MX23RW : Friday, September 20 01:10:41| >> :120:19847:19847:

Andre Villas-Boas: 'Mind games have no effect on title race'

Villas-Boas: 'Mind games have no effect on title race'
© PA Photos
Andre Villas-Boas dismisses the notion of mind games with Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of their weekend clash.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed the significance of mind games ahead of the club's clash with Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

The Manchester United manager has become known as a mind-game expert in his time at Old Trafford, following feuds with rival managers Kevin Keegan, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez.

However, the former Porto boss is adamant that what is most important is a team's belief in their manager.

"Regarding the mind games, I really don't know how to position myself," he said. "I will wait and see if I need to respond or not, but it's the players who are most important.

"You can react in different ways, and tell players different things. The most important thing is for the players to have belief in the manager. If they don't, they might think the manager is subjective to pressure.

"Last year, at Porto, I had my disagreements with the Benfica boss, which was normal when they were threatening for the title. But it had no effect on the title race."

The Blues are two points beneath the defending champions, but can leapfrog United with a win at Old Trafford this weekend.

ID:3708: cacheID:3708:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2103:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Didier Drogba
Read Next:
Team News: Drogba out of Man Utd clash
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Patriots
@
Jets
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City4400113812
2Arsenal431061510
3Newcastle UnitedNewcastle431063310
4Liverpool43017169
5Aston Villa43017619
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton42206248
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest42204228
8Chelsea42118537
9Brentford42026606
10Manchester UnitedMan Utd42025506
11Bournemouth41215505
12Fulham41214405
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs41126424
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham411256-14
15Leicester CityLeicester402257-22
16Crystal Palace402247-32
17Ipswich TownIpswich402227-52
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves4013411-71
19Southampton400418-70
20Everton4004413-90


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!