Tag Archives: Ancelotti

Anxious Ancelotti faces Trotters

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The Christmas programme continues on Wednesday when Chelsea entertain Bolton, Wigan play host to Arsenal and Liverpool take on rock-bottom Wolves in the Premier League.

Chelsea v Bolton (7:45pm)

Chelsea fans seeking a belated Christmas present could finally get some festive cheer on Wednesday when the stuttering champions entertain Bolton at Stamford Bridge.
Carlo Ancelotti’s double winners were five points clear at the top of the Premier League two months ago – but have failed to win in six and could be overtaken if the unthinkable happens against Wanderers in west London.
Noises about the future of the experienced Italian coach have done little to appease dismayed Blues followers but a first win on home soil since November 10 on Wednesday could set Chelsea up for a big push for the domestic crown.
Frank Lampard and Michael Essien are now back in tandem in the Blues engine room and Didier Drogba has shown signs of getting back to his unplayable best.
The Trotters had just 19 fully-fit senior professionals available for their Boxing Day win over West Brom and have now lost South Korea winger Lee Chung-yong to the Asia Cup. They have also not won at Stamford Bridge since 2003.
Chelsea could be nervous so the way to go could be to take the 16/5 about the draw-Chelsea half-time/full-time outcome.

Wigan v Arsenal (7:45pm)

Wigan are arguably the most difficult Premier League team to pin down in terms of a betting proposition and a Boxing Day win over fellow strugglers Wolves has set them up perfectly to stop Arsenal in their tracks.
Latics effectively killed the Gunners’ title hopes in April this year when they scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to seal a memorable 3-2 come-from-behind win at the DW Stadium and are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches on home soil.
You have to go back to September 19 to find the last time Wigan lost in front of their own supporters and Arsene Wenger will know his players cannot afford to relax after a Christmas cracker against Chelsea.
Both Teams To Score can be backed at 10/11 in what could be an open affair and the 7/1 about an Arsenal 2-1 Correct Score offers value.

Liverpool v Wolves (8pm)

Liverpool are just three points above third-from-bottom Wigan but dig a little deeper and that is perhaps a fair reflection on Roy Hodgson’s side on home soil.
The Merseysiders have not played since December 15 because of the bad weather so should be itching for the visit of basement club Wolves to finally kick-start their Christmas programme.
The Reds have chalked up five wins, two draws and just one defeat from eight games at Anfield, with 15 goals scored and just six conceded, and should have too much for the visitors on Wednesday.
Ominously for Mick McCarthy’s side, star striker Fernando Torres and captain Steven Gerrard are both expected to start.
Wolves have yet to win on their travels, with seven defeats in eight games and 17 goals conceded, so the way to go could be to snap up the evens on Liverpool to Win To Nil or 5/6 to Keep A Clean Sheet.
Other ways forward are the 5/6 in the Liverpool-Liverpool half-time/full-time market and same price about 3-5 Goals.

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Ancelotti back for Arsenal clash

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is expected back in England for the Premier League home clash with Arsenal on Sunday following the death of his father (Blues 8/11 to win the game).

Ancelotti Snr passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 87 and his funeral will take place on Saturday in Italy which means his son will miss the build up to the weekend.

But the former AC Milan coach is set to be back in London when the Gunners make the short trip to Stamford Bridge.

A Chelsea statement read: “Carlo Ancelotti’s father Giuseppe passed away in Italy last night aged 87 with his son at his side.

“Everyone at Chelsea Football Club sends our deepest condolences to Carlo and his family. They are all in our thoughts at this time.

“The funeral will take place in Italy on Saturday. Carlo will return to London for Sunday’s match versus Arsenal.”

Blues striker Didier Drogba has already described Sunday’s game as one the Blues cannot afford to lose following last weekend’s defeat at Manchester City (Drogba 4/1 – Enhanced First Goalscorer).

He told Sky Sports: “When I was playing in France, Arsenal was an example for us because there were all these French players who used to play in the French league and went abroad to play for Arsenal with a French manager.

“So to play against them for me means a lot.”

Drogba added: “I don’t think we can afford to lose a second game, especially against Arsenal

“People have to know, and we know, that we’re going to lose some games this season.

“But again, it’s always good to win, it’s always better to win.”

Arsenal also lost last weekend – 3-2 at home to promoted West Brom – but like the Blues they also bounced back in midweek in the Champions League (Gunners 10/1 – Champions League Outright).

Gunners understudy Lukasz Fabianski looks likely to keep his place in goal with Manuel Almunia struggling with an elbow problem.

The Pole was impressive against Partizan Belgrade during Tuesday night’s 3-1 win but will know he needs to back that display up if called on at the Bridge.

The 25-year-old said: “Overall, I am pleased with my performance.

“I am not talking about just saves, but reading the game, coming for crosses or playing with my feet.

“Every aspect of goalkeeping is important for me, so I am pleased with my performance in general.”

Fabianski added: “I am ready to play against Chelsea. I was always ready, so we will see.

“I was never really bothered by all the things said. I was always trying to focus on my job and my work.

“That is what I was always doing and that why I am grounded.”

With or without Fabianski, Arsenal are 18/5 for the away win.

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Ancelotti puts faith in youth

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he will test his side’s youngsters in tonight’s Carling Cup showdown with Newcastle (Match Betting -  Chelsea 1/4, draw 4/1, Newcastle 8/1).

The Blues remain the only side in the Premier League with a 100% record, with the Stamford Bridge outfit winning all five of their games so far, scoring 21 goals and conceding just once, but the Italian tactician has revealed he will rest some of his senior stars for Newcastle’s visit (Chelsea 3/4 to win the Premier League).

The likes of Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien , John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard will play no part in tonight’s contest, with Gael Kakuta,  Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick van Aanholt  and Daniel Sturridge (7/2 to score the first goal) all expected to start against Newcastle.

The Chelsea boss believes the younger players at Stamford Bridge are ready to make the step up, and Ancelotti revealed he hopes to have the opportunities to continue to test his rising stars throughout the current campaign.

“It is a good experience for them to play this kind of game,” Ancelotti explained. “They are involved this season more compared to last season and when there is an opportunity I want to give them the opportunity to play and show their quality.

“Sturridge played in the Champions League, Kakuta played two games, Bruma played in the last game against Blackpool  and they will get more opportunities to play.

“The Academy has done a good job in the last years and now we have the young players ready to play in our squad.”

However, while a number of Chelsea’s experienced heads will sit out the Carling Cup fixture, Ancelotti admitted he hopes captain John Terry will be available to play some part (Chelsea 9/2 to win the Carling Cup).

He added: “JT is fit to play and maybe can play for 45 minutes which could help Bruma, but Lampard is not available.”

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton will be without first-choice keeper Steve Harper, who picked up a shoulder injury during the victory over Everton, so Tim Krul will deputise in his absence.

Hughton is also expected to hand a debut to veteran defender Sol Campbell, who is now match fit after joining the club on a free transfer in the summer.

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Ancelotti expecting tougher tests

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Carlo Ancelotti said tougher games await his Chelsea team after their victory against Blackpool ahead of a run of fixtures which will see them play Manchester City (12/1 Premier League outright), Arsenal (11/2) and Aston Villa (300/1) in consecutive matches.

The Blues have won five out of five in the league thus far and already boast a goal difference of plus 20 in what is a record breaking start by the west London outfit.

Ancelotti’s side were too good for Blackpool on Sunday as they rattled in four goals in the first half.

They also missed a hatful of chances to further boost their goal difference before the Seasiders mounted something of a comeback in the second half.

While Chelsea might have been fortunate with their run of fixtures at the start of the season they have certainly shown their dominance after claiming their third Premier League crown last season.

However, a test of the champions’ credentials is likely to come at Eastlands next weekend when they square off against mega-rich City.

Roberto Mancini’s side are expected to push the Blues and the other title contenders all the way after another summer of spending.

It doesn’t get any easier after the trip to Manchester with Arsenal (1/5 – top 4 finish) making the short trip to Stamford Bridge on October 3, followed by a trip to Aston Villa (10/1) on October 16.

Ancelotti says he is expecting his side to be sorely tested in the coming weeks and claims he is hoping Chelsea will do better in their clash against City this season.

“I learned that we are in a good moment, we’re showing good play, we are fit, everything is okay at this moment,” he told Sky Sports.

“But we will arrive at more difficult games and we have to be ready for the next game.

“We wanted to start like last year, we had a good start last year, and we are doing that [again], now we have to look forward.

“Last year we lost a big game against Manchester City and this year we want to do better.”

The Italian revealed the Blues are expected to be boosted by the return of Frank Lampard and John Terry for the game against City on Saturday.

Both missed the visit of Blackpool last Sunday with their respective hernia and rib injuries but should be back at the weekend.

Chelsea welcome Newcastle (8/1 – 90 minutes) to Stamford Bridge for their Carling Cup third round clash on Wednesday.

Ancelotti is expected to start a number of youngsters in midweek and rest some of his big names ahead of the trip to Eastlands and the return of the Champions League next week.

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Ancelotti warning for champions

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Chelsea (13/8 to win the Premier League) boss Carlo Ancelotti says the Premier League could be a five-horse race, and that the Blues will have to be better than last season to finish top of the pile again.

Ancelotti starts the new season with a home date against West Brom (Chelsea 1/7 to win) – and there is plenty to live up to after guiding Chelsea to the double last term.

The Italian insists that it will not be a straight fight with Manchester United at the top this year, and points to Liverpool’s potential under new manager Roy Hodgson as well as Manchester City’s big-budget squad as potential challengers.

“It will be more difficult to win the title this year,” Ancelotti told the Press Association.

“It is not enough to be like last year; we will need to work harder.

“Manchester United will be our biggest rivals.

“They have quality, tradition and history but I know that we have to pay attention to the other teams.

“Arsenal bought a fantastic striker in (Marouane) Chamakh, Liverpool have a new manager, they could be a strong opponent, and we have to look at Manchester City because they bought a lot of good players and they have to build a team. They could be involved in the title race.”

However, Ancelotti has done his level best to ensure Chelsea start the new campaign with the strongest squad possible, ensuring that Carvalho’s departure to Real Madrid this week was followed quickly by the capture of Brazil midfielder Ramires for around £18million.

The Benfica 23-year-old has joined on a four-year contract on the back of his involvement in the World Cup

“He is a fantastic player,” Ancelotti said.

“He will be the future of the Brazil national team and I hope he will be the future of Chelsea.

“He won’t have any problems adapting to the English game because he is not Brazilian 100%. Because usually a Brazilian doesn’t like to run, he likes to play football. He is a runner.”

Ancelotti said he was disappointed that Portuguese star Carvalho carried through on his agreement to leave this summer, after six years at Stamford Bridge.

But the Chelsea manager (Chelsea 4/11 to be top London club) insisted that the player’s exit did not mean he was in the market for a new centre half, despite being linked with Benfica centre half David Luiz.

Ancelotti said: “As a centre-back, we have (John) Terry, (Branislav) Ivanovic, Alex and (Jeffrey) Bruma. We are okay. We do not need anyone else.”

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No panic from Ancelotti

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will not be making any hasty signings following his side’s disappointing pre-season as he feels the side will hit top form (Chelsea 13/8 – Premier League Outright) once his World Cup players get back to peak fitness.

The Blues boss was remaining calm after witnessing his double-winning side crash to a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. It was the fourth successive defeat for the west Londoners in pre-season and raised some question marks about their chances of retaining the Premier League title ahead of their opening game against West Brom (Chelsea 1/7, West Brom 11/1, draw 11/2 – 90 Minutes) this Saturday evening.

However Ancelotti, who is thought to be close to snapping up Ramires, has so far only signed Yossi Benayoun this summer. And, despite calls his squad could do with further strengthening, the Italian tactician is happy with his lot and just feels the players who returned to training late following their World Cup exploits are still slightly short of fitness.

“Fortunately, it’s pre-season,” he said. “I think that there is time to come back to win.”

He added: “It was not a good pre-season for results. We lost four games but I think we did our best.

“We need for the players who came back on July 26 to have more time to train.”

Ancelotti is pleased that the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard will feature in England’s international friendly against Hungary to help boost their fitness levels.

“The England players are very close to being fit,” he said.

“It’s good for them to play an international game. They could play 70 minutes without a problem.”

In the meantime Ancelotti felt his side did need to improve on their display against United at Wembley on Sunday ahead of the big kick-off this weekend.

He added: “We have to have more time in possession.”

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Ancelotti rules out market moves

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has rejected claims of a Real Madrid raid for left-back Ashley Cole, while also ruling out a possible move for Brazil ace Kaka from the Spanish giants (13/8 favourites – Premier League Outright).

Reports have claimed that the 29-year-old Cole held talks with Ancelotti last week about his desire to leave the club.

The England left-back is reportedly keen to escape the media spotlight for his actions both on and off the field and is tempted to reunite with Jose Mourinho, who signed him for Chelsea in 2006.

The Portuguese tactician, who led Inter Milan to Champions League glory earlier this year, has taken up the reins at the Bernabeu and is believed to want the former Arsenal star, who is widely regarded as the best left-back in the world.

However, Ancelotti insists that Cole is going nowhere and that no amount of money will tempt him to sell.

“Ashley Cole will not be sold at any price,” said the Chelsea boss.

“There is no price that we would sell him at. We believe he is the best left-back in the world and because of this he will stay at this club.

“Nothing has changed in our position. Everyone can forget about Ashley Cole leaving this club.”

The Italian tactician has also dismissed the possibility of a move for Real playmaker Kaka, after reports suggested Mourinho wanted to offload the former World Player of the Year to help fund his revolution in the Spanish capital.

Kaka made the move in a £68.5million deal last summer but failed to hit the heights in his first season in Madrid under Manuel Pellegrini.

Ancelotti was at the helm at AC Milan when Kaka joined the club in 2003 and enjoyed a good working relationship before they both sought pastures new last year.

However, the Blues boss has played down the possibility of reuniting with the attacking midfielder at Stamford Bridge.

“Kaka cannot come to Chelsea,” Ancelotti told Sky Italia.

“He was one player of mine and has done so much for Milan, but now he belongs to Real Madrid and he will decide about his future along with his current club.

“Certainly neither I nor Chelsea will do it (decide his future).”

Ancelotti led the Blues to the League and FA Cup double in his debut season with the club and they are 12/1 to repeat the feat in the Chelsea Specials market, while they are 6/1 to win the one trophy that has so far eluded them, the Champions League, behind Barcelona at 7/2 and Real at 4/1.

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Ancelotti targets European challenge

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Chelsea manager Carlo AncelottiCarlo Ancelotti believes his Chelsea players can bounce back from World Cup disappointment to win this season’s Champions League (Chelsea 6/1 to win 2010/2011 Champions League Outright).

A whole host of Blues stars endured tough times in South Africa, despite expecting to have big tournaments with their countries.

Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry suffered an early exit with England, while French duo Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda, and Ivory Coast frontman Didier Drogba, crashed out in the group stages.

But Ancelotti feels his stars have the mental steel to respond in the right fashion, as Chelsea look to build on last season’s Premier League and FA Cup double.

Speaking to the Sun, the Italian admitted: “All my Musketeers, including Drogba, Malouda, Lampard and Terry, have played in a World Cup, which has lowered their profile.”

Ancelotti has made no secret of the fact that, following his domestic success last season, his main target in the new campaign will be the Champions League.

Having won the tournament with AC Milan (4/1 to win 2010/2011 Serie A title) as a player and a coach, Ancelotti knows exactly what is needed to lift club football’s biggest trophy.

He added: “In my first season with Chelsea, we won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield. But I missed out on the Champions League, so that is now my dream.

“At the moment everything here in London is good. But I know if we do not keep winning that things will soon change for me.”

Chelsea will start the new season with a clash against rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley next Sunday.

They then kick-off the new Premier League campaign with a home game against newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion on August 14 (Chelsea 1/7, West Brom 11/1, Draw 11/2 – Match Betting).

With the English top-flight looking a more open league this campaign, Ancelotti is well aware how important it will be to get off to a good start.

The ex-AC Milan boss concluded: “We must quickly rediscover the enthusiasm we had last season and the same good football.”

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Ancelotti calls for calm heads

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Manchester United supporters praying for a miracle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday should perhaps look away now (1/12 Chelsea 7/1 Man United – Premier League outright).

Premier League leaders Chelsea will win a first domestic crown since 2006 if they beat Roberto Martinez’s Wigan – regardless of how the defending champions do against already-safe Stoke at Old Trafford (1/10 Chelsea 7/1 draw 20/1 Wigan – match betting).

Martinez has toed the party line by insisting his players will play for professional pride and refuse to roll over.

However, scratch below the surface and the omens do not look good for Latics.

They have lost their last seven top-flight matches in London, including a 9-1 hammering at Tottenham and 4-0 thrashing from Arsenal earlier this season.

United fans can take heart from the fact that Wigan have already beaten Chelsea this season and they effectively ended Arsenal’s title challenge three weeks ago when they appeared doomed.

But all the evidence suggests Chelsea should have too much to avoid a coupon buster against the visitors.

Carlo Ancelotti, twice a winner of the European Cup as a player and manager, only managed one Scudetto in a trophy-laden spell with his former club AC Milan.

But the experienced Italian remains on course for both the Premier League title and FA Cup.

Ancelotti has called for full concentration and demanded his players keep a lid on their emotions.

He said: “We have to play one more game, though, and nothing is decided yet. But we have a great opportunity and a great possibility because the team is fit, in good condition and has fantastic motivation for this game.”

“We have to be ready, but we have to play for 90 minutes. We come to play this game, to try our best. They have a very good team and beat us earlier in the season, so we have to pay attention,” he added.

Ricardo Carvalho, Jose Bosingwa, Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi, who will miss the FA Cup final against Portsmouth after knee surgery, will sit out the final game of the season.

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