Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has claimed that internal pressures at Stamford Bridge make it 'difficult' to succeed.
Ahead of tomorrow's Carling Cup final against Arsenal, the French midfield anchor, 34, has spoken of the intense scrutiny faced by players and manager Jose Mourinho.
While some of those pressures come from outside the Barclays Premiership champions, Makelele admits the high standards demanded by billionaire owner Roman Abramovich make the stakes even higher.
'Now Chelsea have become one of Europe's great clubs there is such pressure on the manager and players from the public and media.
'And from the owner, who puts pressure on behind the scenes. In truth, we don't really know too much about what is happening.
'Roman Abramovich does not say a lot but we can see there is so much pressure the club is putting on the manager. It's unbearable, especially for the players.
'We want to be in the right conditions to win matches and above all trophies. That is difficult with this internal pressure.'
