Carlo Ancelotti has revealed the extent of Roman Abramovich's involvement in first-team affairs at Chelsea, telling the club's official magazine that the owner "wants to know everything".
"Roman is very interested, for sure, in his team," he said. "We meet maybe once a month and when he doesn't have to travel with his job he likes to stay in Cobham [where Chelsea has their training ground]. We discuss everything. He likes football, Chelsea, the players and he wants to know everything – about injuries, the balance of the team, tactics."
Ancelotti also spoke warmly of his assistant manager, Ray Wilkins. Having spent three years playing for Milan in the 1980s and also worked at the club under another Italian manager, Gianluca Vialli, Wilkins provides essential translation services. "I have difficulty to understand sometimes but I have a very good assistant," Ancelotti said. "He's not only an assistant, he's a friend and he speaks very good Italian. And so he helps me to understand. It's not easy because when you speak to the team you have to not only speak, you have to show emotion as well.
"The first time I was angry with the players I tried to shout at them in English – it was impossible! Now the players know that when I speak in Italian, I am angry!"
The 50-year-old, whose side is top of the league and in the FA Cup final, promising a golden conclusion to his first season in English football, said that Italy could learn much from the English game.
"I saw a lot of Premier League games last year," he said. "The surprise for me is the atmosphere around the stadium and inside the stadium. It is very good and different to Italy. In Italy it is hard to find a full stadium and it's very easy to have violence in the stadium – this is not good. Here there are no police, no barriers, just a fantastic atmosphere.
"I think England had the same problem about 20 years ago with the hooligans and other problems, but you changed the rules and respected them. Italy tried to change the rules, but there is not the respect, so we have a big problem. I hope Italy can have the culture that I found here."
"Roman is very interested, for sure, in his team," he said. "We meet maybe once a month and when he doesn't have to travel with his job he likes to stay in Cobham [where Chelsea has their training ground]. We discuss everything. He likes football, Chelsea, the players and he wants to know everything – about injuries, the balance of the team, tactics."
Ancelotti also spoke warmly of his assistant manager, Ray Wilkins. Having spent three years playing for Milan in the 1980s and also worked at the club under another Italian manager, Gianluca Vialli, Wilkins provides essential translation services. "I have difficulty to understand sometimes but I have a very good assistant," Ancelotti said. "He's not only an assistant, he's a friend and he speaks very good Italian. And so he helps me to understand. It's not easy because when you speak to the team you have to not only speak, you have to show emotion as well.
"The first time I was angry with the players I tried to shout at them in English – it was impossible! Now the players know that when I speak in Italian, I am angry!"
The 50-year-old, whose side is top of the league and in the FA Cup final, promising a golden conclusion to his first season in English football, said that Italy could learn much from the English game.
"I saw a lot of Premier League games last year," he said. "The surprise for me is the atmosphere around the stadium and inside the stadium. It is very good and different to Italy. In Italy it is hard to find a full stadium and it's very easy to have violence in the stadium – this is not good. Here there are no police, no barriers, just a fantastic atmosphere.
"I think England had the same problem about 20 years ago with the hooligans and other problems, but you changed the rules and respected them. Italy tried to change the rules, but there is not the respect, so we have a big problem. I hope Italy can have the culture that I found here."
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