Carlo Ancelotti says his Chelsea players must eradicate their self-doubts to have any chance of winning the title, having grown used to being nearly men in the last three seasons.
Chelsea began Saturday afternoon's game against Aston Villa a point behind Manchester United at the top of the table having finished as runners-up in successive years and third last term since last winning the championship in 2006. Ancelotti admitted yesterday that those near misses, and their on-going frustrations regarding securing the European Cup, could be unnerving with critical games to come.
"Maybe, in their minds, there could be this thought that they keep coming so close in the Premier League and the Champions League for the last few years," said Ancelotti. "But it's better to tell ourselves that we can win this title. Chelsea haven't won the title for a long time, so we need to win it this year. We have been at the top of the table for a long time and we want to get back there and stay there now. This is the time for Chelsea to win it.
"The players know they have been at the top for eight months. For this reason they should believe they can finish as winners. Up to now I think we have deserved to win it. After the game against Portsmouth on Wednesday [a match won 5-0 to hoist the team from their stodgy recent form] there was a different atmosphere in the squad: they were more excited, more confident. We need to show against Villa that our bad period is over so that we can look forward with optimism to the United game next weekend."
Chelsea have been stripped of defensive options for Saturday’s visit of Villa – the only team still to lose in the league this calendar year – with Ricardo Carvalho having joined Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and José Bosingwa on the sidelines. Ancelotti suggested Ivanovic could yet return from a knee injury ahead of schedule for the game at Old Trafford next Saturday and the club are hopeful that Cole will be fit enough to feature in the game against Stoke City on 25 April.
The Italian was in jovial mood despite the pressure he is under to claim silverware, joking that he had quit smoking "though only 30 minutes ago" and suggesting that, should Chelsea secure the title in May, he might consider giving up for good. "I said that once before, at Milan, when I promised myself I would give up if we won the Champions League in 2007, but I never said when [I'd quit]," he added. "I could do the same now but, again, I won't say when I'll stop. Though it's very difficult to smoke in England, no?
"I once lost a championship after being nine points clear with eight games to play when everyone thought we'd win the title. The table said we'd win it. That was with Juventus in 2000 and we ended up needing to win our last game against Perugia, but the rain was unbelievable. We waited an hour-and-a-half in between the first and second halves, and Lazio ended up winning it.
"But it's nothing to do with destiny. If you are better, you'll win the title. I am an optimist and our destiny is still in our own hands. I think that [Sir Alex] Ferguson and [Arsène] Wenger will be thinking the same thing. We'll see against Villa whether we have come out of that difficult period we've been in.
"But we've gone back to basics – playing football and defending well – and our focus is there. We have to have confidence in our play and do the basics right. Then we'll see."
Chelsea began Saturday afternoon's game against Aston Villa a point behind Manchester United at the top of the table having finished as runners-up in successive years and third last term since last winning the championship in 2006. Ancelotti admitted yesterday that those near misses, and their on-going frustrations regarding securing the European Cup, could be unnerving with critical games to come.
"Maybe, in their minds, there could be this thought that they keep coming so close in the Premier League and the Champions League for the last few years," said Ancelotti. "But it's better to tell ourselves that we can win this title. Chelsea haven't won the title for a long time, so we need to win it this year. We have been at the top of the table for a long time and we want to get back there and stay there now. This is the time for Chelsea to win it.
"The players know they have been at the top for eight months. For this reason they should believe they can finish as winners. Up to now I think we have deserved to win it. After the game against Portsmouth on Wednesday [a match won 5-0 to hoist the team from their stodgy recent form] there was a different atmosphere in the squad: they were more excited, more confident. We need to show against Villa that our bad period is over so that we can look forward with optimism to the United game next weekend."
Chelsea have been stripped of defensive options for Saturday’s visit of Villa – the only team still to lose in the league this calendar year – with Ricardo Carvalho having joined Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and José Bosingwa on the sidelines. Ancelotti suggested Ivanovic could yet return from a knee injury ahead of schedule for the game at Old Trafford next Saturday and the club are hopeful that Cole will be fit enough to feature in the game against Stoke City on 25 April.
The Italian was in jovial mood despite the pressure he is under to claim silverware, joking that he had quit smoking "though only 30 minutes ago" and suggesting that, should Chelsea secure the title in May, he might consider giving up for good. "I said that once before, at Milan, when I promised myself I would give up if we won the Champions League in 2007, but I never said when [I'd quit]," he added. "I could do the same now but, again, I won't say when I'll stop. Though it's very difficult to smoke in England, no?
"I once lost a championship after being nine points clear with eight games to play when everyone thought we'd win the title. The table said we'd win it. That was with Juventus in 2000 and we ended up needing to win our last game against Perugia, but the rain was unbelievable. We waited an hour-and-a-half in between the first and second halves, and Lazio ended up winning it.
"But it's nothing to do with destiny. If you are better, you'll win the title. I am an optimist and our destiny is still in our own hands. I think that [Sir Alex] Ferguson and [Arsène] Wenger will be thinking the same thing. We'll see against Villa whether we have come out of that difficult period we've been in.
"But we've gone back to basics – playing football and defending well – and our focus is there. We have to have confidence in our play and do the basics right. Then we'll see."
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