Roman Abramovich not obsessed with European glory: Chelsea Manager Carlo Ancelotti
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Blues owner Roman Abramovich is not obsessed with winning the European Cup. After winning the Premier League twice under Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, it’s been thought that the Russian is desperate for the coveted Champions League. But Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first season at the London club, insisted that it was not the case.
Ancelotti told reporters, “I speak with Roman a lot, but he is not obsessed with the Champions League. He wants to win everything, but he's not desperate. I don't have pressure from outside. I want to put myself under pressure because I want to win, he wants a team with a clear identity and we have created that.”
He added, “The normal step for players in this situation is to think about winning the Champions League. The players have reached the semi-final five times and one final. They deserve it, but only if you do it better than others.”
Chelsea fly tonight to take on MSK Zilina on Wednesday night to kick off their Champions League campaign and it would seem like the London club would be under a certain amount of pressure to get a result this time around. However, Ancelotti said that he was under no strain to win the European prize.
Ancelotti is confident that retaining the Premier League title is as important to Abramovich as winning the Champions League. According to the Italian manager, it was important to dominate domestically to eventually make a mark in Europe.
The coach said, “I don't want to think that the Champions League is more important than the Premier League. Both are very important. Last season we won the Premier League. We don't want to say the Premier League is not very important - we would like to win it again. But the normal step is to do things better than we did last season in the Champions League. We went out too early. Our aim is to improve our type of play, to have more continuity to do better and to stay involved.”
Chelsea’s last fixture over the weekend against West Ham ended in a 3-1 win, which was achieved with a half hearted effort. But the away win ensured that the Blues had four consecutive wins in their opening four games with 17 goals which have given them a one point lead at the top of the table.
In the weekend game against West Ham, the scoring was opened by Michael Essien and the second one came from an unexpected source, Salomon Kalou. The Blues secured all three points but goal keeper Petr Cech’s clean sheet record was destroyed with Scott Parkers’ wonder goal. It gave the Hammers some consolation, but in the end, they could not muster a comeback against the champions.
Ahead of their European campaign, the Blues were dealt with an injury scare which would have seen them travel without Captain John Terry and Vice Captain Frank Lampard. John Terry had to be sidelined because of a rib injury that he suffered but Ancelotti is hopeful the captain will return to lead his side against Zilina. Frank Lampard is also expected to be fit by tomorrow as his presence will be essential in Europe.
Ancelotti will have to change the squad around since star striker Didier Drogba will not be available due to suspension. It was against Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan that Chelsea lost out in the last 16 stage and when Drogba received the red card which will see him miss three Champion League games. Ancelotti will hope to improve and build on last season’s performance. While speaking on the line up, the coach further added, “I'll change the line-up because I want to rest players.”
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