One slip and it will be Villas-Boas

Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 by Dailystar.co.uk

One slip and it will be Villas-Boas
Above: Marcel Desailly has warned Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas: One early mistake could cost you

Marcel Desailly has warned Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas: One early mistake could cost you.

Villas-Boas arrived at Stamford Bridge after leading Porto to the Portuguese title and Europa League.

But Desailly believes the new Blues boss, who is just 33, still has plenty to prove to his squad – especially established stars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

And he fears the young Portuguese coach’s hopes of building a Chelsea empire could collapse if he doesn’t get everything right from the off.

Former Blues favourite Desailly, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, and FA Cup at Chelsea, said: “All the pressure is on the shoulders of the coach. He has to get the consideration of the players.

“If I was in a squad like this, with a young coach without much experience, it could be a problem. “The Chelsea players are really established. As a World

Cup winner, I would be expecting the coach to show me in training, and in his substitutions and tactics, how clear he is in his vision.

“If he makes any mistake, the players will not follow him. Subconsciously they will be thinking that the guy who is supposed to be managing them is not on their level.

“This is a big challenge, given the young age he is. His first few weeks could be vital. “If Chelsea don’t perform, the players view of him will change. The manager needs the players to follow him – and his vision.

“I’ve seen him in press conferences and he was already annoyed. But he is the guy with the vision and ambition. I felt like saying: ‘Come on, you are the man – show us.’ He should be talking up the players.”

Villas-Boas has tried to distance himself from comparisons with his former mentor and ex-Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho.

But Desailly reckons the Special One showed how to be a managerial success at Stamford Bridge.

He said: “Mourinho got respect from players. It’s in training where he is the best. He is clear, well organised, he brings the group to a very high level.”