Last Updated: 05th July 2012
ROBERTO DI MATTEO says he is not living in the shadow of Pep Guardiola.
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And the Champions League-winning manager denies suggestions that he is is just keeping the Chelsea hot-seat warm for the top-rated former Barcelona boss.
Di Matteo, 42, was finally confirmed as permanent Blues boss last month, almost four weeks after lifting the European Cup in Munich’s Allianz Arena.
But he only got the nod after Guardiola made it clear to Blues owner Roman Abramovich that he is taking a year out of football.
Now seasoned Chelsea watchers reckon Guardiola could be parachuted in at Stamford Bridge next summer, despite Di Matteo signing a two-year contract worth £60,000 a week.
But the laid-back Italian said: “I don’t feel any shadow above me or behind me.
“There has been speculation about other managers since day one and I have always lived with it pretty well.
“Everyone can say what they want.
“I will just focus on my job and try to do the best I can.
“I’m pretty happy with my new contract and that’s why I signed it.
“But I have been in football all my life and I understand how this business works.
“I clearly know that managers are judged by results.
“It’s no different for me than anyone else. The pressure is always there.
“Chelsea are always looking to win things and last season was not easy even if the end of the campaign was a pretty fantastic time.
“I understand why it took a bit of time for the club to come to their decision and I respect the way everything has been handled.
“It wasn’t a case of not talking to me for four weeks.
“We were always in touch and there was contact from other clubs. I was actually pretty relaxed about the whole thing.
“There was no time limit on it because it was an important decision for the club and I have no problems with that at all.
“There were never any doubts for me and I’m very happy to be here.
“Now I’m looking forward to working with this group of players and bringing more success to the club.”
Yet Di Matteo is far from pleased with the way he has been portrayed as a negative coach following the backs-to-the-wall victories over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
He added: “It’s not fair to focus on just three games and give us a tag like that.
“I was in charge for 21 games last season and you should not forget the 5-1 win against Tottenham in the FA Cup, the 4-2 against Napoli and plenty of other games where the team expressed their attacking potential.
“On average we scored two goals every game and my teams usually create chances and score goals.
“We had some key players missing in the final against Bayern Munich and I’ve not seen any other team play expansively against Barcelona.
“We’d all like to play like Barcelona, but there isn’t another team in the world who plays like them.
“The important thing is that we play well and challenge in every game with the players we have available.”
Less than 18 months after being sacked by West Brom, Di Matteo’s life has been turned upside down by Chelsea’s first Champions League triumph.
Yet he insists success will not change him even if it alters the way other people in the game now look at him.
He said: “When you go around the world, winning the Champions League is massive, but my day-to-day life has not really changed that much.
“I can live without the attention and I don’t see any reason to alter the way I am.
“The way I operate in the future is not going to be different. I have my way to communicate with the players and I’ll continue with that.
“I will be looking to put my mark on this team and that will happen over time.
“But it won’t be an overnight thing and I wouldn’t expect radical changes.”
Chelsea have already splashed out £39million on Eden Hazard and Marko Marin this summer.
Their priorities now are to sign a target man to replace Didier Drogba and a new right-back following the decision to release Jose Bosingwa. Di Matteo said: “I’m not going to discuss specific targets because every time you mention someone the price goes up.
“But we will monitor the market and move if there is an opportunity to increase the quality of our squad.
“The end of the season was remarkable and the team was outstanding in achieving those targets, but that’s the past.
“We have to start again and look to the future. We have to be competitive in all the competitions we’re involved in.
“We certainly have to make up a lot of ground in the Premier League because we finished 25 points behind the champions last season so that’s a big job for all of us.”
With most of his players receiving 21 days holiday after participating in the Euros, Di Matteo will take charge of a shadow squad for the start of pre-season training today.
Captain John Terry is due in court on Monday to answer charges of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
But Di Matteo added: “He’s still on holiday time so it’s not really a distraction at the moment.”
And the Italian was just as cagey when quizzed about the managerial return of Andre Villas-Boas five months after being sacked by Chelsea.
He said: “It doesn’t surprise me that Andre has been appointed by Tottenham. I think it’s a good choice.
“He’s a very good manager and coach and I’m sure he will be a success. I wish him the best of luck.”
With Guardiola already weighing up his options, perhaps it is Di Matteo who needs those best wishes.
Video : Di Matteo unfazed by Guardiola speculation
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