Villas-boas up to Chelsea task

For somebody who hails from Portuguese nobility, Luis Andre de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas can hardly be described as upwardly mobile, but he certainly is in the footballing firmament, spectacularly so. He's 33, has never coached in the Champions League and now he's in charge of Chelsea. Too much, too young? Or another from the specials? Jose Mourinho comparisons are patently premature but this latest adrenalin shot from Porto exudes all the hallmarks of a comet that will mature into a permanent star of the managerial galaxy. A composed, attentive figure encountered in the Bobby Tambling Suite at the Bridge the other day, the prodigy from Portugal was immediately, undeniably, unforgettably impressive. Forget the good looks that will have Tatler, Vogue and Hello! scrambling their ‘Portuguese Man Of Phwoar' headline-writers. The Noble One seems an intelligent football man going places without feeling a need to trample on those moving less quickly. No arrogance. No ego. Chelsea, too often the club of crass, have bought some dignity in Villas-Boas. A certain grace defines his words and deeds. Those hoping for fireworks the other day, perhaps the odd rocket aimed at Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson, found the vapour trails emanating only from the pipe of peace. On first impressions, and everybody knows the Premier League battleground can turn charmers into mad men, Villas-Boas seems a classy guy. Shrewd too. His appointment of Roberto di Matteo as No. 2 is a masterstroke, instantly endearing him to Shed and squad alike while giving him access to the wise counsel of a savvy, recent occupant of a Premier League dugout. His promotion of Steve Holland from the reserves affords the incoming manager greater insight into the fringe contenders at Cobham. Clever. Everyone was expecting a Dutchman. It proved to be Holland, not Hiddink. A former legend of PSV Eindhoven did feature prominently in Villas-Boas' journey towards the stars. Bobby Robson figures large in his life. When Robson was Porto coach, Villas-Boas famously approached him in their block of flats, the teenaged fan entrancing the revered Englishman with his knowledge. "A 17 year old asking the manager about players?" reflected Villas-Boas on Wednesday. "Only a person as open-minded as Bobby would allow me to ask such a question. He got me into Lilleshall, the Scottish FA course [at Largs] and Ipswich for a period of observation, and then on to Porto's youth levels. These were amazing experiences for me. Fortunately, I was able to respond to people's expectations." Great expectations. Launched by dear old, much-missed Bobby, Villas-Boas began making a name for himself as an opposition scout under Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter Milan, then guiding the fortunes of Academica [of Coimbra] and Porto, always relishing the "challenge", a word peppering many of his sentences. Onwards and upwards. Villas-Boas has now quit his beloved Porto to "challenge myself more", even though the switch was "against the will of everybody, and there's nothing that I can say that will ease the Porto fans' sense of betrayal". Particularly poignantly for such a devoted husband and father of two daughters, his decision to accept Chelsea's siren call "was against the will of my family". Why? Well, this is a man who fears the comfort zone. "I spoke to my family, who were very reluctant to leave Porto. We have spent seven years moving around from London to Milan to Coimbra to Porto and now to London. This causes an emotional instability in any family." How was his wife about his latest move? "Let's see if we're speaking when I get back. Maybe my bags will be waiting for me at the door." He smiled. Chelsea was too big a challenge to refuse. Yet the state of perpetual instability defining any manager's existence under Abramovich ensures the bags remain packed, ready for the short dash to Heathrow. Where Villas-Boas has a chance of surviving the Abramovich challenge, certainly completing his three-year contract, is that he understands the club's desire to exploit the "Asian market" in pre-season, to eschew the prickliness that complicated Mourinho's last days and, most importantly, to produce a team who play with panache. Oligarchs want to be entertained. "It's not just a question of winning," agreed Villas-Boas, "but winning with a certain flair". From gulfnews .