Wilkins defends under-fire Villas-Boas

Former Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins says Andre Villas-Boas must be given time to succeed at the club.

The Stamford Bridge side are fifth in the Premier League – 12 points behind leaders Manchester City – and are on the brink of crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage.

But Wilkins believes Villas-Boas is the man for the job and that owner Roman Abramovich should bide his time with the young manager.

“Before the Arsenal defeat [5-3 at Stamford Bridge] I thought the season was going relatively well for Chelsea. I fancied Chelsea to do very well against Arsenal, but unfortunately that was not the case,” Wilkins told YahooSport.

“There has been a few players brought in, and the system has changed quite a lot.”

“AVB wants his players to press higher up the pitch, and that can consequently leave space in behind. They are finding it very difficult to keep clean sheets at the moment which is very unfortunate, but I think they will be okay.”

“Chelsea have a very high quality of player at the club, and once they kick in I can see no reason why they will not put in a very good showing.”

“It is very difficult to say whether there has been progress under Villas-Boas, because it has been tough times. It’s a transitional period, and Villas-Boas will have his own ideas about where he wants the club to go, and regarding specific personnel. It is a transitional phase, so Chelsea must give him time.”

Wilkins is also looking forward to a new generation of England players, with some hopeful of breaking into the squad for next year’s European Championships.

Everton’s Jack Rodwell, Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge, Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones, and relative veterans at Arsenal Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere, could form a pivotal part of the squad next year and Wilkins is excited.

“Tom Cleverley is the outstanding midfield talent. He was moving the ball very quickly with one-touch awareness, and he was doing exceptionally well before that nasty injury that he picked up. He has been the outstanding young midfield player this season,” he said.

“Rodwell is also a very talented young player who has the ability to perform box-to-box, while Jones will be a defender in the long term. I see him playing at centre half, but his versatility is always helpful. Of course, we should not forget Wilshere, who is an extremely talented young player.”

“Danny Welbeck has looked exceptional this season, and he is certainly more consistent than either Sturridge or Walcott. Welbeck looks the one for me. It was another brilliant piece of management by Sir Alex [Ferguson] to send the forward to Sunderland on loan, and that seems to have done him the world of good. He now looks to be a top, top player.”

Welbeck’s Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney is banned for the first three games of Euro 2012 after picking up a red card in the Three Lions’ final group game in qualification, but Wilkins believes the striker should travel should England make it through to the knockout stages in Poland and Ukraine.

“I would take Wayne Rooney even if his ban was extended to four matches because of a frivolous appeal,” he said. “It is hard to predict how long the ban will end up being, but I would take him regardless. Rooney is truly world class, and England cannot afford to not take him to Euro 2012.”

“I would like to think that we can progress through from the group stages, and Rooney will be better for the freshness that he will have as a result of not playing in every game. So, of course, I would take him.”