STILIAN PETROV last night claimed Chelsea were no longer the formidable force they were under Jose Mourinho as Aston Villa seek to extend their lead over the west London club to five points tomorrow. The third- and fourth-placed sides meet at Villa Park in Guus Hiddink’s first match in charge of Chelsea, with Petrov suggesting the Dutchman has inherited a team that has lost the unwavering belief that characterised their performances under Mourinho.

“When Mourinho was there they had a special team,” said the Villa midfielder, recalling the back-to-back Premier League titles Chelsea won under the Portuguese in 2005 and 2006 and the winning mentality he instilled in his players. “I think they had more belief in themselves. I don’t think Chelsea are the team that they used to be under Mourinho. A lot of changes have happened there.”

Petrov’s comments follow Alex Ferguson’s criticism of what he claims is a lack of patience at Stamford Bridge following the surprise dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari after only seven months in charge. Ferguson suggested the decision to sack Scolari had “played into the hands” of United, although Petrov expects the change in manager to produce an immediate reaction at Villa Park as Chelsea look to regain some momentum in their push for silverware.

Petrov admitted Villa, who are likely to have James Milner and Emile Heskey available again following injury, have a point to prove after their 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in October.

Villa had been tipped by many to provide a demonstration of their ability to challenge the top four, but Chelsea delivered arguably their best performance under Scolari. “That’s the game we were really outplayed,” said Petrov.

Meanwhile, Villa manager Martin O’Neill believes Guus Hiddink would find it difficult to manage both Russia and Chelsea on a permanent basis.

There has been speculation that Hiddink may also continue at Stamford Bridge long-term.

“The dual role is incredibly hard. I think there might be a reason for doing it on a short-term basis [at Chelsea],” said O’Neill.

“Overall I think it would be very hard to combine an international management role with one in the Premier League . . . I’m not sure that’s what Chelsea are looking at

. . . Eventually – when you lose a game or two – someone will accuse you of not spending enough time in one particular camp.”