Lampard hails influence of Di Matteo but axe still hovers

Blues star Lampard has lifted the lid on his relationship with caretaker chief Di Matteo and it appears to be in stark contrast to the one that he endured with sacked manager Villas-Boas.

Lampard admitted shortly before Villas-Boas’s departure to having been at odds with the 34-year-old, who habitually omitted him from big games.

Matters reportedly came to a head when Lampard was told he would not be starting February’s Champions League match at Napoli.

Di Matteo, who has started Lampard in almost every game since taking charge, delivered similar news before last week’s quarter-final win at Benfica.

Asked if Di Matteo had taken a different approach to Villas-Boas, Lampard said ahead of tomorrow’s return leg: “Yes, that is fair to say.

“I spoke with Robbie and certainly had no issue with it. I was delighted to get the result we got. I came on in the last 20 minutes, anyway.”

Di Matteo was reportedly not liked any more than Villas-Boas by the Chelsea squad while he was working as the Portuguese’s assistant.

But players have been queuing up to hail the former Blues midfielder for the way he has transformed their season and the fairness he has shown to each individual.

Lampard said: “The number one makes the decisions and he is revelling in making those decisions.

“He has kept it very simple. It’s a case of getting a confidence and passion through the team and, in the results we’ve had, you’d say he has done that.”

Villas-Boas seemed determined to undertake a mass cull of older players at Stamford Bridge and asked if he had tried to change too much too soon, Lampard said: “It’s hard to pinpoint things. I don’t want to go too much over negatives.

“We didn’t perform to a level, that’s why the manager changed and us, as players, are not happy because you don’t feel as proud as you should be when you know the squad we’ve got should be doing better.

“So the reasons are not quite clear but there’s a lot to be said for having a confident squad.

“You have to have that to get the best out of all your players and I feel we are in a better position now than we were in the past.”

Chelsea have won six of their eight matches under Di Matteo but are five points adrift of a top-four spot in the Premier League with seven matches remaining.

Di Matteo could decide to rest Lampard again for tomorrow’s return match and Chelsea will continue to monitor the injured David Luiz (ankle) and Didier Drogba (foot).

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri believes his team will need to show the same courage and determination they displayed against Barcelona last week when the two teams meet tonight in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

The sides drew 0-0 in Milan and the tie is finely balanced heading to the Nou Camp.

“We must play as we did in the opening leg and make sure we don’t concede a goal,” said Allegri. “This game is like a final and we are ready.”

Allegri considers holders Barcelona favourites and says: “Barcelona remain the best team in the world but I believe there will be two or three situations where the tie could be decided and we need to be smart to interpret them well.”