fter
steering Chelsea to FA Cup and Champions League success and then being
appointed manager on a permanent basis, Roberto Di Matteo is aware he
needs to continue delivering trophies.
Chelsea
begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday away at Wigan Athletic,
with Di Matteo tasked with a significant improvement on sixth place last
season.
"Expectation
levels are always high. It might have added a little pressure but it
was always so high anyway," the Italian told a news conference on
Friday.
"It's an ambitious club and we know we have to try and win trophies and be successful."
Having
been made interim manager in March with the team in turmoil following
the sacking of Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas, Di Matteo sparked a
remarkable turnaround in the club's fortunes in the final two months of
the campaign.
Di
Matteo was rewarded for steering Chelsea an FA Cup final win over
Liverpool and then to a first Champions League triumph with victory over
Bayern Munich when he was appointed manager on a permanent basis in
June.
Strikers
Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou have departed Stamford Bridge in the
close season with Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar arriving as Di
Matteo looks to mount a title challenge.
"All
the players are looking forward to finally starting. Our aspiration is
to do better than last season in the Premier League," he said.
"I
still believe Manchester City is the favourite. They haven't lost any
key players, but (Robin) Van Persie is a good signing for (Manchester)
United.
"We have to try and catch up with the Manchester teams. The gap last season was big so our aim is to catch them up."
Di
Matteo said his preparations for the new season had been disrupted by
the European Championship and the Olympics and it would "take a bit of
time" for Chelsea to hit top gear.
Brazilian
midfielder Oscar, signed from Internacional, has only just joined up
with the squad after Olympic duty and Di Matteo is considering what part
he can play at Wigan.
"Oscar
has only been in the building for a day and a half, so we will see. I
still have to think about it for Sunday, but there will be plenty of
time to play," he said.
Chelsea will be without Marin, who has a hamstring injury.
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