When Andre Villas-Boas came to lead Chelsea in 2011, it all felt so Mourinho-esque. A young and successful Portuguese coach coming from Porto with a winning record to coach Chelsea. The fans already pictured another title and the Premier League trophy only to see Villas-Boas getting sacked after only nine months in charge. Luckily for them, his assistant Roberto Di Mateo finished the job in Europe and brought them their first Champions League trophy, but the failure of the young coach remained. There were various talks why all this happened and the Portuguese manager gave his verdict, claiming it was all about ‘egos’ and ‘prima donas’.BETTING GUIDE: Chelsea vs Bournemouth, match preview, team news and predictionVillas-Boas, who is now the Porto president, was asked about his Chelsea failure on 'Building High Performance Teams', at the Cardiology Gaia Meeting.“For those who don't know, I left Porto to coach Chelsea, and I thought that the coach I was at Porto, with a structure behind it, could be that same coach and lead the Chelsea players in that way, being highly disciplinarian, rigorous, and making everyone understand that nobody was more important than the club. The truth is that that locker room had its specificities, between the highly talented, the prima donnas, etc… A set of particular egos, and what that often requires of a leader is not to compromise on their basic principles, on those that are universal, on the personal and human aspect, knowing how to put on a mask” he started.When it comes to managers, Chelsea don't regret the moneyWhile Chelsea paid then a world record of 15 million euros to get him out of his Porto contract, he ended up being questioned by his own players about the tactics in the presence of the owner Roman Abramovich.“There are certain talents and egos that determine a certain flexibility, different respects, and a different approach. That, for example, was one of the cases where I failed at Chelsea. For me, everyone was on the same level, everyone obeyed the same rules, there were no differences. And that's why I failed miserably. Leadership has to yield at the level of respect and consideration for certain statuses, but of course, in a sports group, the coach's leadership must always be sovereign; it's the leader who is with the player every day, every minute, understands the frustrations, understands when they work well, when they don't, and understands when they abuse their authority” he explained.🚨🔵 JUST IN: Moises Caicedo played a part in the 1st half of Chelsea’s behind-closed-doors friendly vs Portsmouth on Saturday! (@kierangill_DM) #CFC https://t.co/hdvJp7WMBS— Chelsea Dodgers (@TheBlueDodger) October 8, 2026 When ‘egos’ were mentioned, it was logical that the whole situation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus was mentioned.“These levels, from Ronaldinho, Neymar… trivialising Pele and Maradona a bit, people recognise that they are different and that to perform well they need specific benefits. Of course, there is also maturity in people to behave with dignity and in the proper places, respecting the coaches” said Villas-Boas.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 6Saturday14.30: (1.40) Arsenal (4.85) Leeds (8.20) 17.00: (2.70) Aston Villa (3.35) Brentford (2.60) 17.00: (1.80) Chelsea (3.70) Bournemouth (4.40) 17.00: (2.80) Ipswich (3.40) Fulham (2.50)17.00: (3.10) Sunderland (3.40) Brighton (2.30) 19.30: (1.75) Man.Utd. (3.80) Tottenham (4.60) Sunday16.00: (2.65) Crystal Palace (3.20) Nott.Forest (2.75)16.00: (3.60) Hull (3.40) Everton (2.10) 18.30: (2.75) Liverpool (3.45) Man.City (2.50)Monday22.00: (3.30) Coventry (3.50) Newcastle (2.15)***odds are subject to change***