AVB admits row with Lampard and Cole over Napoli team selection
Published 23:18 21/02/12 By Martin Lipton
Andre Villas-Boas admitted he rowed with Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole after leaving them out as Chelsea's Champions League dream was left on life-support.
Oliver Holt: Villas-Boas on borrowed time as his Charge of the Light Brigade backfires
The Portuguese, who lost skipper John Terry for up to two months hours before kick-off then gambled his future by omitting both England stars.
It was a punt that failed as Chelsea threw away the lead given them by Juan Mata to slip to a nightmare defeat which will require one of the great European comebacks to turn round at Stamford Bridge next month.
Two goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi either side of an Edinson Cavani strike left Chelsea facing a second leg mountain but it was the selection decisions that put Villas-Boas under fire.
Napoli 3-1 Chelsea: Lavezzi and Cavani give Villas-Boas the Blues
"Whatever explanations I gave you would be fantastic if we'd won but are now useless given the result of the game, so there's no point," said the Chelsea manager.
"We wanted two hard-working midfielders sitting in front of the defence. That's not to say that Lamps could not do it, for sure he could, but that was the decision we took.
"It was technical decisions. You can have your opinion but it was based on what was the best team in my thoughts.
"I had a conversation with Ashley and Frank. Normally, through the players that they are and the players with the experience they have, they felt they could have helped the team.
"That's perfectly understandable. Of course, they were disappointed but they were decisions they have to accept and move on."
Whether Lampard in particular will "accept and move on" is hard to see and Villas-Boas also bewailed his side's defensive lapses as they failed to hold a lead for the fourth successive away European game.
The manager, pressed over whether he will still be in charge for the return leg on March 14, added: "The speculation will continue as the results don't happen. But it's not a distraction, for sure.
"I cannot speculate on what will happen at The Bridge. I have to focus on reverting the result.
"There's a normal creation of opinion from different parties, from the media and the fans, and from the people who matter in the business - the owner and the manager.
"We have our idea focused on the future, but we have to understand we're committed to the present. At the moment, that's about trying to stay in this competition. Whatever perspective comes out, that really doesn't matter to me.
"In this game the difference was that Napoli were more clinical and efficient in front of goal. We have big chances and paid a heavy toll for the mistakes we made but I am sure we can turn it around."
Terry's absence came after he woke in agony in his problem left knee and he will undergo exploratory surgery in the next 24 hours.
Villas-Boas said: "We are missing John who is a very important player for the team.
"Four weeks is the minimum and would be excellent. Hopefully he can return in that time frame. But normally it's at least six weeks."
