Failure not part of the plan for Di Matteo in Turin

Roberto Di Matteo last night refused to contemplate the implications of Chelsea crashing out of the Champions League for his own future ahead of tonight’s potential do-or-die clash at Juventus.

It was déjà vu for football’s most trigger-happy club yesterday as Di Matteo became the latest Blues manager to face serious questions about his job security following a slump in results. And it could prove the start of Groundhog Day for the Italian if the European champions fail to stop the rot in Turin.

Defeat would leave Chelsea on the brink of becoming the first Champions League holders not to secure a place in the knockout stage, having taken qualification for granted during the Roman Abramovich era.