Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that not all his Chelsea players are behind him but insisted he still has the backing of the club's notorious 'hire and fire' owner Roman Abramovich.
There has been speculation the 34-year-old Villas-Boas has 'lost' the Chelsea dressing room amid reports senior players want Russian billionaire Abramovich to bring in veteran Dutch boss Guus Hiddink, just as he did three years ago when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked.
Villas-Boas summoned his players to work on their day off on Sunday following a defeat by Everton that left Chelsea fifth in the Premier League -- and outside of a place in next season's Champions League.
Asked about not having the support of all his players, Villas-Boas told reporters on Thursday: "That is normal. They don't have to back my project.
"It's the owner who backs my project."
And the Portuguese said he felt he was in no greater danger of losing his job this week than last.
"I don't think so, but it's a question that you will have to ask the owner," he said ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash with Birmingham and Champions League last 16 first leg at Napoli.
"I think the owner has full trust in me and will continue to progress with the ideas that we have.
"In the end, that is the objective of getting us the best position possible in the league, plus these two trophies, which we are fighting for.
"It will be extremely good for us if we win against Birmingham to put ourselves in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup," added Villas-Boas, who last season led Porto to a trophy treble that included the Europa League.
"But we need strong progression in the league and to show our strength for fourth place -- as third is already 10 points ahead of us - so that we get Champions League qualification."
Source: AFP
Source: AFP