Benitez in line if Villas-Boas axed

Speaking after the 3-1 defeat at Napoli which places Chelsea in severe danger of being knocked out of the Champions League, Villas-Boas ­conceded that although he hoped he maintained Abramovich’s full ­support, he could “not speculate” on whether he would be in charge for the return leg. He also said that defensive errors were costing his team and that he had spoken to both Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole before kick-off to explain their surprise omissions, which TV pundit Jamie Redknapp called “career suicide”. It is understood Lampard was furious when told he was not playing. Villas-Boas said: “I had a conversation with Ashley and Frank. Through the players that they are and the players with the experience they have, they felt they could have helped the team. From The telegraph