Modest Di Matteo plays down role

Roberto Di Matteo yesterday claimed Chelsea had “not achieved anything” since he took charge and refused to take any credit for their remarkable turnaround.

Di Matteo insisted reaching the Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals would mean little if the Blues did not claim at least one of those trophies and fail to finish in the Premier League’s top four.

That looked unlikely before Andre Villas-Boas’ sacking just over a month ago but caretaker manager Di Matteo has masterminded seven wins and a draw from his nine matches at the helm.

However, the hardest tests are to come, with Chelsea underdogs to progress any further in either cup competition or close the five-point gap on fourth place in the Premier League.

“We haven’t achieved anything,” Di Matteo, whose side face Wigan at Stamford Bridge today, said.

“We are in a good moment but we haven’t really achieved anything in that sense. We’ve got good results and this group has got together to find these good results.

“But we need more to be able to say we have actually achieved anything.”

But almost regardless of what happens between now and the end of the season, the Italian’s CV looks a whole lot more impressive than it did after he was sacked by West Brom last year.

“I haven’t proved anything in that sense. I think the credit goes to these players, the way they’ve reacted to a situation that has arrived here and they have been great in trying to rectify this.”

Di Matteo continued to bat away any question that insinuated he might be responsible for Chelsea’s revival, insisting it was all down to the same players who had performed so feebly under Villas-Boas.!

Di Matteo did concede it was “the ultimate challenge” managing Chelsea when compared to being in charge at his former clubs.

“I’ve enjoyed my times with the players that I’ve worked with at MK Dons, at West Brom,” he said.

“It’s obviously the ultimate challenge to be able to work with players at the top end and be able to fight for trophies, an international trophy and a domestic trophy — in the league, we’re a little bit behind — and try to finish in that fourth spot.”

Meanwhile Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has played down claims by Real Madrid counterpart Jose Mourinho that the Catalan club were “super-favourites” to beat Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals.

Mourinho guided his team into the last four with an aggregate success over APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday night and then virtually wrote off the chances of meeting his former club in next month’s final in Munich.

However, Guardiola will not be taking Di Matteo’s rejuvenated Blues lightly in the two-legged tie later this month.

He said: “I’m thankful for the confidence he has in us, but all four teams in the semi-final have a chance.

“It is clear that in the semi-finals of the Champions League there is no rival that you can think will be easy.”