Reports of Chelsea rift after away win

Chelsea defeated Bolton 2-0 in the Premiership on Saturday, ending a string of disappointing results for the club. However, the win was overshadowed by rumours of a rift in the Blues camp over the training methods of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Scolari failed to attend the post match conference on Saturday, further fanning speculation that all in not well in the Chelsea set-up. John Terry and Frank Lampard are apparently both concerned that Chelsea training sessions are too relaxed and predictable.

Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins moved quickly to implement damage control, telling reporters: “I have said before, the spirit in the camp is absolutely first class. They performed to a very high standard.”

“The training they do is first class. They love it, they enjoy it and you can see they don’t need anything more intense. They have been well up for every game they have played. Unfortunately in football, sometimes you get beat.”

While Wilkins stopped short of suggesting that group hugs were the order of the day in the Chelsea dressing room, he did point out that Saturday’s victory was Chelsea’s 11th straight win on the road. Wilkins then claimed that fatigue had prevented Scolari from attending the post-match conference.