Chelsea boss André Villas-Boas not worried about his job

André Villas-Boas refused to panic after Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, insisting that Blues owner Roman Abramovic has faith in his long-term plans.

Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson scored a superb 86th-minute winner to seal victory for the visitors as Villas-Boas’ side slumped to their third league loss in four games.

But despite their recent run of poor results, Villas-Boas does not believe his job is under threat. “It’s not a question of the owner having patience,” he said.

“We have set out to build something new at this club and the club is committed to taking what we’re building to the future.

“The owner didn’t pay €15m (£13.2m) to get me out of Porto to pay me another fortune to get out. Our commitment is towards the club and what we are doing in the future.

“We have enough talent to compete in all competitions, and that’s the perspective we take at the moment.”

The Chelsea boss did concede that Sunday’s result was a blow to the Londoners’ title hopes – but the 34-year-old is targeting a strong festive period to help close the gap on their rivals.

“It’s not impossible to turn it around,” Villas-Boas said. “It’s not the brightest of starts for Chelsea in the Premier League in the last 10 years, but the belief is there.

“It doesn’t look good being 12 points behind the leaders, a strong leader, but the December fixtures give us hope if we’re able to make the most of it.”