Chelsea's Roberto Di Matteo: 'I thought I was going to be sacked last season'

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has revealed that he was scared for his job in the immediate aftermath of the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas was dismissed as the Blues manager in March and Di Matteo, then serving as his assistant, was appointed as the caretaker.

"In my heart, I did think I was going to be sacked, yes," The Mirror quotes the 42-year-old as saying.

"Quite frankly, I thought it was going to happen. I more or less thought I was going to be told to leave.

"It's never nice to hear those words, although it makes you stronger for the future and it was a very emotional day for us even before I was told what they wanted me to do."

Di Matteo led Chelsea to the FA Cup and the Champions League triumph last season and was given a permanent contract before the start of the 2012-13 campaign.