Lampard admits AVB problem

Speculation has been rife of a conflict between midfield star Lampard and Villas-Boas virtually all season, with the former unhappy about the number of games he has sat out.

This has been the first time either had openly admitted their relationship had become strained, although Lampard did not want to dwell on any problems the pair might have had.

He said of their relationship: "I think, from the outside, you can probably see that it's not been ideal but the important thing is not to focus on individual relationships too much.

"It can only be negative and people do like to play on negatives."