Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that his age and relative inexperience in management has made it difficult for him to force his ideas into the Blues squad, ESPN reports. Rumours of a dressing room revolt by senior Blues players, but Villas-Boas has quashed them by revealing that he allows some players to help with decisions.
The pressure is mounting on the former Porto manager, who Chelsea paid a huge sum of money for in the summer, with the Blues 12 points away from league leaders Manchester City. Chelsea are still trying to hold on to a Champions League place and senior players such as Petr Cech have already dismissed the club’s chances of winning the title. Villas-Boas has revealed that he struggles to sometimes take control of the dressing room, but is not afraid to upset some people to get his way eventually.
Villas-Boas said: ‘Because of my age and my lack of a professional playing background, I could never be dictatorial. I therefore let the players have a certain amount of input into decisions regarding the way we play and how the team is run. Also, when we talk about the well-being of a group, I encourage the players to participate in the decisions affecting their professional life.’
‘For example, at Porto I would discuss with the players the starting time of the training or the need for rest days. I try to be an open-minded leader and to respect people. You must build a two-way relationship, even over any decision-making about arrangements or actions in the game. Naturally, as the coach I make the final decisions though and if I have to upset a couple of people, then so be it’, Villas-Boas added.
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