Chelsea hero Franck Leboeuf insists Andre Villas-Boas can turn things around at Stamford Bridge. The former Blues centre-half, one of the stars of the pre-Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge, also controversially insists his old club now have to ditch some of their long-established stars in order to progress.

"As a fan of Chelsea I'm a bit of a dreamer, but, if I'm realistic, it's going to be hard to win trophies this season," said Leboeuf.

"I think on the whole, Chelsea are doing well, but I think it's going to be hard to win the Championship.

"They have big hopes about that because they are a big team, and maybe they can be a big surprise, when everyone thinks Manchester City and Manchester United are the favourites.

"But it will be hard to do it and the Champions League is also going to be very tough while Barcelona are so dominant.

"Everyone is an underdog playing against them.

"Yet I believe Villas-Boas could be a successful coach for Chelsea and I trust him to bring the best for the club. We just have to be patient."

He added: "In many ways, I think it's already too late for one or two and this may be a season too many.

"Some players should already have left, because the cycle is already gone. They need to refresh the team a little bit in order to be really successful again."