Carlo Ancelotti Demands Five Victories Before Facing Manchester City

It was once said that Jose Mourinho had turned the title race from a marathon to a sprint – such was the need for the contenders to start the season in full stride – and now another Chelsea manager has set his team the target of winning all five of their Premier League matches before they face Manchester City next month.

Carlo Ancelotti said it was crucial that Chelsea faced City "on top of the list" – ie top of the table – when the two sides meet at Eastlands on Sept 25 because of their growing threat. Although, he added, City are "not a team" yet and lack a "clear identity" after another summer of heavy spending, that will have changed by then.

"Manchester City has problems. But that's normal," Ancelotti said. "You can see the power of Man City in a month. That's a normal time [for new players to adapt). When they play against us they will be a team. They bought another fantastic player in Mario Balotelli."

For now, Ancelotti said, Manchester United remain Chelsea's "challengers" – a sense confirmed by last weekend's opening round of matches – but he added of the need to quickly build a lead over City.

"They need this time [a month] because they've changed a lot of players, not just to build a team but to give time to the players who have come back from other countries. We have to look at City in a month. After that, we can say whether they are able to fight for the title or not. But I think they will be able to fight for the title," he said.

Ancelotti's knows that is the minimum requirement for Roberto Mancini and, of course, for himself. Not that he agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson – the man who also said Mourinho had cranked up the pace of the title race – that City's spending has been "kamikaze".

"The reason they did that was because they needed the players," he said. "I'd prefer to have the players than to search for them. You're not always able to take the players you want I have a fantastic squad. If you have the money, you can spend it. Man City has the money. I can't spend this money because I don't have it. This club, Chelsea, bought fantastic players in the past and can use those players now six or seven years on."