Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is beginning to lose confidence in manager Andre Villas-Boas, it has been revealed. The Telegraph says Abramovich is aware of the problems at Chelsea, having spent most of last week observing training and then conducting meetings with Villas-Boas and also listening to the complaints of some players over the manager's tactics and approach.

He is understood to have lost some of the faith he had in the 34-year-old Portuguese - who was his appointment - and is concerned as to whether the manager can turn it around.

Abramovich has also been assessing what one source described as the "training ground relationships" at Chelsea, with the dynamics between Villas-Boas and his assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo and also the club's technical director Michael Emenalo being looked at to see if they are working together correctly.