Andre Villas Boas believes that his unsuccessful stint at Chelsea has made him a better manager of big-name players.

The Portuguese told French outlet L’Equipe: “Chelsea was an experience for me because it allowed me to understand that there are some things I could not do.

“I was just the same coach as at Porto. I had a direction I wanted the team to follow. But I did not have enough support to follow this direction.

"It was a good thing, in the end, because this experience has taught me a lot and now in Tottenham, I do things differently.”

Villas Boas joined the Blues in the summer of 2011, with his reputation sky-high after leading his Porto side to a treble at the tender age of 33, including victory in the Europa League.

He only lasted forty games, however, amidst rumours that the leaders among the squad didn’t take to his methods.

“It was not only the players, the door of my office was also opened in Chelsea. But it is a question of dynamics: if you win the weekend, the leaders will follow you. And Chelsea is under a huge media focus. We were soon under pressure.

“[At Porto] I had principles, values, and I'm very stubborn, I do not change them. I learned in a school where the team was more important than any player. Therefore I try to defend the team before individuals.

“But now I'm more rounded, I maybe deal better with the important players. I treated everyone the same way at Chelsea. For you to stick to such a decision, you need the support the club, and you don't find that everywhere.”

On Saturday Villas Boas is reunited with former mentor Jose Mourinho, whom he assisted at Porto before taking the reins himself, as he brings his Chelsea side to White Hart Lane.

The Spurs coach is keen to shake comparisons with his former boss: “Of course, Jose was very important in my career, but I am completely different from him in terms of personality, methods of work and communication,” he said.

"Yes, there were some similarities: Porto, Chelsea. But he had a lot of success with Chelsea and I have not had a good experience there."