Group E Chelsea v Racing Genk:ANDRE VILLAS-Boas has said he would "never forgive" himself if he did not win major trophies while at Chelsea.

The Portuguese’s team face Genk at Stamford Bridge tonight in the third Champions League group game, having so far defeated Bayer Leverkusen and drawn with Valencia, and Villas-Boas was asked if he would prefer to win trophies or create entertaining teams.

He said: “Yes (develop a good team). But the trophy cabinet is something that is more visible. What is expected is to win trophies. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I missed the opportunity to win major trophies at this club.”

Villas-Boas’s plan does not involve remaining in management for all his working life, and he outlined his ambitions before retirement. “I think I just want to have a career I can be proud of, whenever it finishes. The time will come when I feel proud of what I’ve achieved and will leave my position. I don’t want to be in a position a long time but want something to be proud of and will try to get it.”

Villas-Boas, who turned 34 on Monday, did agree he could yet be bitten by the bug and remain in football long-term. “I don’t know. It is unclear for me yet. This is the beginning of my career and I have targets for my future, new things and want to do that.”

Chelsea have lost once this season – at Manchester United in the league – and Villas-Boas now believes the side are playing with greater fluency.

“It helps that the players are more familiar. There is training but then match routines – in games, players interrelate and know each other better, and things work out better. Scoring has not been a problem, (we have been) able to create opportunities. The most important thing was to progress after the first three games. We were not fluent in what we were trying to achieve. Players’ confidence helped in getting results from Sunderland (where they won 2-1). From then on we have been more fluent.”

Fernando Torres could start against Genk, as he has missed the past two league games due to a domestic ban. Villas-Boas said: “The decision has been made but I won’t share it with you now. He has been out for a long period and had some action for Spain to keep him in form for this period . . . He has been good in training.”

Several first-team stars are likely to be rested, possibly even captain John Terry and vice-captain Frank Lampard.

“The most important thing for us is that we are aware of the amount of talent that we have at our disposal,” said Villas-Boas, who will be without Ramires, with the midfielder rated 50-50 for Sunday’s Premier League trip to QPR.

“Any XI that we put across is a very, very strong XI. This puts us in a position of comfort to have always a good rest.”

Tonight’s match will also give Villas-Boas another chance to run the rule over Genk star Kevin de Bruyne, who revealed in the summer that he was in negotiations to join Chelsea.

Villas-Boas said: “He’s exceptionally gifted technically and reminds me of the old technical Belgian players like Enzo Scifo.”

Villas-Boas, meanwhile, predicted the end of Barcelona’s dominance of European football.

The Chelsea boss admitted Barca had set the “benchmark” for how the game should be played in the past five years, which have seen them win the Champions League three times.

But despite acknowledging the firm foundations the Catalan giants had laid in order to achieve their remarkable recent success, the Portuguese could foresee their eventual downfall.

“These past years of Barcelona’s success has collided with a multitude of events that has provided this team with the ability to play so well,” said Villas-Boas, who has already admitted Chelsea may need to beat the Spanish giants this season if they are to end their agonising wait for Champions League glory.

“The amount of talent which came through their youth teams which comes together now in the first team, a manager that defends the values of the club like nobody else.

“These past four or five years of Barcelona will be, for sure, the exception.

“Eventually, there are years of better talent (elsewhere) and years of drought.”

Guardian Service