteen times after both games whether he would curb his attacking instincts and the response was always the same.

He was even more emphatic last night, saying: “There’ll never be a change of approach from me — never.

“The philosophy will never change.”

But that philosophy includes defensive solidity and Villas-Boas took his team to task yesterday over the mistakes they made in the Arsenal game.

Rubbishing reports that came in the form of a “rant”, he said: “There was no kind of rant or extra work. There was a conversation as there would always be after a game.

“But don’t get misled. With the defensive thing, it has something to do with balls played in behind with depth.

“We have analysed the game. There are quick counter-attacks, goals suffered in a defensive block, and that’s nothing to do with a high line.

“We play with that because that’s our philosophy, but we’re not weakened by that. If it’s not right at the moment, we’ll focus on getting it right.”

United boss Alex Ferguson did rein his side in after their 6-1 derby drubbing and watched them grind out a 1-0 win over Everton on Saturday, insisting they could not win the title playing as openly as they had been.

“It’s his opinion based on experience,” said Villas-Boas.

Chelsea look set to make a raft of changes for tonight’s fourth Group E game against Genk and a victory could be enough to seal their qualification for the knockout phase.

There will be no game time for Didier Drogba, however, who has undergone surgery during his three-game domestic suspension to remove screws from the arm he fractured at last year’s World Cup.

“We took the risk based on his domestic suspension and the forthcoming international break to remove six of the eight screws from his arm,” Villas-Boas said.

“So he’s out of this game and the Blackburn game, and should be ready to return for the team when the others go away for international fixtures.”

John Obi Mikel also did not travel, with Villas-Boas opting to rest the midfielder.

Meanwhile Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic admitted Villas-Boas had every right to read the riot act to his players after Chelsea conceded five goals at home for the first time in 22 years.

The Serbian, who partnered captain John Terry in the heart of Chelsea’s defence, confirmed the players had already watched a rerun of the match.

“We didn’t play like we should,” he said. “It was a tough game and I think there were a lot of reasons for the manager to be angry, but not only the manager.

“The whole team were angry and we have to show a reaction, to show character. Every one of us has to look in the mirror and be honest about how we played defensively.

“This could be one of the most important things in our season after this game: a great reaction of the group would be good to show how we are strong.”