Jose text msgs are hurting Villas-Boas
Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 by The Sun
JOSE MOURINHO was last night accused of undermining Andre Villas-Boas by exchanging texts with Chelsea's players.
Both bosses made their name at Porto under club president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, who insisted the Special One is in contact with his former charges.
Pinto da Costa also claimed Blues owner Roman Abramovich was aware of the situation.
His comments will cause a stir given that a fortnight ago sources close to Real Madrid boss Mourinho told SunSport he was angling for a summer return to Stamford Bridge.
Pinto da Costa said: "I'm not at all disappointed with how Villas-Boas has done.
"He's doing well, he has qualified for the last 16 in the Champions League. He's still in contention for everything.
"He will have success with the Blues because his contract isn't only for one year.
"He has to have time to mould his team and he cannot do that while there are players who, as people say, exchange text messages with Mourinho. Abramovich is aware of this."
Chelsea paid £14million to prise Villas-Boas away from the Portuguese club last summer and Pinto da Costa insisted AVB should keep his job if the Blues finish in the top four — or he will go to Inter Milan.
But the Porto chief insisted Villas-Boas was wrong to take charge of Chelsea.
Pinto da Costa added in an Italian newspaper: "The only thing that could cost him his job is if he doesn't qualify for the Champions League.
"If he leaves Chelsea, he'll be the next coach at Inter. Villas-Boas left because of the great offer Chelsea made.
"Moreover, what weighed in his thinking were the difficulties he would have faced to emulate Mourinho's Champions League victory in 2004.
"He left thinking Chelsea were a unique opportunity even though for me it was an error because he would have had others.
"We didn't expect a club would pay the £14m get-out clause. We are a springboard for players and managers.
"For that reason I have created get-out clauses just for managers.
"There was never any real interest from Inter, but then Chelsea arrived and wanted a discount. I wouldn't have let him go, not for £13.9m."
Villas-Boas has tipped Porto to send Manchester City crashing out of Europe.
AVB led the Portuguese side to the Europa League title last summer.
And Porto host City in the same competition in the last 32 tomorrow.
Villas-Boas said: "I think it's an interesting confrontation — perhaps the most interesting in this phase.
"Porto have a great chance of going forward. I know the players, the club, the structure and they can challenge Manchester City.
"The atmosphere in the Dragao will be very hard for City. They could have problems. At Manchester, the atmosphere is not so aggressive.
"I don't know what their dedication is like to the competition. Sometimes, coaches use a competition to give opportunities to other players.
"If they play together and keep their defence in order they can cause a surprise. City leave themselves exposed going forward."
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