Chelsea in tatters after Cole-AVB fight

Two top Premier League teams are now in total meltdown, leaving a fourth place finish up for grabs.

It will now be down to Liverpool and Newcastle to take advantage of the total mayhem at Chelsea, and to some extent Arsenal.

Chelsea were headed for even a worse fallout than expected after The Sun revealed in an exclusive story today (https://bit.ly/xNXeRa) that England’s left-back Ashley Cole and manager Andre Villas-Boas are headed for a massive showdown.

Cole is alleged to have told AVB, “I came here to win medals and trophies, but I'm never going to do that with your tactics.”

Cole is also unhappy as he feels 'like a robot' with Villas-Boas telling him exactly how to play, rather than giving him freedom.

Chelsea's players were infuriated when their three team-mates  - Frank Lampard, Cole and Michael Essien - were put on the bench for ahead of the losing Champions League last 16 clash with Napoli.

According to the report, the boss told Cole 'you made it personal'.

England star Cole is said to have been further angered when he saw his manager on TV claiming that he had been left out over concerns that he was not fully fit.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger may awake this morning to find the spotlight away from them, though the news that Chelsea may be chasing Theo Walcott might irritate Wenger, who off late, seems to find out more about where his young stars are headed from the press.

Whether AVB lasts the season or not, not finishing in the top four will be a disaster for Chelsea that no one has quite contemplated as yet.

All the talk has been of a clearing-out at Arsenal if they don’t get back to the Champions League. But what of Chelsea?

Does anyone seeing their top players sticking around for a season away from Europe’s top flight, especially with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata being watched by the richest clubs around?

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