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Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas looking for a break from routine as Spain visit beckons for squad
The Blues manager feels a change of scene will do his players good ahead of next Saturday’s FA Cup tie with QPR, and reveals new boy Gary Cahill is in contention to start
Jan 23, 2012 6:49:00 AM
By Liam Twomey
Getty Images
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed he has decided to take his players to Spain for a few days to break up the daily grind of training at Cobham.
The Blues flew out to Mallorca immediately after Saturday’s goalless draw at Norwich, where they will continue training prior to next Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round tie with QPR.
The decision raised eyebrows in some quarters, but Villas-Boas believes a change of scenery will do his players good as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
“It is a change of environment to a different place to break the routine a little bit - it's nothing new to English teams,” he told the club’s official website.
“We decided to go to Spain and not the Middle East just because of the difference of the time zones, it is much more aggressive and more tiring there, otherwise we would have gone over there."
He added, “It is nothing new, winter camps are normally done with Premier League teams and we decided to opt for Spain.
“We gave them the day off on Sunday, in a different place, and regarding the work we will focus the same. It is just a break of routine, nothing new.”
Villas-Boas also revealed that new signing Gary Cahill is in contention to start at Loftus Road, despite not featuring in the Chelsea match squad on Saturday.
“He is a top player,” he added. “We brought a top player that is competing against three top central defenders and he can threaten for a starting position.
“The decision [on Saturday] was only based on the fact that it was not enough time for him to accumulate all the information we put on.
“We have a competition to win, one of the most prestigious ones and we will put out one of our strongest teams.”
The Blues flew out to Mallorca immediately after Saturday’s goalless draw at Norwich, where they will continue training prior to next Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round tie with QPR.
The decision raised eyebrows in some quarters, but Villas-Boas believes a change of scenery will do his players good as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
“It is a change of environment to a different place to break the routine a little bit - it's nothing new to English teams,” he told the club’s official website.
“We decided to go to Spain and not the Middle East just because of the difference of the time zones, it is much more aggressive and more tiring there, otherwise we would have gone over there."
He added, “It is nothing new, winter camps are normally done with Premier League teams and we decided to opt for Spain.
“We gave them the day off on Sunday, in a different place, and regarding the work we will focus the same. It is just a break of routine, nothing new.”
Villas-Boas also revealed that new signing Gary Cahill is in contention to start at Loftus Road, despite not featuring in the Chelsea match squad on Saturday.
“He is a top player,” he added. “We brought a top player that is competing against three top central defenders and he can threaten for a starting position.
“The decision [on Saturday] was only based on the fact that it was not enough time for him to accumulate all the information we put on.
“We have a competition to win, one of the most prestigious ones and we will put out one of our strongest teams.”
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