'I Don't Care' Being Unpopular - Chelsea Manager Villas-Boas

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that he is not botheredif he is unpopular, even among his own players, and went on to defend his attack on the club's critics after the Champions League win over Valencia.

When asked whether being disliked bothered him, Villas-Boas' staunch reply was I Don't Care before adding that most of the criticism he recieved, on behalf of himself and the club, were out of order.

A lot of things that were said, most of the things, were wrong, he said. One day I will open the doors of training for you guys for a couple of days and you will see the players have the talent and ability and want to compete. That's what we hold on to during extreme criticism.

He added: It's fair for you guys to admit that the media darlings of the press are blue collar and not Chelsea. We were unfairly treated a couple of times, and fairly by yourselves in the beginning. It's a love and hate relationship.

Chelsea host Manchester City on Monday in a game that could change the Premier League title race while heralding the emergence of Chelsea from their recent slump.

When it was suggested to Villas-Boas that he was facing a City side on slump, following their elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday, the Portuguese manager discarded the idea, pointing instead to their Premier League status.

We go back to the Premier League where they are more than fair leaders with outstanding performance levels, Villas-Boas said of City, who have dropped only four points all season. When you see a leader of this dimension, it's never a good time to play them. They're outstanding every week.