What went wrong with Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues? - (Part 2)
Another player Chelsea rely on more than they should is midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 international picked up an injury and was out for the better part of the first half of the season. He just recently made his comeback and has yet to rediscover
his form. Lampard scored 27 goals for Chelsea last season and was crucial in their double winning campaign. This season however, he has only managed to find the back of the net twice. He plays a big role in providing assists to the forward line up, and is
also a big threat from long-range.
Changes in defence have not been too kind on Ancelotti’s side either, with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ricardo-Carvalho-c30973 leaving for Real Madrid. That meant that skipper John Terry has not been able to replicate his successful partnership with Alex or Ivanovic. The defensive line up
has also been struck with injuries, which caused Carlo Ancelotti to bring in 19-year-old Jeffery Bruma to partner Terry. Brazilian international Alex is currently recovering from a knee operation and will be expected to return soon. Jose Bosingwa is another
defender who has not had a consistent season, while Portuguese defender http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Terry-c18895 was also out for a month during Chelsea’s critical run into the Christmas period.
With the current ageing squad, there is little to no room for rotation. Carlo Ancelotti was quite the tactician at AC Milan and even did well in his first season at Stamford Bridge. However, with the limited squad his skills have been going to waste. Match
after match, Ancelotti has had to pick from a limited number of players, which have been affected by injuries and suspensions. Most of the players have had to play four matches in a 10-day period, which has affected their performance as compared to their rivals,
who have plenty of options to rotate and change things around.
The sacking of Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins has also played an important role in the Blues sharp decline in form. The assistant coach’s importance was felt once he left as the Blues stumbled, and even though Ancelotti and some of the players denied their
poor performance was not related to his departure, it is fairly obvious it had an effect on the squad. The sacking came as a shock not only to the fans but to the players as well. Losing his deputy for no apparent reason also made Ancelotti realise he could
very well be next. With Ancelotti unable to improve the squad, it has made the future for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 very uncertain.
If Chelsea are to have any chance of winning silverware this season, Ancelotti will have to start off by bringing in new players in the January transfer window. The Blues have been linked with various players so far, but nothing has been confirmed yet. To
make any new signings, Ancelotti needs Abramovich’s support which has not been promised so far. The defending champions could yet save their season and manager, with minor changes here and there. More importantly, their spending or lack of it will be crucial
in deciding how their season ends up.
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