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Chelsea not contemplating defeat in Champions League crunch clash with Valencia, insists Florent Malouda
The Frenchman admits December will be a huge month for the Blues, and says they must approach Tuesday’s must-win game against the Spaniards with a "positive way of thinking"
5 Dec 2011 11:39:00
By Liam Twomey
Getty Images
Florent Malouda insists Chelsea are not dwelling on the prospect of defeat as they prepare to face Valencia with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
Only a victory, or a goalless draw so long as Bayer Leverkusen avoid defeat to Genk, will see Andre Villas-Boas’ men through to the knockout stages of the tournament against a Valencia side themselves fighting for qualification.
Defeat would further ratchet up the pressure on the Blues’ beleaguered young coach, but Malouda insists it is not a possibility weighing heavily on the minds of the players.
"We have [made] a big mistake in Germany against Leverkusen and we have to correct that at home in front of our fans," the Frenchman told Sky Sports News.
"We want to have our fans behind us. That is what we need at the moment.
"We don't think about defeat. We have a positive way of thinking.
"What we are looking for is a victory to qualify. Every time we start a game it is to win, so we are not thinking about this scenario."
Next up after Valencia for Chelsea are Premier League leaders Manchester City, and Malouda admits the game could be crucial for the west Londoners’ long term hopes.
"December will be a very important month for us,” he added. “We have massive games and all we need to do is to win and go from game to game.
"We had a bad period recently with bad results but, as you could see against Newcastle, when we have that confidence we can beat any team.
"For us that will be a wonderful opportunity to close the gap and maybe show the other teams there is a way to beat Man City."
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Only a victory, or a goalless draw so long as Bayer Leverkusen avoid defeat to Genk, will see Andre Villas-Boas’ men through to the knockout stages of the tournament against a Valencia side themselves fighting for qualification.
Defeat would further ratchet up the pressure on the Blues’ beleaguered young coach, but Malouda insists it is not a possibility weighing heavily on the minds of the players.
"We have [made] a big mistake in Germany against Leverkusen and we have to correct that at home in front of our fans," the Frenchman told Sky Sports News.
"We want to have our fans behind us. That is what we need at the moment.
"We don't think about defeat. We have a positive way of thinking.
"What we are looking for is a victory to qualify. Every time we start a game it is to win, so we are not thinking about this scenario."
Next up after Valencia for Chelsea are Premier League leaders Manchester City, and Malouda admits the game could be crucial for the west Londoners’ long term hopes.
"December will be a very important month for us,” he added. “We have massive games and all we need to do is to win and go from game to game.
"We had a bad period recently with bad results but, as you could see against Newcastle, when we have that confidence we can beat any team.
"For us that will be a wonderful opportunity to close the gap and maybe show the other teams there is a way to beat Man City."
How do you stay up to date with football when on the move? With http://m.goal.com – your best source for mobile coverage of the beautiful game.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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