Ancelotti admits that the Bolton win revived Chelsea’s title hopes
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that if the champions had failed to win against Bolton at Stamford Bridge, they would have lost the opportunity to retain the Barclays Premier League title. The Blues managed to edge past Owen Coyle’s high-flying
side in a hard fought 1-0 victory on Wednesday.
The result sees http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 climb out of their worst slump in more than a decade. Ancelotti’s struggling side had failed to win a single match in six attempts prior to their game against Bolton. The three points were vital for the Blues as they clawed their
way back into a Champions League spot, just four points behind current leaders Manchester City and Manchester United.
Carlo Ancelotti was aware of just how big the result really was. When asked if his side needed the win to maintain their title hopes, the Italian said, “Obviously, yes, I think it was the most important thing to change the atmosphere, to change the trend,
to come back to win. This was the most important thing.”
However, he was not optimistic enough to think that the recent win was the turning point in Chelsea’s season, adding, “I'm not sure that everything now will be okay. We have to put on a performance again.”
Many will feel that the Blues were fortunate to walk away with all three points from their encounter against Bolton. Owen Coyle’s side dominated long stretches of the game. Even Chelsea’s goal had a hint of fortune about it. Florent Malouda’s 61st
minute winner was surrounded by controversy when there were protests of offside from the Bolton players.
However, Carlo Ancelotti says he doesn’t care whether Bolton’s claims were true or not. The Italian is a happy man at the moment, having finally led his side to a victory after almost two months of heartbreak. The win will ease some of the pressure off Ancelotti,
but it remains to be seen whether the under-fire manager can build on the result in the coming weeks.
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