STATEMENT ON NORWICH TRAIN

Chelsea Football Club is concerned to hear that a small number of fans travelling back by train from Norwich were alleged to be involved in racist chants and comment.

We are working to help the relevant authorities identify those responsible and will take the strongest possible action should these allegations prove to be true.

The club, like the overwhelming majority of our fans, strongly believe that all forms of discrimination are abhorrent and have absolutely no place in society.

VILLAS-BOAS: WHY WE'RE HERE

As he prepares to get to work in Mallorca, Andre Villas-Boas has discussed the decision for a mid-season break as well as the form of one of his Spanish talents.

The manager gave the squad a day off on Sunday having flown to the Mediterranean straight after the draw at Norwich on Saturday afternoon, a game in which striker Fernando Torres could have netted us a second-half winner.

Explaining the decision to relocate for a few days in the sun, Villas-Boas said: 'It is a change of environment to a different place to break the routine a little bit - it's nothing new to English teams.

'We decided to go to Spain and not the Middle East just because of the difference of the time zones, it is much more aggressive and more tiring there, otherwise we would have gone over there. It is nothing new, winter camps are normally done with Premier League teams and we decided to opt for Spain.

'We gave them the day off on Sunday, in a different place, and regarding the work we will focus the same. It is just a break of routine, nothing new.'

Torres was brought off late on Saturday after coming close to breaking the deadlock, a clever poke tipped around the corner by Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy in the first half, and a close-range prod that went the wrong side of the post in the second.

'It was a continuation of his good form and if it is repaid with goals it is better for him I think,' Villas-Boas conceded.

'The most important thing is the workrate for the team and it was excellent today [but] strikers live off goals and it helps their confidence build up. You can't say he isn't trying, he is making the right movements and is present in the box and one day things will go for him.'

New signing Gary Cahill was not in the matchday squad at the weekend, but Villas-Boas would have no qualms about including the 26-year-old in our FA Cup game at Queens Park Rangers this weekend.

'He is a top player. We brought a top player that is competing against three top central defenders and he can threaten for a starting position,' the Portuguese said. 'The decision [on Saturday] was only based on the fact that it was not enough time for him to accumulate all the information we put on.

'We have a competition to win, one of the most prestigious ones and we will put out one of our strongest teams.'

Before then, there remain a few more days in the Spanish sun, in which time the defender will be able to assimilate himself further with 

LAMPARD INJURY UPDATE

A scan on the injury Frank Lampard suffered during the game at Norwich on Saturday shows he has a small tear in a calf muscle.

The midfielder is unlikely to feature in the FA Cup fourth-round match against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday but is expected to join up with the rest of the squad in Mallorca where they are training this week.

Lampard wassubstituted with 36 minutes played in the scoreless draw at Carrow Road.

CHELSEA TV EXCLUSIVE: POINT BLANK

Petr Cech has discussed with Chelsea TV a game that gave him his third clean sheet in a row but did not yield all three points.

Our goalkeeper believes there were many parts of the team's display in the 0-0 draw at Norwich that worked well but unfortunately the breakthrough couldn't be found. That reduced his pride in another shut-out - the 170th clean sheet in his 341 game Chelsea career.

'We would rather have a 3-2 score and get three points,' Cech told the club's own channel.

'That is the reality of the game and I think we played much better than 0-0 suggests because we created enough, had a lot shots and put a lot of balls inside the six-yard box, but unfortunately the only thing that we missed is that we didn't put the ball in the back of the net.

'We dealt quite well with Norwich's style of playing. One thing they can do really well is to break the game into two parts from side to side, and sometimes it is quite hard to shuffle across and stop crosses but we dealt really well with crosses.

'Defensively we did well and attacking we did well as well and it was one of the better games we played this season,' he continued, 'but unfortunately in these games where you have control of the game, it is disappointing to go away with 0-0.'

PAT NEVIN: THE PROFESSIONAL GAME

In this week's column, former Chelsea favouritePat Nevin looks enviously at modern attitudes to playing at the top level that would have suited him down to the ground…

So the lads are off for a little break in Mallorca. After only drawing 0-0 against Norwich on Saturday some might think they scarcely deserve it. Personally I think that would be a harsh judgement, they dominated the game in terms of possession after all and were very unlucky to be playing against a keeper who understandably picked up the man of the match award.

It was of course a great opportunity to take advantage of Man U playing at Arsenal and Spurs visiting Man City, points had to be dropped and they duly were by our London neighbours. So yes there is some disappointment but on a wider viewpoint that is one defeat in the last 10 games, a slightly more consistent run of form even if there have been a few too many draws in that spell.

Those 10 games have come in just 44 days and maybe the hectic schedule has begun to take its toll on some of the players and not just those at Chelsea. Frank Lampard obviously picked up an infuriating muscle injury and all the top teams have had games when they have looked jaded lately.

The Mallorca trip will be all about a good few training sessions, as well as rest and recovery,rather thanthe chance for a bit of bonding.

Nowadays that word bonding has taken on a whole new meaning in football generally since it became a byword for organised drinking sessions with all the attendant questionable behaviour.

People often ask me if the behaviour from footballers these days is better or worse than it was when I was playing. To be honest it really hasn't changed a great deal other than when footballers do let their standards drop these days it is in a higher class of nightclub, in a better hotel or in a more expensive set of wheels.

I suspect if I was playing today I would find myself doing exactly the same as I did 20 years ago, behaving sensibly and trying to curb the worst excesses of the odd player who had overindulged. There is one thing that has certainly changed and that is the attitude of the coaches and the managers. They are acutely aware of the press and their ability to sniff out a good story, so they always have to be on their guard.

There is also the fact there was no such thing as a camera phone when I was playing and now anyone anywhere can take a picture of a player when he is shall we say, not looking in prime match-fit condition. Anything players do 

Malouda remains unhappy

Speculation continues to surround the future of Chelsea winger Florent Malouda after the latest moan regarding his lack of first-team opportunities.

The 31-year-old has been linked with Anzhi Makhachkala and Brazilian club Palmeiras, who are managed by ex-Stamford Bridge boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, after a regular role as a substitute.

Malouda has already made it clear he is unhappy about his limited chances, having starting just four Premier League matches this season, and has let his views be known to Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The France international said in the Sunday Star: "I am the kind of player who needs to play week in, week out and the manager knows that.

"I am expecting to start more games because that's my standard and it's what I've been doing for the last two seasons.

"I am trying to show, when I get the time, that I have the quality to start games."

Terry plays down unrest reports

Chelsea captain John Terry has denied reports that some senior players are unhappy with boss Andre Villas-Boas.

With the Portuguese looking to re-shape an aging Blues side a number of established stars, including Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, have found their first-team opportunities more limited than in previous seasons.

That has led to suggestions of dressing room unrest, stemming from the frustrated players sat on the sidelines.

The likes of Malouda and Drogba have been linked with moves away in January, while another senior striker, Nicolas Anelka, has already left the club for Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

However, Terry has scotched suggestions the squad is unhappy with Villas-Boas, insisting that any frustration stems from a desire to play and is not aimed in the manager's direction.