Having declared the 2008/09 season 'the worst of my career', his hamstring tearing three times being the prime reason, playing 11 games more in 2009/10 and collecting a championship winners' medal at the end of it allows Ricardo Carvalho to consider his sixth Chelsea year more of a success.
It was however another season hit by injury at the end for the hugely-respected defender who has spent half the last decade as a league champion in Portugal or England.
He did total 22 league games and five Champions League appearances and it all began very well. His diving header against Manchester United in the Community Shield was Chelsea's first competitive goal of the season.
With Alex's summer groin surgery chipping two month's off the start of the Brazilian's season, Carvalho's return to fitness was all the more important and he was there in his familiar position alongside John Terry for the first league game, but was left on the bench for the midweek visit to Sunderland three days later with Branislav Ivanovic coming in.
This was a pattern repeated in the early months when two games a week where scheduled. Care was being taken with muscle tissue that proved vulnerable the year before.
Matches against Fulham, Burnley, Porto and Spurs all had Riccy in defence and were won with no goals conceded but he was also there for defeats at Wigan and Villa when the team's set-piece defending came into question, as it had the previous season.
Alex came back into the frame in October but after rotation, Carvalho returned to start November's visit by Manchester United to the Bridge. He was the team's outstanding player on the day, making important blocks from Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney. Chelsea won 1-0.
A week earlier he had crossed with the outside of the boot for Ivanovic to head a fourth goal at Bolton.
A 3-0 win at Arsenal followed soon after the Man U win and Ancelotti during this period said:
'In this moment defensive players are doing very well. We have Terry, Ivanovic, Carvalho, and Ashley Cole. The defensive line is working very well.'
Beginning with defeat at Man City, December was less secure and although our Portuguese centre-back joined the collection of overseas players to make 200 appearances for the club that month, by Christmas he was firmly locked into a game-by-game rotation with Alex as Terry's partner.
It was a policy shelved in February, partly down to an Alex niggling injury. Carvalho played four in a row for a second time in the season but defeat in the San Siro to Inter was followed by the home low point - a 4-2 reverse against Man City. Carvalho was substituted 69 minutes in with Chelsea losing 2-1.
From then on in Alex was first choice. Carvalho did start a month later at Portsmouth but lasted only 36 minutes before suffering ankle ligament damage that ended his club season, although happily not his World Cup.
It was however another season hit by injury at the end for the hugely-respected defender who has spent half the last decade as a league champion in Portugal or England.
He did total 22 league games and five Champions League appearances and it all began very well. His diving header against Manchester United in the Community Shield was Chelsea's first competitive goal of the season.
With Alex's summer groin surgery chipping two month's off the start of the Brazilian's season, Carvalho's return to fitness was all the more important and he was there in his familiar position alongside John Terry for the first league game, but was left on the bench for the midweek visit to Sunderland three days later with Branislav Ivanovic coming in.
This was a pattern repeated in the early months when two games a week where scheduled. Care was being taken with muscle tissue that proved vulnerable the year before.
Matches against Fulham, Burnley, Porto and Spurs all had Riccy in defence and were won with no goals conceded but he was also there for defeats at Wigan and Villa when the team's set-piece defending came into question, as it had the previous season.
Alex came back into the frame in October but after rotation, Carvalho returned to start November's visit by Manchester United to the Bridge. He was the team's outstanding player on the day, making important blocks from Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney. Chelsea won 1-0.
A week earlier he had crossed with the outside of the boot for Ivanovic to head a fourth goal at Bolton.
A 3-0 win at Arsenal followed soon after the Man U win and Ancelotti during this period said:
'In this moment defensive players are doing very well. We have Terry, Ivanovic, Carvalho, and Ashley Cole. The defensive line is working very well.'
Beginning with defeat at Man City, December was less secure and although our Portuguese centre-back joined the collection of overseas players to make 200 appearances for the club that month, by Christmas he was firmly locked into a game-by-game rotation with Alex as Terry's partner.
It was a policy shelved in February, partly down to an Alex niggling injury. Carvalho played four in a row for a second time in the season but defeat in the San Siro to Inter was followed by the home low point - a 4-2 reverse against Man City. Carvalho was substituted 69 minutes in with Chelsea losing 2-1.
From then on in Alex was first choice. Carvalho did start a month later at Portsmouth but lasted only 36 minutes before suffering ankle ligament damage that ended his club season, although happily not his World Cup.
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