Ancelotti Gets England over Italy
Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti believes England are a better bet for success at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ than his native Italy. Gli Azzurri are the defending champions following their triumph in Germany, but the Chelsea manager likes the look of the team moulded by his countryman Fabio Capello.
Ancelotti told Radio Anch'io lo sport: "The England team has excellent credentials. They have players who play at a very high level and there are great expectations for the World Cup."
"In Italy the situation is different because they are going through a transitional period. (Coach Marcello) Lippi will do well to unite the players who are emerging within the squad and those who were successful in 2006."
Ancelotti also had words of praise for one of his Chelsea predecessors Claudio Ranieri, whose Roma side went top of Serie A yesterday with just five games of the season to go. "It is surprising that Roma have overtaken Inter Milan at the top," said the former midfielder.
Man Utd 3 – 2 Bayern Munich
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Arjen Robben's spectacular late strike wrecked Manchester United's hopes of reaching a third successive Champions League final as he sent Bayern Munich through on away goals at Old Trafford.
The former Chelsea star rifled in a magnificent volley from Franck Ribery's corner with 16 minutes left to stun United after they looked to be cruising into the semi-finals as they went 3-0 up before the interval to establish a two-goal aggregate lead.
Robben capped a dismal week for United that has seen them lose the Premier League leadership and crash out of the Champions League - also ending English interest in the tournament after Arsenal's exit against Barcelona.
Mourinho gears up Inter for key game with Chelsea
Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea with the ultimate revenge mission on his mind as Inter Milan attempt to knock his former club out of the Champions League.
Mourinho will be back at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for the first time since being sacked in 2007 after losing a power struggle with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and his host of advisors.
The Inter boss, whose side have a slender 2-1 lead to protect from the first leg of this last 16 tie, has visited his old stamping ground on a scouting mission since his shock exit, but this is his first chance to inflict a significant wound on the men that plotted to force him out.
Abramovich has made winning the Champions League the top priority for all the four managers who have led Chelsea since Mourinho's departure, but none have succeeded and the Inter boss could hardly be expected not to take extra pleasure from denying Abramovich his dream for another year.
Whatever the fractious nature of the relationship between Mourinho and his former employers, even Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti admits his counterpart is certain to be given a raptuous reception by the Stamford Bridge fans.
Mourinho has already acknowledged it will be an emotional day but Inter striker Samuel Eto'o insists his manager is far too cool and calculating to let the occasion distract him from the task at hand.
"Mourinho going back to Chelsea is a big thing for him but he is very professional and will be prepared for the situation," Eto'o said.
"Chelsea are the favourites and the pressure is on them. Every minute that passes without a goal on Tuesday will add to that pressure. They will feel the tension.
"We will attack them from the start and if we win this game then I believe we will go on to win the Champions League."
Mourinho turned previously under-achieving Chelsea into two-time Premier League winners and also lifted the FA Cup and League Cup during his tumultuous three-year reign.
Ancelotti would love to leave Chelsea with a similar collection of trophies on his CV, but for now he knows it is just vital to get one over on his old rival.
Mourinho infuriated former AC Milan boss Ancelotti with a series of barbs during their short time as competitors in Italy, but the Chelsea boss refuses to turn the tie into a personality clash.
"There is no problem with Mourinho. It's a game between Chelsea and Inter, not me against Mourinho," Ancelotti said.
"We know it will be a difficult game against an excellent team, but I think we have a good possibility to do our best to win and go forward. The atmosphere is a good atmosphere to have before a game against Inter.
"I think we don't have time to be worried. We have to stay concentrated, have confidence, have courage, have personality, only with this can we win the game.
"I'm excited because it's a fantastic game. All the world will look at this game and this is a very good motivation for me. It is my favourite competition. For Chelsea it is important, but so is the championship.
"It is important to stay calm. These are the games that put a lot of pressure on us. We have to have good control of this pressure because this is the right way to play well."
Since beating Chelsea at the San Siro, Inter have won just once in three matches, with Friday's 3-1 defeat at Catania a particularly humbling result.
In contrast, Chelsea looked to have rediscovered their verve in Saturday's 4-1 rout of West Ham.
With senior goalkeepers Petr Cech and Hilario likely to be sidelined through injury, young replacement keeper Ross Turnbull will be under the microscope in just his fourth appearance for the Blues.
But, as ever, Mourinho will be the only man commanding the spotlight at full-time.
Related information:
Chelsea is an area of Central London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above Sloane Square tube station. The modern eastern boundary is Chelsea Bridge Road and the lower half of Sloane Street, including Sloane Square. To the north and northwest, the area fades into Knightsbridge and South Kensington, but it is safe to say that the area north of King's Road as far northwest as Fulham Road is part of Chelsea.
The district is part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. From 1900, and until the creation of Greater London in 1965, it formed the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea in the County of London.
Chelsea Football Club has its grounds at Stamford Bridge, in nearby Fulham, not Chelsea.
Chelsea ignore Terry absence to reach last eight
FA Cup holders Chelsea shrugged off the absence of captain John Terry to cruise into the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Championship side Cardiff in the fifth round on Saturday.
They were joined in the last eight by crisis-club Portsmouth, who beat Southampton by an identical scoreline, while Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke.
With Terry granted time off to fly to Dubai to be with his wife as he deals with allegations of an affair, Ashley Cole sidelined after ankle surgery and Petr Cech and Nicolas Anelka rested, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti sent out a slightly unfamiliar line-up at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian's team was still strong enough to kill off Cardiff. In the second minute, Didier Drogba ran onto Jon Obi Mikel's long pass and fired past Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall for his 23rd goal of the season.
Cardiff forward Michael Chopra stunned the hosts when he punished poor marking to head the equaliser from Chris Burke's 34th minute cross.
But Chelsea finally subdued Dave Jones's side and regained the lead in the 51st minute thanks to Michael Ballack's cool finish from Drogba's pass.
Young striker Daniel Sturridge added the third goal when he fired through Marshall's legs in the 69th minute and Salomon Kalou, heading in Paolo Ferreira's cross, completed the rout with four minutes left.
"Our team was changed but we took quality out and quality came back in. It is the professionalism of our players that shines through," Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins said.
"Some people might have thought this was going to be a bit of an easy game for us but those guys took it by the throat and pulled us through when we were not playing particularly well."
Stoke's Rory Delap caused more havoc with his infamous long throw as Tony Pulis's side earned a replay at Manchester City.
Shaun Wright-Phillips put City in front in the 11th minute when Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and defender Ryan Shawcross failed to deal with Stephen Ireland's long pass.
Shawcross, who had stumbled to the turf, kicked the ball off his own head as he tried to clear and Wright-Phillips was able to tap into the empty net.
But Stoke set up a replay in familiar fashion as Ricardo Fuller headed home a trademark rocket throw from Delap in the 57th minute.
Portsmouth lifted the gloom around Fratton Park with a 4-1 win at local rivals Southampton.
Avram Grant's team sit bottom of the Premier League and face the threat of bankruptcy as they battle debts of 60 million pounds (69 million euros) and a winding up order over unpaid Customs and Revenue tax bills.
But Pompey, FA Cup winners in 2008, were able to put their off-field problems to one side for 90 minutes as they won the first meeting of these old enemies for five years.
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie came off the bench to give Portsmouth the lead with a fine finish in the 66th minute.
Rickie Lambert headed Southampton level four minutes later, but the visitors' extra class killed off their League One opponents in the closing stages.
Ivory Coast forward Aruna Dindane put Portsmouth back in front in the 75th minute and Algeria defender Nadir Belhadj slotted home the third in the 82nd minute.
There was still time for Jamie O'Hara, on loan from Tottenham, to rub salt into Southampton's wounds with a fine strike in the closing moments.
"It's good for the club and the fans. Since the draw everyone has only spoken about this game like there's no league so it is very important for everybody," Grant said.
Elsewhere, Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell scored in the last minute as Alex McLeish's side came from a goal down to beat Championship side Derby 2-1 at Pride Park.
The Rams went ahead when Jay McEveley's long-range effort deceived Joe Hart in the 55th minute.
But Scott Dann equalised with his first goal for Birmingham in the 73rd minute and Ridgwell popped up with the dramatic 90th-minute winner.
Giant-killers Reading, who had defeated Liverpool and Burnley in the competition this season, were held to a 2-2 draw by West Bromwich Albion at the Madejski Stadium.
Arsenal are out of title race, says Chelsea’s Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack has said the championship is now between only Chelsea and Manchester United, and has told Arsène Wenger to stop making excuses for Arsenal's inability to win crucial games against their title rivals.
The Germany midfielder branded Arsenal too predictable, and said it may be impossible for the club to ever win anything – their last trophy was the FA Cup, five years ago – unless Wenger is able to make the team more tactically flexible. Arsenal now sit third in the league following their 2-0 defeat on Sunday, nine points behind Chelsea, who lead United by two points.
Ballack was clear when asked if the Premier League has become a two-horse race. "It looks like it," he said. "It's a race between Manchester United and us. But as I said a few weeks ago, it can go quickly that somebody drops points. But at the moment it looks like it's down to the two of us."
Responding to Wenger's comments that he believed the best team had lost, Ballack was dismissive. "I think he always says this when he loses. When he loses he always finds an excuse.
"But football is not possession on the ball or playing nice passes. Good football is winning games and that's what we do when we play against them. We deserved the win because we played very effectively. It was how we wanted to play before the game. It was our strategy. Maybe in the second half we concentrated a bit too much on defending but if you're 2-0 up you can do this.
"For me good football is a mix of winning, successful football, mental strength, good football technically and also physically. I think we have a good mix in the team and we have done this all season. We can't do more. First in the table."
An ongoing criticism of Arsenal under Wenger is that the team is unable to switch tactics from its free-flowing, passing style, and is also unable to deal with more muscular opponents.
Ballack confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, had focused on this. He said: "We want to do our job. We knew the way they would play – we saw it in the first game we played against them [when Chelsea won 3-0 at the Emirates in November] and in the way they played against Manchester United last week [when Arsenal lost 3-1]. It is always the same style. If you get your tactics right like we did today I think you can beat them. That's what we did."
Ballack, who also echoed Didier Drogba's support for John Terry after his loss of the England captaincy, was asked directly if Arsenal would ever win anything playing with their current style. "This season and the [last] season they didn't show they were able to win the league," he said.
The 33-year-old explained why he feels Chelsea are able to challenge for major honours. "We have a lot of big-game players and big characters at Chelsea. That is why we are a good team and it's really great to be part of this club," he said. "Everybody fights for everybody, there is good spirit and good experience in the group, we've had a few years together and there is a lot of personal quality among the players. Even if we don't play a fantastic game we have a few players who can decide a game with one action."
Ballack gave particular praise to Drogba, who scored both of Chelsea's goals against Arsenal. The striker now has 12 in 12 games against Wenger's team. "He is such an important player for us. In big games like this he is always there. That's why he is such a big player," said Ballack. "Two fantastic goals, the second was a great one.
"He's a very individual type. The way he plays he's a different type compared to [Wayne] Rooney or [Andrey] Arshavin. He has unbelievable physical strength combined with technical finishing. He has a lot of qualities and not a lot of players have this. It is much better to playing with him than against him."
Terry thanks Chelsea’s fans for backing
Chelsea's John Terry has thanked the club's fans for their support after allegations about his private life that cost him the England captaincy.
England manager Fabio Capello took a matter of minutes on Friday to tell Terry his time as captain of the national side was at an end following the central defender's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.
But the 29-year-old Terry remains the captain of Chelsea, where he has had the unstinting backing of manager Carlo Ancelotti, and the ongoing publicity over his private life appears to have had no adverse effect on his on-field performances.
It was from Terry's flick-on that Didier Drogba scored the first of his two goals on Sunday at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 to regain top spot in the English Premier League.
Terry, who has not so far commented publicly about his alleged infidelity, remains a hero to many Chelsea supporters and he told Chelsea TV, the club's in-house television station, after Sunday's victory: "On a personal note I would like to thank every single fan.
"It's been an emotional day (Sunday) for myself and how the fans have been with me over the last two weeks has been quite incredible.
"I didn't expect that today and I would like to thank every single individual fan for the way they treated me.
"It was a great performance and, I mean it from my heart, I would like to thank everyone."
Chelsea seek to avoid curse of Turf Moor
If Chelsea are to open up a lead at the summit of the Premier League this weekend, they must achieve a result that has proved beyond title rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti takes his side to Turf Moor to face Burnley, who have beaten Sir Alex Ferguson's champions and held Arsene Wenger's Gunners already this season.
Following on from an impressive 3-0 mid-week success against Birmingham, who had not lost for 15 matches ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge, optimism will be high within Chelsea ranks that they can collect another three points.
However, this fixture will provide a test of character for the side and experienced players at the club will realise it requires as much concentration and focus as any encounter against one of the country's bigger clubs.
The Blues have suffered two away defeats this term, at the hands of Manchester City and Aston Villa, and this latest game on the road is an opportunity to open the gap at the top of the league.
United and Arsenal face each other on Sunday, meaning a win at Burnley would leave Chelsea four points clear of Ferguson's side, and five ahead of Wenger's men.
"If we open up that gap again it'll be great," said midfielder Frank Lampard, who was an integral part of Chelsea's two Premier League title successes (2004-05 and 2005-06) under Jose Mourinho.
"Those little mental things are great during the season.
"It's a great to be back on top. We knew we had games in hand but we didn't like to see ourselves down in third place. Arsenal were on a good run but it's a marathon not a sprint."
Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are both available following their return from the African Nations Cup but the Ivory Coast duo have been given the weekend off to recover from their long trip back to London.
Chelsea's ability to cope without Drogba's goals was questioned before he flew off to Angola, but since then the London outfit have won all four fixtures they have played -- scoring 17 goals along the way.
"We didn't say we'd struggle this month, everyone else did," Lampard added. "We have a lot of belief. I just think the loss of Didier was talked about too much. We've got the players who can come in. Maybe some needed to step up and everyone has done.
"We have gone up another gear this month. We had a bad run in December, dropped some points and we've worked hard to get that back."
The last time these sides met was in August, and Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners courtesy of goals from Nicolas Anelka, Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole.
Since then Burnley have changed managers though, and Brian Laws has failed to pick up a win since taking over from Owen Coyle earlier in the month. In fact, Burnley have not even scored a goal since he arrived.
The former Sheffield Wednesday chief has lost all three matches so far, leaving the Clarets inside the bottom three. And they have injury problems to contend with too.
Versatile anchorman Graham Alexander and midfielder Chris McCann are almost certainly ruled out of the game, although Cameroon international Andre Bikey returns from international duty.
Defender Leon Cort and goalkeeper Nicky Weaver have been brought in this week in an attempt to add strength in depth to the squad.
Cort, a 1.5-million-pound (1.7-million-euro) signing from Stoke, is set for his debut against Chelsea, while former Manchester City keeper Weaver, who joined as a free agent, has made it clear he is ready to challenge Brian Jensen for the number one spot.
He said: "The chance to come back into the Premier League was something I couldn?t turn down and hopefully it?s longer than just for a few months.
"There are 16 games left and a lot of points to play for and all the players will pull in the right direction to keep the club in the Premiership."
ARSENE WENGER SLAMS DEBT CHEATS
ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has mocked Chelsea’s claims they are now debt free and has accused Premier League clubs who fail to balance the books of cheating.
Chelsea this week announced they had effectively wiped out their £340 million debt after owner Roman Abramovich converted his loans into equity, and they are now ready to pay £40m for Valencia striker David Villa.
When asked about Chelsea’s boast, Arsene Wenger smiled broadly and said: “Well, you know we are in a period of magicians.” Portsmouth were served with a winding-up petition and again failed to pay their players on time. West Ham, Arsenal’s FA Cup opponents tomorrow, are still searching for a new owner to clear a £70m debt.
“Professional football is about winning and balancing the budget,” said Wenger. “That’s the basic rule, one I fought for. All the rest is half-cheating. For every club it has to be the same. I always pleaded for financial fair play.
“The clubs belong to the fans. That’s all I feel my responsibility is, to keep the club in good financial condition.”
Ancelotti backs Cech
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, in the firing line for some recent error-prone showings, Friday received a vote of confidence from coach Carlo Ancelotti, who described him as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Cech's relative loss of form in recent weeks was highlighted by Chelsea taking just nine points from a possible 18 in December - but Ancelotti rode to his defence.
"I said Petr Cech is one of the most important players for this team, one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Ancelotti said.
"I like him because he takes on responsibility in the box, he likes to come out to catch the ball. Above all, that's important in England, to have this kind of goalkeeper.
"A goalkeeper that takes responsibility can make the odd mistake. I prefer to have a goalkeeper who takes responsibility than one who just stays on his goalline and doesn't take that responsibility."
Cech is set to face Watford in the FA Cup third round tie on Sunday as Ancelotti wants to field a strong team in deference to the history and importance of the competition.
"I want to put out my best team. It's a very important competition in England. In Italy, the Italian Cup is not so important.
"We want to do our best. It is one of our objectives, our aim, to win it. Last year we won it. We want to do the best again this year."
Chelsea back on course after derby delight
Chelsea won for only the second time in eight matches to extend their Premier League lead to five points after coming from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 in a dramatic west London derby on Sunday.
Fulham needed just four minutes to go ahead at Stamford Bridge through Zoltan Gera before Carlo Ancelotti's side scored twice in two minutes late on though Didier Drogba and a Chris Smalling own-goal to rescue all three points.
But second-placed champions Manchester United will cut Chelsea's lead back to two points if they win at home to Wigan on Wednesday.
Fulham, who've already beaten Manchester United and Liverpool this season, stunned their hosts when the Blues failed to clear a Paul Konchesky cross and Hungarian midfielder Gera hooked an acrobatic shot past Petr Cech.
It wasn't until the 73rd minute that striker Drogba, in his last Chelsea match before he departs on African Nations Cup duty with the Ivory Coast, equalised with a powerful header - the forward's 19th goal in all competitions this term.
And just two minutes later Chelsea were in front after Daniel Sturridge's cross-shot was saved by Fulham's Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer only for the rebound to go in off luckless 20-year-old defender Smalling, who had impressed on his first Premier League start.
"It was a great performance by my players," Chelsea manager Ancelotti told Sky Sports.
"In the second half we played with more determination. We wanted to win this game, it was very important," the Italian added.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said: "To have the lead for so long and to defend that lead for over 70 minutes and then to concede two goals was a bit tough."
Earlier, Luka Modric marked his first start since August by scoring the opener as Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham 2-0 at White Hart Lane to go fourth in the table.
In-form Birmingham, now unbeaten in their last 11 league games, won 1-0 away to Stoke thanks to striker Cameron Jerome's 50th minute goal.
Elsewhere, England forward Darren Bent twice gave Sunderland the lead only for Blackburn Rovers to draw 2-2 while Everton beat 10-man Burnley 2-0.
Manchester City will look to build on new manager Roberto Mancini's winning start against Stoke when they travel to Wolves for Monday's late match.
Croatia midfielder Modric, out for several months with a broken leg, started and finished a length of the field move as he scored in the 11th minute.
Jermain Defoe sealed victory against his old club nine minutes from time with his 14th league goal of the season, a strike that left the England forward as the division's top scorer.
But Spurs will return to fifth place if Aston Villa win at home to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said a top four finish and a place in next term's Champions League would be a remarkable feat given Tottenham's position in the relegation zone when he arrived at the club last season.
"We would certainly settle for finishing in the top four from where we were last year," Redknapp said.
Defeat against their London rivals left West Ham hovering above the relegation zone and they also saw key midfielder Scott Parker make an early exit with what appeared to be a recurrence of a hamstring injury
Bent gave Sunderland a 53rd minute lead only for Morten Gamst Pedersen to equalise barely 60 seconds later.
But Bent restored the visitors advantage in the 65th minute at Ewood Park only for El-Hadji Diouf to head Rovers level.
Everton substitute James Vaughan came off the bench to score seven minutes from time at Goodison Park before South Africa's Steven Pienaar wrapped up victory in the dying seconds against a Burnley side reduced to 10 men midway through the second half after Stephen Jordan was sent-off.
