Saturday 10 December 2011

No AVB Christmas Card for Neville


Andre Villas-Boas has launched a scathing attack on Gary Neville's "ridiculous" criticisms of Chelsea.

The former Manchester United player said Blues defender David Luiz played like a man being controlled by a 10-year-old using a PlayStation.

"I'd say this to his face with most pleasure," the Chelsea boss said.

"You can't speculate and invent things that are going on. Some people can have more or less an idea. But not him. He cannot know."

Villas-Boas added: "You cannot approach a top Brazil central defender saying he's commanded by a kid with a PlayStation. That's ridiculous.

"He plays for the team with most [world] titles, so be careful with what you're saying."

Neville, now a television pundit, made the remarks about Luiz after Chelsea's home defeat by Liverpool in the Premier League.

He also said before Chelsea's Champions League win over Valencia on Tuesday that he would not want to be in the Blues' dressing room, comments heard by Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese said: "What does he know about the Chelsea dressing room? What does Gary Neville know about our dressing room?

"How can you imagine what is going on in the Chelsea dressing room? How can you know?

"Have you been here? Do you know where Cobham [Chelsea's training ground] is? You don't even know how to get here.

"I'm normally indifferent, not watching on the telly to see what these people say. But I was watching the television at that moment and I was gobsmacked."

Villas-Boas, 34, has also taken issue with criticism from Liverpool legends Alan Hansen and Graeme Souness since his appointment as Chelsea boss in the summer.

"Most of these people we are speaking about have a direct past related to single clubs, which are their favourite clubs, which in the end brings a likely biased position in their opinion-making," he said.

"Comic criticism from top ex-professional players when they take the route to the ridiculous, I think I have a word to say.

"When they opt for words as we've been seeing, in the past, I have to be aggressive."