‘Big challenges lie ahead for Chelsea & that is what we want to face’ – Andre Villas-Boas expecting tough Premier League next season

FC Porto Head Coach, Andre Villas Boas

Related Links

Teams

Players

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has said that the Premier League will not be a two-horse between his team and Manchester United next year.

The Portuguese has been brought in to win the title back from the reigning champions, but other clubs such as Manchester City and Arsenal have their own designs on the trophy.

After former manager Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after just one trophyless season, Villas-Boas is aware of the consequences should he fail to win anything in his debut year, but he is not worried by the challenge ahead, despite admitting it will be a competitive campaign.

“There are so many strong teams,” he told reporters.

“You see the way Tottenham are playing, the ambitions and the revolution at Manchester City, Arsenal’s hunger for success and the way last season slipped away from them for sure Mr Wenger will provoke them to respond in every fixture.

“The way United go about their business, they are not here to play – they are here to be successful.

“Even Liverpool, with the arrival of Kenny Dalglish mid-season, the way he built and revived Liverpool, just missing out on the Europa League spot – big, big challenges lie ahead for us, and that is what we want to face.”

The Blues have been linked with plenty of big names since Villas-Boas took charge, but the 33-year-old does not see anything wrong with this way of conducting transfer business, although he confessed an admiration for Arsene Wenger’s method of signing players.

He added: “Any club does what is expected of them. We are able to move in the market in one way, and Arsenal are able to move in the market in another way. They can move in the market finding amazing youthful talent.

“It is almost like different cultures, ways of being. We just have to respect how people go about their business.

“I respect what Wenger does. If he doesn’t respect what we do, there’s nothing wrong with that.

“It is just his opinion, it is just two different ways of approaching the market.

“In the end, it is just about being top of the Premier League in the table when the fixtures finish.”