Carlo Ancelotti: We Have Not Won The Premier League Yet

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti refuses claims that his side has taken the initiative to retain their Premier League crown after the champions beat West Ham United 3-1 to maintain their perfect start to the season.

The Blues are on top of the Premier League after winning their opening four matches and they are already two points clear of second-placed Arsenal and four ahead of main rivals Manchester United.

Chelsea have been in excellent form to date, and have netted 17 goals and only conceded one, but Ancelotti maintains that the race to win the title will be a long one.

"It means nothing," he said. "We've started better than Manchester United, but it will be a long race.

"I said last year that the race is only decided at the end of the season. I will say the same this year.

"There are moments during the season where you are not lucky. United conceded in the last seconds against Fulham, and two goals in the last few minutes against Everton.

"Little details have cost them four points, or they would be in our position. It can happen to us the same."

Carlo Hails Essien Factor

Carlo Ancelotti says Michael Essien is 'better than a new signing' after the Chelsea midfielder notched a brace against West Ham.

The Ghanaian's goals were his first for the club since he tore the medial ligament in his left knee while training with his national side in January.

Blues manager Ancelotti has heaped praise on his performance at Upton Park, and is hoping he retains his fitness this season.

"I think he's better than a new signing," said Ancelotti.

"We missed him last season because he's one of the top midfielders in the world. He came back and we're happy he can maintain this level of play.

"He's fit now. We have to pay attention because he's playing well, all the games at the start of the season. He scored today, and that's fantastic. He's a fantastic jumper and I hope he maintains this position for as long as possible."

Ancelotti Plans To Emulate Ferguson At Chelsea

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he is planning a lengthy stay at Stamford Bridge.

The 51-year-old, who won the domestic double in his first season in charge, is currently guiding Chelsea through a magnificent start to the campaign, chalking up four wins from as many games.

Formerly of Juventus and AC Milan, Ancelotti is yet to coach the national side, but he admits he wants to develop a similar legendary reputation to his Premier League rival at Old Trafford.

"I don't know when I will finish my career,'' he told the News of the World.”When I started my career in 1995 I said five years is enough so my idea was to close my career in 2000.

"Now it is 2010 and I have to say I love this job, I'd love to stay here at Chelsea and I would like to stay here. I would be happy to stay as long as [Sir Alex] Ferguson at Manchester United.''

Ancelotti also played down suggestions that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is desperate to win the Champions League. When Ancelotti was drafted in as Chelsea manager 12 months ago, Champions League success was marked down as his number one target, but he insists Abramovich is not obsessed with European success.

"I speak with Roman a lot, but he is not obsessed with the Champions League," said Ancelotti. "He wants to win everything, but he's not desperate. I don't have pressure from outside. I want to put myself under pressure because I want to win.

"He wants a team with a clear identity and we have created that. The normal step for players in this situation is to think about winning the Champions League. The players have reached the semi-final five times and one final. They deserve it, but only if you do it better than others.

"I don't want to think that the Champions League is more important than the Premier League. Both are very important. Last season we won the Premier League. We don't want to say the Premier League is not very important - we would like to win it again. But the normal step is to do things better than we did last season in the Champions League. We went out too early.

"Our aim is to improve our type of play, to have more continuity to do better and to stay involved."

Ancelotti: England Could Go Foreign Again

Carlo Ancelotti believes the Football Association should not rule out going foreign again when they choose a successor for Fabio Capello.

The FA has indicated that they would prefer an Englishman in charge when Capello steps down after the European Championships in 2012.

But Chelsea’s Italian boss Ancelotti said: “It could be English, it could be a foreign manager, it is the decision of FA. I don’t think it has to be necessarily English. There are a lot of coaches with good qualities, not just English.

“For a long time the England team has had a foreign manager, they were unlucky also. (Sven-Goran) Eriksson was not lucky.”

In the wake of the headlines surrounding Wayne Rooney, Ancelotti also insisted that the private lives of footballers should be respected.

Chelsea has had their fair share of negative publicity surrounding players such as John Terry and Ashley Cole.

Ancelotti, speaking on BBC 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme, said: “My philosophy is that I don’t want to control the private lives of my players.

“My players have to know that they have to respect the shirt also when they are outside of the training ground, outside of the pitch, but I am not able to control the private lives of my players and I don’t want to judge anybody because everyone can do everything.

“A lot of kids are looking at the behaviour of the players so they have more responsibility and they have to know this, but as a manager I don’t want to control.

“If my player wants to stay outside, go to bed at 12 o’clock or eight o’clock - I’m not interested.”

Ancelotti added: “The private life has to stay the private life – I wouldn’t like it if people judged my private life – only one person can judge your private life and I think that is God.”

Michael Mancienne Ready To Quit Chelsea In An Attempt To Further His Career

Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne has said he will probably have to leave the club in search of further development.

Mancienne is currently on a season-long loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers, his third spell at the club following limited opportunities at Stamford Bridge.

And despite the new Premier League ruling requiring clubs to include eight 'home-grown' players in a 25-man squad, the England under-21 captain has not found his prospects at Chelsea enhanced.

And Mancienne believes there is plenty of young English talent that is good enough to play at the top level:

"Everyone in the Under-21 side is capable of playing in the Premier League – it’s just getting the chance." He told The People.
"Most of the time loan moves are the best thing we can do ­because you don’t want to be sat around. Everyone just wants games.

"I don’t know why young ­players don’t get a chance. Teams go out and buy a player for a lot of money and then have to play him to justify that. Otherwise, it’s money down the drain."

Mancienne also feels that reputations come ahead of form and potential, limiting the opportunities for emerging youth teamers.

"It is difficult to break in at Chelsea. They’ve got players who are representing and captaining their countries.

"They’re in so many cup competitions as well and they need to win all the games.

"It’s a good place to get your football education but it is hard for youngsters to get an ­opportunity to play."

And despite gaining plenty of experience through temporary deals, the 22-year-old doesn't see the loan system as a way of earning a place at your parent club:

"I’ve played a few games but I’ve been out on loan the majority of the time.

"The manager doesn’t speak to me, not when I’m out on loan. Instead, I just have scouts that come to watch games and I report to them and they then go to the club.

"As a player you just want the chance to make a name for ­yourself, to show what you can do.

"So will I have to get away from Chelsea? Yes, I probably will."

Ancelotti To Assess Terry Rib Injury Before Champions League Tie Against MSK Zilina

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed after his side's 3-1 win over West Ham United that captain John Terry is a doubt for the club’s opening Champions League game against MSK Zilina on Wednesday.

“[John] Terry took a knock on his rib, we'll look on Monday, hopefully he’s fit for Wednesday. He had pain at the end of the game so I took him out.

“Frank Lampard is the same as Terry, we'll take a decision on Monday.

“We want to start the Champions League well, I will change the lineup because I want to rest some players.”

Ancelotti did, however, express his delight at the returning Michael Essien describing him as being "like a new signing".

The Ghanaian international scored two headers to help his side to the win and to extend their 100% record.

Essien suffered an injury while on 2010 African Cup of Nations duty with Ghana in January, and missed the rest of the season, managing only 14 Premier League appearances for the entire campaign.

However, he has begun the season in fine style and the Italian admits he is delighted to have him back in the team.

“[Michael] Essien is like a new signing, he's come back and we are happy that he can play,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“Essien is fit now, we have to pay attention, he's playing all of our games and I hope he maintains this condition for as long as possible.”

Ancelotti: No Pressure In Europe

With four wins from four in the bread and butter of Premier League football, the spotlight now turns to the Champions League as we begin another European campaign.

For Carlo Ancelotti, the hunt for a third European Cup triumph starts while success in this competition would be a first for Chelsea, something the manager is only too aware of, though he insists any pressure to win club football's greatest prize comes only from him.

'I don't want to think the Champions League is more important than the Premier League,' said the Italian. 'Both were very important last season, this season the normal thing is to think more about the Champions League, but we don't want to say the Premier League is not important.

'We would like to win again, and the normal step is to want to do better in the Champions League. We went out too early and want to do better this season.

'Our aim is to improve if it is possible our kind of play to have more continuity, to do better and stay involved in all the competitions until the end of the season, to give continuity to the victory of last season.

'I'm not under pressure, I will put myself under pressure, I don't have pressure from outside. I want to put myself under pressure because I want to win. Roman [Abramovich] was very happy about the victory of the Double.'

Such success in his first season at Stamford Bridge went a long way to matching some of Ancelotti's achievements during his eight years with AC Milan, and he hopes he can keep this squad together for many years to come, dismissing suggestions that he heads an ageing squad.

'I don't want to consider players that are 30 old, they are in the middle of their career, they have experience,' he stressed. 'Now the physical training has improved a lot compared to 20 years ago, now there is more control, you can control the physical training and recovery.

'Thirty years old is the right moment. When I was a player my best moment was when I was 30, so I cannot say a player of this age is old.

'I want to stay here as long as possible,' the former midfielder continued. 'I feel good; I love this atmosphere around football, so I would like to stay here.

'I am not interested to go to another side. When I finished my work in Milan I chose the right place to work.'