• Home defeat to Aston Villa puts Chelsea out of race
• ‘Fans have the right to boo,’ says Chelsea manager

André Villas-Boas admits he has fallen short of the minimum requirement expected at Chelsea and dismissed the team’s chances of challenging for the title as fantasy, with the manager left to target the more humble objective of finishing in the top four.

Villas-Boas saw his team stumble into the new year in fifth place after suffering a third home league defeat of the season, 3-1 to Aston Villa, with his players departing to a chorus of boos. He does not fear for his own future at the club six months into his three-year contract, though the 34-year-old appears resigned to a frustrating first season in charge.

“The minimum requirement for a club like this is first place,” said Villas-Boas after Villa had secured a first victory at Stamford Bridge in nine years. “But I don’t think the title is realistic. That is fantasy. Our reality has to be a top-four finish, but even that would not be good enough. We have to continue to pursue the best possible finish for the league, and what will be a more humble finish for this club.”

Roman Abramovich set a benchmark by sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari in February 2009 when Chelsea’s position in the top four appeared to be under threat, though the owner, who is celebrating the new year in the Caribbean, has privately pledged his support for the incumbent and charged him with reinvigorating this squad. That is proving a painful process.”The fans have a right to show their disappointment,” said Villas-Boas, who hopes to add Bolton’s Gary Cahill to the ranks early next week. “Their away support has been magnificent. Their home support is improving. They know they can make a difference and we need them, but there is no running away or making excuses.

“We have lost a big opportunity in the last four games to shorten the gap to the leaders. We would have been in the running for the title if we’d had a better December. The booing is the most valuable criticism we have. It is acceptable and we take on board.”

Villas-Boas did express exasperation at the schedule demanded of his team, with Chelsea forced to play four times in 11 days while other contenders – principally Manchester United – have been granted slightly more time to recover. “Every single club should have the same programme,” he added. “It should be the same for everybody, and it’s not fair the way it’s split at the moment. I know the demands from television are high, but the players will go through physical strains that will undermine their careers and ambitions at Euro 2012, and their clubs’ objectives. This is a very difficult situation.”

André Villas-BoasChelseaPremier LeaguePremier League 2011-12Dominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk

• Villas-Boas hopes Lampard will be at Chelsea ‘for years’
• But he refuses to confirm if Lampard will play against Valencia

A visibly irritated André Villas-Boas has accused critics of wanting to “finish” the careers of established Chelsea players such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba as he prepares his team for the Champions League group game against Valencia on Wednesday evening. Yet the Portuguese refused to confirm that Lampard would start at the Estadio Mestalla.

Drogba missed a month of football due to concussion suffered against Norwich City late last month before returning as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Swansea City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and Lampard has not completed a full match since the 2-1 victory at Sunderland on 10 September. The 33-year-old midfielder, who began the opening four Premier League games, remained on the bench against Swansea.

Yet Villas-Boas became annoyed when asked about Lampard. “Why has he not been playing? How many games did he start in the Premier League?” he said. When Lampard’s record was relayed, he said: “So you just took the negative part instead of the positive part. I think I’ve answered it enough.

“Frank is a magnificent player. Frank is an established, top-quality player, one of the most important at the club and will continue to be. He has nothing to prove to the football world and will continue to show that. He is a spectacular team player and professional and I hope he will continue to succeed in this club for many years to come, as long as I am here. He is [also] a big player for Chelsea and England. It’s 26 players for 11 places. What is the dramatic thing here?”

When it was put to Villas-Boas that he is the first Chelsea coach since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 to rotate high-profile personnel such as Lampard and Drogba, he said: “It’s not a question of dramatic change in what’s happening. It’s not taking the case where you want to make it: that these players are finishing. That’s not true, it’s not true.

“I just go on managing my team. The biggest challenge [is] motivating everybody – all want to play and compete for a place. There is no mystique. It’s day-by-day life of a manager. You have it in wrong perspective. I am not being brave. It’s for the benefit of the team. You’ve got it all wrong. There should be no negative criticisms.

“It is choices for the team and there is nothing wrong with it. We all see things as team objectives. At the moment what we manage is a squad ready to challenge. We are three behind [the] leaders in the Premier League, and challenging for all competitions.”

Lampard last began a match at Manchester United on 18 September in a 3-1 defeat in which he was replaced at half-time. Whether he will start on Wednesday is unclear after the manager said: “It depends on the strategy we want to use. I make choices like any manager does. Nothing unusual in that.”

Villas-Boas, speaking after Chelsea were delayed for four hours on the runway at Gatwick before changing planes, was reluctant to accept that he is freshening up the squad by bringing in less established players than Lampard and Drogba. “We made the changes on the things we needed to do to reinforce the squad,” he said. “Raul Meireles had a fantastic year at Liverpool [last season]. We analysed [the] squad and did what we did because it was good. We went for a mixture, not just younger players, [Juan] Mata was the best player in Valencia with [a] proven record. I wanted to add competence to the squad. It’s about competence and we have that at all levels in the squad.”

Mata is set to start against his former club. Alex, Josh McEachran and Paulo Ferreira have been left behind and Villas-Boas was asked if Chelsea, who beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the opening group game, were favourites against Valencia. “I don’t like being favourite in any game,” he said. “It only implies big surprises. It will be a football game of great intensity that will be extremely difficult because we know how good Valencia are. We believe in our football, which is attacking and we will try to play that. We are looking to get the result.”

ChelseaFrank LampardDidier DrogbaJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk