Villas-Boas out for Champions League glory

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas believes the London club should be targeting a maiden UEFA Champions League crown.

The four-time English league champions have never claimed European club football’s biggest prize, coming closest when they lost to Manchester United on penalties in the 2008 final in Moscow.

Since then, they have made it to the semi-finals, round of 16 and quarter-finals.

But new manager Villas-Boas – part of the backroom staff when they made it to the last four in 2005 and 2007 – said it was only a matter of time before Chelsea finally won the competition.

“Chelsea is included in those teams that permanently arrive to the semi-finals. And the semi-finals is a question of two games, where anything can happen, and unfortunately it didn’t happen for us in the two seasons that I was present in the club,” Villas-Boas said on Monday.

“The club went on after two magnificent finals. And Chelsea is presence, so in the next years for sure the trophy will arrive to this club.”

The Premier League runners-up have arrived in Asia for their pre-season tour, and the Portuguese manager said he was always looking for improvement from his players as they look to better their second-place league finish from last season.

“I want to believe that the players can still find new things in them to exploit and I want to fully potentiate that talent,” Villas-Boas said.

Chelsea will play a select Malaysia XI on Thursday before moving onto Thailand and Hong Kong.

Midfielder Frank Lampard said he was confident they could challenge Manchester United for the title this campaign, regardless of the changes Villas-Boas makes to the squad.

“We already have a very strong squad and the manager obviously wants to evaluate what he’s got which, you know, is very understandable,” he said.

“And then who knows as we add or change? It’s the manager’s prerogative but the great thing we know already is that we believe in ourselves as we are.”

Chelsea begin their league campaign against Stoke City on August 14.