Some very interesting remarks from Chelsea’s Champions League hero on Tuesday. Salomon Kalou has for the first spoken on his icy relationship with former Blues manager Andre Villas- Boas.
Kalou who scored the only goal of the night in Chelsea’s win over Benfica claims that Villas-Boas froze him out of the first team because he refused to sign a new deal with the club. Speaking to The Sun, Kalou said that Villas-Boas had no idea to make him part of his long term plans with club.
“I was told by the previous manager that I was not allowed to play because I didn’t sign a contract,” he said. “Maybe he was building a new team and thinking I wasn’t part of the future.”
“That was a really big frustration and it has been a difficult season for me not being involved. I always worked hard and showed there was no reason why I shouldn’t be in the team. It’s not about money but playing time. If you don’t get on the pitch, it’s very hard and sometimes the club never gave me the chance to show what I can do.”
The win gives Chelsea a massive advantage ahead of the return leg that will be played next Wednesday. Should they beat Benfica like everyone expects, they will have made it to the semi finals for a record 5th time in 8 years. Of course this will earn them a fixture against either Barcelona or AC Milan, however, should they overcome either of the two, i believe they will be the hot favourites to win their maiden European title.
Meanwhile, after his impressive displays for Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo has emerged as a favourite to retain the Chelsea job on a permanent basis. It is believed that Abramovich has taken note of Di Matteo’s impact on the team and he is considering giving him a promotion.
Not only is this a good choice, but Di Matteo’s selection could greatly enhance Chelsea’s chances of achieving more success at an even faster rate as opposed to the frequent changing of coaches that has so far go them nowhere.
photo credit © Carlos Rodrigues Photo
