Chelsea have no victory in the last five matches, and it is going to be a month without a victory for Villas-Boas if they fail to beat Bolton this weekend. Despite struggling down at the bottom of the table, Bolton have two wins in their last five matches.
John Terry’s absence at the back is certainly working against Andre Villas-Boas and his tactics. As good as Gary Cahill may be, he is certainly not going to be a substitute for John Terry. Chelsea’s captain has been ruled out for up to 4 weeks.
One of the biggest advantages Chelsea have this weekend in the context of the Premier league table is the fact that Arsenal do not play until Sunday. Further, they’ll be heading into the North London Derby against Tottenham in the worst possible fashion. There is every chance that Arsenal might lose the match, but Chelsea need to be ready in order to take advantage of any slipup from Arsenal.
After the 3-1 defeat against Napoli, the FA cup seems to be the only hope for a trophy this season. However, Chelsea should not take eyes away from the fact that there is still a competition left for the fourth spot. Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Liverpool are the competing teams.
Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole were dropped by Andre Villas-Boas for the Napoli match. There have been reports of a fallout between Ashley Cole and Andre Villas-Boas. It remains to be seen if the manager and the player can sort out their differences by the time the match kicks off.
Trying to clear out of the players, who were extremely influential in the José Mourinho, is all well and good, but one should also try to get results in between. This is something that Andre Villas-Boas has clearly lacked in, while he has also not displayed the authority needed to oversee a transitional phase.
Perhaps, it is a job not to be meant for a 34-year-old with just one year of managerial experience at the top level.
