Roberto Di Matteo takes blame for Chelsea defeat at Juventus

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo
took responsibility for the 3-0 defeat
at Juventus which leaves the Blues on
the brink of a Champions League
exit.
If Juve draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk
on 5 December, Chelsea will be the first
defending champions to be eliminated
in the group stages.
"If anyone has to take blame, it's me. I
selected a team I was convinced would
win or at least draw," said Di Matteo.
"We have hope. Mathematically it is still
possible for us."
Di Matteo signed a two-year contract
in June on the back of winning the
Champions League and the FA Cup as
caretaker, but is under pressure in the
midst of a patch of bad form that has
seen just two wins in their last eight
matches.
Chelsea's defence of their European
title is now out of their hands with
Juventus needing just a point from
their trip to Ukraine against already-
qualified Shakhtar to make the last 16.
In the Premier League the Stamford
Bridge side have slid from four points
clear in the wake of the 4-2 win over
Tottenham on 20 October to the same
number off the top after Saturday's
loss to West Brom.
Di Matteo, 42, accepts that the run of
bad form will inevitably lead to
questions over his future, but he insists
that he does not need any public
backing from the club's hierarchy.
"In a big club like this if you have a few
bad results of course you are under
pressure and everything will be
questioned," he said.
"We are in it together, we had a long
journey to where we are today."
When asked whether he needed a vote
of confidence from the club's owners
he added: "No, I don't need that, the
fact they put trust in me in the summer,
that's enough for me."
The Italian, who made 175 appearances
for the club as a player, has not been
able to coax Fernando Torres back to
top form with the Spanish striker failing
to replicate the form that convinced
owner Roman Abramovich to spend a
club record £50m on him in January
2011.
Di Matteo opted to demote Torres to
the bench against the Serie A leaders,
but, with Eden Hazard deployed
furthest forward, his side rarely
threatened.
"The player is disappointed when he
doesn't start of course," Di Matteo
added of Torres.
"We have to pick ourselves up again, we
have another massive game on Sunday
and if we win we could be back in title
race."