Mata denies player power led to Villas-Boas' sacking

The Portuguese coach came to Stamford Bridge on the back of a treble-winning season at Porto, but lasted less than nine months in charge after a season of mixed fortunes. Villas Boas' exit was reportedly instigated by the older generation at Chelsea, dating back to the Mourinho era, although Mata suggests that this was not the case. Speaking to the club's website, he said: "He did not come to tell us off. He talked to us last week after the change of manager. He had also come to one or two training sessions. No player in the squad has done anything or thought about a change in the coach. "He was the manager and we all put our faith in him. He had good ideas and he wanted to change things in the club but, in the end, it is the results that matter. Nobody got rid of him. "He came with the idea of how he played at Porto – the pressure high up the pitch, robbing the ball and always being very close to the opponents' goal with a very offensive football. "Perhaps Chelsea were used to a different style, perhaps a more physical one with a lot of chances in a small space of time, not such a fluid style but still a very attacking one. "It was maybe imposing a style when the team were not used it." Ahead of Chelsea's Champions League tie at home to Napoli, the former Valencia star backed his Spanish team-mate Fernando Torres to end his scoring drought. Torres has gone almost 24 hours without a goal, a run that has seen him dropped from the international squad as he looks to salvage his career in west London. Mata believes it will not be long before the striker comes good, insisting: "Fernando still has time. He has lived through a lot of good and bad. He is working extremely hard in training." "You can't forget so soon his 80 goals in Liverpool," said Mata. "He'll be a very important player for Chelsea and for Spain. "People talk about the fact that Fernando has not scored but he is constantly creating space. I've scored goals thanks to him. He has given me a lot of assists. "There have been other games when the keeper has made a fantastic save or he has hit the bar." Trailing 3-1 from the first-leg, Chelsea will need to attack from the first minute at Stamford Bridge as they look to overhaul Napoli. Mata continued: "From the first minute we have to try to create chances to score. We know they have very good strikers and we have to be careful with them, but we will press from the first minute. "In football nothing is impossible and at Stamford Bridge we have had good results in the Champions League, so I think we can do it. "All the supporters will be cheering us, it's a final for us, and we can do it."