Carlo Ancelotti Admits He Learned A Lot From A Positive First Season At Chelsea

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has acknowledged that his first season as a manager in the Premier League has taught him a lot.

The Italian steered the Blues to their first ever League and FA Cup double but admits that he still picked up some vital things along the way.

He also learned that English football, although at times distinguished by some very naive defending, is a much more exciting product than that served up by Serie A.

"I try to change something in the play but for me it was a very good experience this year," he told his club's official website.

"I learnt a lot of things, not only tactically but physically.

"For example in Italy, in training, we used to physically work without the ball. Here we work always with the ball - and here I learnt this. This is a very good thing.

"Technically, I think the small teams have more knowledge in Italy. Defensively, it is impossible in Italy to have a score 7-0 or 9-1 because the small teams stay back to defend and only do counter-attack.

"Here you can say that small teams play good football, they attack. Here it is different.

"Before I had good knowledge about the top four but not the small teams. I learnt that here."

Ancelotti also enjoyed the celebratory bus parade which marked the Blues' triumphs this season, treating supporters to a song on the way round.

"We did also in Italy the celebration with the bus," he added.

"I like to sing but I didn't prepare anything so I tried to sing a famous Italian song, 'Volare', and I think it was good for the atmosphere.

"It is very good to have a celebration with our fans, there was a fantastic atmosphere and this improves the relationship between the fans and the team. In the future it will be important to have this good relationship.

"But I don't know why they threw to us celery."

Ancelotti also concedes that his time as a player at AC Milan alongside the likes of Ruud Gullit and under the management of Arrigo Sacchi was a massive influence on the way he works now.

"Gullit was my friend. We played five years together, we shared a room, I have a very good relationship with him and he was a fantastic, attacking striker," the Italian explained.

"For me and also for a lot of players Sacchi was a fantastic teacher because also in that team there was a lot of players who have since done jobs as manager - Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Tassotti, Galli, me - there are seven or eight players from that squad who are coaches."

Croatian Defender Srna Wants Chelsea Move

Experienced Croatian defender Darijo Srna wants to make a step up and move to Chelsea.

The 27 year-old has been at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk since 2003 and has led the Ukrainian club to three championships and a UEFA Cup victory. Srna is a very experienced player and has amassed an impressive 73 caps for Croatia.

He has previously been linked with Tottenham, but according to Croatian tabloid 'Index', he has set his sights on Chelsea.

Srna said, "Chelsea is a club that suits my style and my style of play suits them. I want to make a step forward, to play in the Champions League with such a famous club. In general, Chelsea is the best option for me."

According to 'Index', Srna would only leave for a fee of at least 20 million Euros. The Croatian tabloid added that Srna's agent described talk of a move to Stamford Bridge as "just speculation."

Srna is a versatile player and can play either in defence or midfield on the right hand side, providing an attacking threat through crosses and set-pieces. With Juliano Belletti probably leaving Chelsea, there could soon be room for a right-sided player such as Srna at Stamford Bridge.

Blues Caught In Cole Crisis

Chelsea are facing a desperate battle to hang on to tormented star Ashley Cole.

The England defender faces the bleak prospect of becoming public enemy No 1 next season following his bitter split from national sweetheart Cheryl Cole.

The Sun exclusively revealed yesterday that the Girls Aloud star has filed for divorce in London.

Cole is now certain to suffer a terrace backlash - with his life on and off the pitch continuously under a microscope.

That has alerted Europe's biggest clubs - and especially new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who has never hidden his love for his former Chelsea player.

A Madrid source confirmed: "The feeling is Ashley will have a terrible time if he stays in England next season.

"Clubs like Real are hoping Chelsea will sympathize with Cole's plight and let him escape all the abuse and find a new life - hopefully with us."

Cole has become increasingly worn down with life in England, although he has never fallen out of love with Chelsea, where he has three years left on his current contract.

There is no doubt the Double winners want to keep their prized defender - but even Stamford Bridge insiders realize they face a tough battle.

One said: "Everyone at Chelsea can see Ashley loves the club, his team-mates and the fans. There's no doubt about that.

"But who could blame him for not wanting to live in England any more, especially after his divorce from Cheryl?

"We can all imagine what kind of abuse he'll face from away fans next season. Who'd want to put up with that?"

There will be no shortage of offers for Cole, widely regarded as the world's best left-back.

While Mourinho will be at the front of the queue, Real's rivals Barcelona would also be keen to capture the Three Lions star.

AC Milan, Roma and Bayern Munich are also said to be monitoring events.

Di Santo`s Dutch Choice?

After a season playing his football up on the delightful cobbled streets of Blackburn, Franco Di Santos has returned to Chelsea.

Whispers that Blackburn might try to sign him on a permanent basis fizzled out in a similar manner to which the impression Di Santo was making at Blackburn did.

Therefore the young Argentine, clearly behind Fabio Borini and Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, has a decision to make.

Does he persist with trying to make a breakthrough at Chelsea, does he look for another spell out on loan or would a move away from SW6 be more beneficial?

According to one red-top Franco is looking at the latter of those three options with a move to FC Twente seemingly on the cards with the whisper that, for Franco, regular first team football is of paramount importance as he seeks to develop his career.

Chelsea Consider £16m Move For Everton Youngster Rodwell

Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly ready to make a big money offer for Everton teenager Jack Rodwell as the Chelsea boss looks to inject more youth into his aging squad. The Chelsea boss has earmarked the England Under-21 international as a player he could build his side around in the future and hopes that an offer of around £16m will tempt the Toffees into accepting their advances.

Last summer the Stamford Bridge side showed their intention to pick up talented English youngsters ahead of the forthcoming ‘homegrown’ ruling set to come into operation in the Premier League next season. Chelsea brought in Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge as players for the future and they have now set their sights on the highly rated Goodison Park midfielder.

Rodwell had an assured season last term where he showed his growing maturity as he was given far more playing time. The 19 year old was handed 25 starts and impressed many and has been linked with moves to the likes of Man United and Man City but Ancelotti hopes he can beat those potential suitors to the teenagers signature this summer.

Kaka Keen To Leave Real Madrid For Chelsea And Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid midfielder Kaka is ready to quit the club to join up with his former manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, according to reports.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport have reported that the 28-year-old, already unsettled at the Santiago Bernabeu, is concerned about Jose Mourinho's prospective arrival as Real Madrid's new manager this summer, and would thus consider leaving the club after just one season there.

The former AC Milan playmaker would welcome the opportunity to link up with Ancelotti again — especially considering that the Blues are prime contenders for Premier League and Champions League glory next term.

Ancelotti worked with the Brazilian midfielder for six years at Milan, where they won a Champions League and Serie A title together.

After Ancelotti left the club last summer — going on to win the Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season in England — Kaka also exited San Siro for Real in a then-world record £65 million deal. But after a season affected by injury and poor form, the Spanish club might be open to an offer that allows them to recoup some of the money spent on the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner.

Kaka made 25 La Liga appearances for Real last season, scoring eight goals and providing six assists.

Ghana's Injured Essien Out Of Finals

Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has been ruled out of the World Cup finals after failing to recover from a knee injury, the country's FA said on Thursday.

"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).

The Chelsea midfielder has been recovering from a knee injury picked up at the African Nations Cup in January. He played just 45 minutes at the tournament in Angola after suffering a hamstring injury in the Champions League in November.

His loss is a blow to Ghana whose coach Milovan Rajevac last week described Essien as the leader and engine room of his team. Rajevac is due to decide on his final 23-man squad on Tuesday.

Ghana open their World Cup campaign against Serbia on June 13 and also play Germany and Australia in Group D.

Essien is hugely popular in Ghana and his image is pasted up all over the country.

He has scored seven times in 50 appearances for his country and played at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Essien hinted several weeks ago he might not be fit for the tournament in South Africa, which kicks off on June 11.

"The last thing I want is to rush back and cause more problems down the line. If I make it for the World Cup then great -- if not, I have my whole career ahead of me," he told the Chelsea website.

Ghana are still unsure of the fitness of two other key players, Stephen Appiah and John Mensah.

Joe Cole Closer To England Exit With Likely Snub

Joe Cole’s chances of going to the World Cup hang in the balance after he was not guaranteed to start against Japan on Sunday in England’s final warm-up game before the tournament.

Cole and his three Chelsea team-mates in the England squad sat out the 3-1 victory over Mexico on Monday to allow them to recover from the FA Cup Final nine days earlier, even though Cole appeared only as a 70th-minute substitute in his club’s 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Wembley.

Unlike Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole, Joe Cole has not been told that he will start against Japan in Graz, Austria. That would leave him clinging to the hope that a potential substitute appearance and his performances in training will be enough to convince Fabio Capello that the 28-year-old is worth a place as one of England’s creative midfield players.

England lacked guile against Mexico but Cole’s case for inclusion is weaker than it might have been because injury forced him to miss much of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign and Chelsea’s title-winning Barclays Premier League season. He last played for the national team in their 4-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Croatia in September 2008.

Cole faces tough competition for a place as a left-sided player from Adam Johnson, the 22-year-old winger, who has been fast-tracked into the England set-up after impressing with Manchester City since joining them in January transfer window. He made his international debut as a substitute on Monday and has been praised for his performances in practice with England.

Capello could be taking a risk by putting Ashley Cole in his starting XI against Japan because it would mean the position of understudy left back would remain uncertain. Leighton Baines was poor against Mexico while Stephen Warnock, the other candidate for the role, would ideally need to add to his one international cap before going to the tournament.

David James, the Portsmouth goalkeeper, is likely to feature against Japan having missed the Mexico game but Ledley King will take no part on Sunday after playing the full 90 minutes on Monday. A chronic knee injury prevented the Tottenham Hotspur centre half from playing more than one game a week for most of last season.

Frank Lampard Believes That The Chelsea Fans Play A Huge Role In Team's Success

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea fans' loyal support played a huge part in their success this season.

The Blues landed their first-ever double after following up securing the Premier League title by scooping the FA Cup.

While some fans are quick to get on players' backs if things are not going according to plan, Lampard is pleased the Stamford Bridge faithful have never singled out anyone for criticism.

Things have not been so rosy at rival clubs as Emmanuel Eboue has been blasted by Arsenal fans while Dimitar Berbatov has come in from criticism from Manchester United supporters.

However, Lampard believes Chelsea fans are different and that having come from the background of Division Two football that they are more appreciative of the team's current success.

"I've never heard them get right on someone's back, boo them and destroy them. Never," explained Lampard.

"Don't get me wrong, they can moan and groan a little bit but that's normal. We all get upset watching games.

"But they are always there, they travel fantastically well and the main thing is that they don't get on anyone's back.

"Some clubs, given what we've been given and being elevated to where we are now, would be moaning and thinking: 'We should be winning' after 20 minutes at 0-0.

"But Chelsea fans are a little bit different. Probably because they've been through a lot before I was here, where they've sat down and watched a Division Two team in a stand that was 30 yards away from the pitch.

"So now they can't believe what's happening here. They go with it and, like me, they think it's fantastic."