Andre Villas-Boas' tumultuous tenure at Chelsea seemed doomed from the outset, as revealed by club legend John Terry.
The 46-year-old manager hailed as the next Jose Mourinho after his successes with Porto, quickly found himself at odds with the dressing room, leading to a boycott from Blues legends during pre-season in 2011.
Villas-Boas lost the Chelsea team dressing room which led to his sacking in 2012 following a poor campaign.
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Terry's Insights: A Power Struggle Unfolds
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Terry recounted a defining moment when Villas-Boas attempted to assert his authority over the club's senior players.
Terry explained, "When AVB came in, we went to Hong Kong... and we've got Josh McEachran, Nathaniel Chalobah, a couple of other young players, all in first class."
He continued, detailing the clash: "It wasn't good enough... So I'm going, 'No no, we're not going anywhere until these young players go back in economy.'"
Terry's narrative depicted a struggle for dominance, with Villas-Boas seeking to level the playing field among players.
However, the attempt backfired as Terry and other senior figures stood their ground, ultimately reshuffling the seating arrangement to reflect hierarchy within the squad.
Despite Villas-Boas' efforts, his tenure at Stamford Bridge lasted less than a year. With a string of disappointing results and discontent among players, Chelsea opted to part ways with the Portuguese manager.
Villas-Boas' subsequent managerial ventures, including spells at Zenit St-Petersburg, Shanghai SIPG, and Marseille, failed to replicate his earlier success.