di matteo backs \very good\ chelsea
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Di Matteo backs \'very good\' Chelsea

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Di Matteo backs \'very good\' Chelsea

Lisbon - AFP

Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo insisted his side were still capable of competing at the highest level on Monday after Frank Lampard suggested the Premier League outfit were a fading force. In a blunt appraisal of Chelsea\'s problems on the eve of their Champions League quarter-final first leg with Benfica here Tuesday, Lampard said the club were no longer as potent as they used to be. Chelsea are currently struggling to qualify for next season\'s Champions League and were fortunate to earn a 0-0 draw at home to Tottenham last weekend. \"The fixtures and where we are in the table doesn\'t lie -- we\'re not as good as we used to be,\" Lampard told Chelsea TV in a surprisingly candid assessment. \"We used to have a fortress here and, for whatever reason, we\'re just not doing it. It\'s something we must all put right.\" However Di Matteo, who took over as interim coach following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas earlier this month, was anxious to accentuate the positives when asked to respond to Lampard\'s comments here Monday. \"We\'ve had a difficult season,\" Di Matteo told reporters ahead of Chelsea\'s training session at the Stadium of Light. \"The numbers say that so there is no point in denying it. It\'s been difficult. But I think we have a number of very good players and I still think this Chelsea team is still a very good team. \"I don\'t think we are a weak team, not at all. We still have to play two games to play in the quarter-finals. We\'re pleased to be here to be playing these two games against Benfica.\" When pressed further about Lampard\'s remarks, Di Matteo pointed to Chelsea\'s progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup, where they have reached the last four, despite a \"difficult\" season. \"We are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. As I said, the season has proven very difficult for us, there\'s no doubt about that,\" he said. \"Chelsea is used to being in the top two or three. We\'re a little bit behind in the league but on the other hand we\'re in the semi-finals of a domestic cup and in a quarter-final of the Champions League. \"I have a lot of faith in these players and they\'ve shown in the last few weeks that they can play with a high intensity and at a high level against any team and I\'m looking forward to seeing them do that tomorrow night. \"I\'m positive with the team and the players are positive too. We have great belief in our abilities and that\'s what we will try to express tomorrow. Di Matteo was also dismissive of suggestions that Chelsea are finding goals hard to come by with Fernando Torres misfiring and the 34-year-old Didier Drogba showing signs of fatigue. \"My response is that we\'ve scored 13 goals in the last six games and we\'ve had three clean sheets,\" Di Matteo said. \"We\'re in good shape. As long as somebody in my team scores I really don\'t care who scores. \"It\'s been proven in the last few games that different people are capable of scoring.\" Di Matteo would not be drawn on the extensive restructuring of Chelsea\'s squad likely to be implemented this summer, when several members of an ageing squad are expected to be shown the door. \"It\'s not the time to be talking about the evolution or revolution or however you want to call it,\" Di Matteo said. \"Now is the time for us to channel our energy into the games that we have to play. When the time is right in the summer, the people at the club will make the decisions which are the best for the club.\"

GMT 08:16 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

what to do about Federer

GMT 07:34 2018 Friday ,19 January

Time for talks on players' welfare

GMT 10:25 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

We fear Sterling more than Kane

GMT 09:30 2018 Saturday ,13 January

'Russian skiers are clean'

GMT 13:54 2018 Friday ,12 January

BOC: ‘Only Gold’ slogan for 2018

GMT 10:31 2018 Tuesday ,09 January

US runner-up snubbed for Olympics

GMT 21:46 2018 Monday ,08 January

Bahrain, Tunisia discuss youth, sport cooperation

GMT 12:43 2018 Thursday ,04 January

won't sell unless replacements bought in
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

di matteo backs \very good\ chelsea di matteo backs \very good\ chelsea

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

di matteo backs \very good\ chelsea di matteo backs \very good\ chelsea

 



GMT 11:30 2012 Monday ,09 January

Mutah University workers demand pay raise

GMT 16:28 2011 Thursday ,29 December

Scottish universities ordered to widen access

GMT 13:14 2013 Tuesday ,19 March

Qatar’s al-Jazeera to launch UK, French channels

GMT 13:24 2014 Monday ,01 September

Pakistan anti-PM protesters storm state TV

GMT 08:54 2017 Friday ,28 July

Major terrorist plot foiled in Saudi Arabia

GMT 09:23 2017 Monday ,17 July

Tropical Storm,leaves one dead

GMT 13:02 2017 Thursday ,27 July

Iraqi army prepares for a new operation in Diyala

GMT 09:14 2012 Thursday ,16 August

Modern \'Reading Furniture\' range

GMT 05:37 2018 Monday ,08 January

Explosion at Syria jihadist base kills 23: monitor

GMT 23:00 2011 Monday ,19 December

Alessandra Ambrosio Tweets Behind The Scenes Photo

GMT 09:10 2017 Wednesday ,29 November

UN chief strongly condemns N. Korea missile launch

GMT 17:57 2016 Monday ,15 August

‘Godless’ scoops top prize at Swiss film fest

GMT 15:07 2016 Monday ,12 September

Denzel’s role in new movie makes him a kid again

GMT 11:32 2012 Thursday ,20 December

Funny film breaks box office boundaries

GMT 12:10 2011 Sunday ,19 June

Ukraine\'s Naftogaz estimates gas pipe network
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice