AVB back under Roman scrutiny

Andre Villas-Boas remains relaxed about the recent close scrutiny of owner Roman Abramovich at Chelsea’s training ground as the Blues boss focuses on making sure his side finish in the top four of the Barclays Premier League — which he accepts is “not a very honourable position for the dimension of this club”.

Chelsea’s billionaire Russian owner has been conspicuous by his absence from the club’s Cobham base since Villas-Boas became manager last summer, enveloped by a high-profile court battle with former associate Boris Berezovsky.

However, this past week the man who bankrolled Chelsea’s rise was on hand to watch as Villas-Boas put the squad through their paces, looking to bounce back from last weekend’s draw with Manchester United in a game they had led 3-0.