Roberto Di Matteo admits he sought out senior Chelsea players to instil fresh unity inside the club.

Di Matteo's move followed the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, whose deteriorating relationship with Chelsea's old guard was seen by many as central to his side's disastrous loss of form, which ultimately cost him his job.

Asked if he had done anything special since the departure of Villas-Boas a week ago, Di Matteo, himself a former Chelsea player, said: "It was just a matter of talking to the players individually and realising that we need to move forward, keep it simple and try to achieve our targets."