Chelsea players simply could not fit into sacked manager Andre Villas-Boas' playing system.

Villas-Boas did himself no favours with tactics that far from suited key personnel, his desire to play with a high defensive line one that contributed significantly to the poor results they started to endure.

As one Chelsea insider told the Daily Mail, "It might be the way some people think modern football should be played but theories are for universities. It was not a style that suited players like John Terry."