Robben fed up with Mourinho

LONDON - CHELSEA winger Arjen Robben has voiced his anger at being left on the bench for Sunday's League Cup final.

The 23-year-old came on in the second half and impressed, as Didier Drogba scored from his perfect cross for Chelsea to pip Arsenal 2-1.

But the Dutchman admits he was frustrated to start from the bench.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho again opted for a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield that left no room for Robben.

When he was told by Dutch television that there was disappointment back home over his omission, Robben said: 'You can't be as angry as I was.

'I was pleased about the assist I gave for the second goal, as it showed what I can do. You will have to ask the manager why I was left out.

'For me, it's about time I started games.'

Mourinho, it seems, is unhappy that the winger keeps picking up niggling injuries and missing key games.

'Some players are back from injury quickly and others like Robben take a long time. He is injured a lot and never for a small period - always a long time,' he had said recently.

But instead of Robben leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, it could well be Mourinho.

Club owner Roman Abramovich boycotted the League Cup celebrations for a third time as he failed to attend a dinner on Monday.

The Russian had already snubbed the post-match celebrations in the dressing room and a party on Sunday night in London. And then, on Monday, he failed to turn up again.

The Sun claimed that reservations were made at a restaurant for 90 people, with everyone from Abramovich down to the kitmen expected to attend.

But the Russian apparently opted to fly back to Moscow rather than attend the dinner, with reports suggesting that he is trying to avoid talks with Mourinho about his future.

Last week, after the 1-1 draw at Porto in the Champions League, fans met up with Abramovich in a three-hour impromptu meeting at a hotel.

When they asked about Mourinho's future, the club owner clammed up, preferring to stare at the floor.

One fan at the meeting said: 'Jose's gone in the summer. He's a dead man walking. There's no way he'll be in charge next season. You should have seen Abramovich, he didn't want to know.

'Every time we mentioned Mourinho, he and his mates just cringed and looked at the floor in an angry and dismissive manner.'