Roberto Di Matteo

“But I do love to cook. When I have a dinner party I like to invite loads of people, then I would just do like a salad buffet, with some snacks and cold meat and lots of different salads.”

“We were under pressure at West Brom to get promoted and to stay up, even if, at a big club like Chelsea, the pressures are more highlighted by the public scrutiny you're under. It's part of our job, that pressure, and I cope with it well.”

“In all I had 10 operations, nine within six weeks. Then one to remove the rod I had in my tibia a year later. I still have problems. I can do a little bit on the pitch, but the day after I feel it. And it is not going to get better.”

“My football philosophy is to win as many games as possible. Brand of football? I believe in mixing a bit of everything. You have to.”

“I simply do not know what the future will hold, but I will accept what it brings me.”

“I had a very traumatic end to my career so I didn't think I would become a manager then. As the years pass by the fire in you, the hunger, the desire for success comes back.”

“Some of my worst moments in football have been losing semi-finals, the Barcelona game in 2009 probably more than most. But you have to take it and bounce back.”

“I feel responsible. That's the way my personality is.”

“Every day I become a bit more of a support mechanism. It wasn't difficult at all to make the change. Would I go back to being a manager? It's a good question.”

“It's a daily plan to solve the problems thrown at us and emerge stronger. You pick things up on the way, and you even learn from the players you work with, but your overall philosophy doesn't change.”

“Obviously you do get influenced by former managers. That's normal. You try to build your own coaching philosophies. I've played for Arrigo Saachi, Dino Zoff, Zdenek Zeman, Gullit, Vialli and Ranieri.”

“Pierluigi Gollini is a highly-rated goalkeeper in Italy, he's young, a good shot-stopper, he comes for crosses, he's good with his feet.”

“What I believe is that we need a united group, people who are willing to fight for the club in the Championship. They need to put their services into the good of the team, for the good of the team.”