John Terry has admitted new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas cannot avoid comparisons with Jose Mourinho - even from his own players.
Villas-Boas has been keen to distance himself from former mentor Mourinho since striking out on his own in management, but having emulated the self-styled 'Special One' with success in their native Portugal with Porto last season, Villas-Boas has now followed in his footsteps again by moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea captain Terry has been working under Villas-Boas for less than two months but has already noticed similarities between the new Blues boss and Mourinho, and he said: "Clearly, he has learned from Jose and there are certain things where you think, 'That is very Mourinho-esque'."
He added: "Jose didn't like anyone getting close to the players. We had a good relationship with him but there were days you wouldn't have gone near him.
"So you could have a laugh and a joke with Jose and that could change the following day. That was the same with Andre when he was here and he's very much the same now as a manager."
Villas-Boas' team selection for his first competitive game in charge on Sunday is eagerly anticipated. And although Terry appears a certain starter at Stoke, the captain is taking nothing for granted.
Terry was famously one of Jose Mourinho's "untouchables" but admitted he began to fret last season that he could be axed.
The summer arrival of Villas-Boas has compounded that uncertainty for the defender, who has been the backbone of Chelsea's side for almost a decade.
"I feared losing my place last year and many other things," said Terry. "It's a fresh start for everyone, we've had to come in and prove ourselves, even though he watched every game last year and he knows a lot of the players anyway.
"He said anyone can lose their place. We all come in fighting for our places so we're all keen to see what the starting XI is going to be against Stoke."
Source: PA
