Wolves v Chelsea:CARLO ANCELOTTI admits he is lucky not to have been sacked as Chelsea manager but the Italian concedes he will have to "pay the bill at the end of the season" if the champions do not achieve success.
Chelsea have taken only 10 points from their past 10 games as Ancelotti fights to recapture the form that allowed his team to win the Premier League and FA Cup double last season. After dropping only four points from their first 10 matches of the season to lead the title race, the slump in form has caused them to drop to fifth place, six points behind the leaders, Manchester United.
Speaking before tonight’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers Ancelotti was asked if he would have been sacked in Italy with a return of 10 points from 10 outings. “Depends. I am lucky man. I understand that lot of coaches are sacked with these results,” he said, before saying he was unsure if failure to qualify for the Champions League would result in him losing his post.
“It is difficult to say now. We have to think now we can win the title again, but the most important thing is to stay in the places to be in the Champions League. I am not worried. We have the skill and the ability to stay in the top four without a problem.
“When you go to a restaurant, you have to pay the bill when you finish your meal. It’s the same here. We have to pay the bill at the end of the season. At the end the club can judge my job and everything.”
Asked what would happen if Chelsea were defeated by Wolves, Ancelotti was adamant this would not occur. “We will not lose. We will win. I’m confident. We are improving and the team is very close to moving on from this moment.”
He denied that many of his senior players are now too old but he did accept that given current form he could understand if questions were raised regarding the issue. Of his core operators John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Florent Malouda are 30, Nicolas Anelka is 31, and Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are 32.
“If you have to judge players now, you can say that they are old and have lost motivation and are not good players,” Ancelotti said.
“But you have to wait and calm down and be able to think that these are fantastic players, as I am sure they are. Nothing has changed in two or three months. Physically (there has been) no problem.”
Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, hopes his team can crank up the pressure on a side he believes have lost their air of invincibility.
“Chelsea should beat Wolverhampton Wanderers. Surely that is a fact of the league. I’m not suggesting for one minute that they will, and if that heaps a little bit more on them, then happy days.”
Kevin Doyle’s return from injury will also come as a boost to Wolves. Last season’s top scorer has recovered from a thigh injury and is in the squad, although McCarthy would not say whether he will start the match.
Guardian Service
