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Di Matteo looking forward

Image: Roberto Di Matteo: Looking forward after taking the reins at Chelsea

Chelsea interim boss Roberto Di Matteo insists the club must regroup and move on following Andre Villas-Boas' sacking on Sunday.

Temporary Blues boss turns attention to task ahead

Chelsea interim boss Roberto Di Matteo insists the club must regroup and move on following Andre Villas-Boas' sacking on Sunday. Assistant boss Di Matteo has been handed the reins at Stamford Bridge until the end of the season after Villas-Boas was shown the door following the Blues' 1-0 defeat at West Brom at the weekend. The Portuguese boss had only been at the helm of the club for just over eight months but a poor run of results, which saw Chelsea slip out of the Premier League's top four and left them clinging to their spot in the UEFA Champions League, prompted owner Roman Abramovich to take action.

Looking forward

While Di Matteo paid tribute to the work done by Villas-Boas during his short time in charge, the temporary boss feels the Blues must now look forward. "It has been a very difficult 24 hours for a lot of people at the football club. We need to regroup for sure," he told Chelsea's official website. "Today I have mostly spoken to the players individually to try to get them in the right frame of mind for the task ahead and that is our job now. "Andre has brought some very good, positive ideas and changes to this football club and we will benefit from his changes. "I enjoyed very much working with him and we will remain friends for the rest of our lives, but I will have to move on for this club and try my best with the players we have here. "Our duty now is to look forward and to try to get the results that we need in the league, the Champions League and in the FA Cup to have a good season." Di Matteo's first game in caretaker charge of the club will come on Tuesday night when Chelsea take on Birmingham in their FA Cup fifth-round replay. The 41-year-old already has an idea of the line-up he will field for the trip to St Andrews', but is waiting on the fitness of left-back Ashley Cole after he picked up an ankle knock at The Hawthorns.
Injuries
"I have a good idea of the team I want to play in the replay," he added. "But I am still uncertain about one or two positions and there might be a few changes. "In terms of injuries, Jose Bosingwa (hamstring) is still unavailable and Ross Turnbull is out with an ankle injury. We will have to see how Ashley Cole is."

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