Ancelottti Owes Chelsea's Great Start To Zinedine Zidane

Chelsea's excellent start to the season owes a debt of gratitude to Zinedine Zidane, and a lesson he taught manager Carlo Ancelotti a decade ago.

Chelsea have taken to the defence of their Premier League title with an indecent appetite for goals, 21 so far from just five games following Sunday's 4-0 victory over Blackpool The rich vein of form being tapped at the moment by Chelsea's fluent attacking play is the sum total of Ancelotti's 17 years of experience as a player and 15 as a coach.

One of the most important lessons Ancelotti learned was during his time at Juventus, when he was given the responsibility of teasing the best out of Zidane, a player that Ancelotti describes as the finest he has ever had under his charge.

Ancelotti found that the only way he could do it was to ditch his preconceived ideas about tactics and systems and adopt a more pragmatic formation that would provide Zidane with a stage on which to demonstrate the full extent of his genius.

“Before, when I started to train, I had an identity which I put on my teams,” Ancelotti said.

“I didn't look at the characteristics of my players. I wanted to play 4-4-2 for the first two years. After that, I changed my ideas.

“It changed at Juventus — Zidane didn't want to play on the left, but in the centre, so I changed my formation for my players. I changed characteristics. There is not a winning shape: you can play 4-4-2, 4-3-1-2. There is no shape guaranteed to win.

“Now I look at the skills and characteristics of my players and put the right shape in the team for these players.”

Ancelotti has brought that flexibility with him to Chelsea. He started out by imposing the diamond midfield formation that had brought him two Champions League crowns at Milan. It worked well and Chelsea led the division, but he recognized the potential for something more creative and realized a return to the 4-3-3 system that had been introduced by Jose Mourinho five years earlier might better suit the players at the club.

It is worth pointing out that Mourinho himself stumbled upon the formation during his first season in charge, as he too had begun his reign favouring a 4-4-2 system.

The great difference between Mourinho's 4-3-3 and Ancelotti's is that under the Italian the attacking trio have been given the license to play off the cuff, to play with instinct and invention, to create the kind of unpredictable football against which it is nigh on impossible to defend.

“We use possession more and more attacking play. In the past, Chelsea played a different way,” Ancelotti said. “When we attack, my idea is to give the players some information, but they have to use their skill, mentality and personality. They have free play for the players in front. Defensively, it's different. They need discipline.”

Chelsea have no player in quite the same league as Zidane, but as a team they are playing with a collective wit and verve that is proving too much for every team they have encountered so far this season. This weekend's trip to Manchester City, followed by a home game with Arsenal, is very different propositions, and Chelsea may well adapt their tactics accordingly.

However, the spontaneity and relish with which they have begun the season suggests they will be itching to score a hatful past their more illustrious opponents too.

Florent Malouda Convinced Chelsea Will Prove Premier League Title Credentials

Florent Malouda has declared Chelsea are ready to prove their Premier League title winning credentials by beating Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Blues have made short work of lesser lights West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City, West Ham United and Blackpool in the early weeks of the season. The quality of opposition has led some critics to deminish the achievement, with sterner tests against the two high-flyers lined up.

However, the France international insists everyone will see the strength of Carlo Ancelotti's side in the next fortnight.

"People don't believe what we have done up until now has been that great because they say we have had easy games," he said. "This will show we're ready for any kind of opposition.

"A lot of people see these two games as a test but we're ready. For us it could be our opportunity to prove that we're champions and we will defend our title at any price. Both will be tough opponents but we have confidence in ourselves and the way we are working.

"We're trying to improve on what we did last season. We didn't come back thinking we are champions so it will be easy. We know there is going to be pressure but we have experienced players who are ready to handle that. We're much better under pressure so now we just have to stay calm.

"Manchester City was the only team to do the double over us last season and that could be a big motivation for us. I know they're getting better and bought a lot of good players.

"There will be a big atmosphere and their players will be waiting for that game. Maybe it is a way for their team to show they're ready to challenge for the title so we are going there to defend our title. Last year was difficult for us but we'll go there to try and get the points.

"We're aware that the season is long and you don't win anything in September. We have to carry on and keep our focus.

"I know it's going to be tight until the end of the season and when the other teams drop points we must try to take the opportunity. We're ready to succeed, that's why in training we work very hard.

"We are using our experience of last year and know nothing is easy. We won the League by one point on the last day so we're preparing for the same situation this season.

"There are always compliments when you win and scoring lots of goals but if you lose balance you can always have a bit of a surprise."

The Sky Is The Limit

Graeme Le Saux believes there is no limit to what Chelsea can achieve this season.

Carlo Ancelotti's men have made the best start to a Premier League campaign, winning their first five games and racking up a goal difference of +20 in the process.

It has led to suggestions that they can repeat Arsenal's invincible season of 2003-04 and although Le Saux did not go that far, the former Chelsea full-back admitted anything is possible.

"They have started the season fantastically and their goal difference is incredible," he told Sky Sports News HD. "They looked like they've got a settled side and a fantastic manager as well - it couldn't have been a better start for them.

"The big test will come at the weekend against Manchester City but I feel quite confident, the way they are playing, on a big pitch as Eastlands is that they can go there, play as well as they have been and keep their form going.

"But I think the biggest issue will be to keep the focus and not feel that, come Christmas, that they have peaked too soon. It's important to have a good start but maintaining that through to Christmas is crucial.

"But with the squad they've got, the sky is really the limit."

Much has been made of the way the current Chelsea side are now cutting loose and really putting sides to the sword.

Under Jose Mourinho they were renowned for getting ahead in games and then closing them out. But 33 goals in their last 13 Premier League games - and only one defeat - is starting to win the cynics over.

And Le Saux, who made 280 appearances in two spells at Stamford Bridge says that is down to Carlo Ancelotti, who has transformed the atmosphere around the club.

"It's a different approach," he said. "Certainly you've got to give Jose Mourinho a huge amount of credit for what he achieved at the club but at the same time he had a style which he played in, and Carlo Ancelotti has really invigorated the team.

"He has given them a lot more freedom to express in forward areas and they've still got a very good backbone as they have had for many years.

"The way he has got players like (Florent) Malouda and Salomon (Kalou) creating so much, plus the players he has added means they are a well-balanced and well-blended team.

"When you have such a good start to the season you have to keep that focus in every game you play. But Carlo Ancelotti has such a relaxed and consistent attitude - I've seen it at the training ground the atmosphere he's created - that it will be a case of business as usual."

John Terry And Wayne Bridge Doing Battle Again

Alleged love rivals John Terry and Wayne Bridge have found another arena in which to do battle. Although this time it's not for the affections of lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, but rather supremacy in Call of Duty computer warfare.

According to a major national newspaper, the two men - who had a very public falling-out after allegations Terry had an affair with Bridge's ex Perroncel - are now competing on the popular Xbox 360 game.

A team of City players are said to regularly take on their Chelsea rivals in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

And as well as Terry on the opposite side to Bridge, the City full-back has another of his arch rivals to contend with - Ashley Cole.

The two men - also former Blues team-mates - were former rivals for the England left-back slot until Bridge retired from international football over reports of the Terry-Perroncel affair.

And again it appears they are both leaders in their fields as the sharpest shooters in Call of Duty from their respective clubs.

Cole leads a gaming line-up that is said to include Terry as well as star midfielders Florent Malouda and Michael Essien, and striker Didier Drogba.

As well as Bridge, City's Call of Duty stars boast internationals Shaun Wright-Phillips, Carlos Tevez, and Micah Richards among them.

According to the newspaper, the players 'take the game really seriously' and 'communicate through their headsets and discuss battle plans'.

Ricardo Carvalho: It's Harder To Play For Chelsea Than Real Madrid

The only missing trophy on Ricardo Carvalho's CV at Chelsea was a Champions League medal. The 32-year-old defender left the club this summer after six years, and in doing so has once again reunited himself with Jose Mourinho, the man who brought him to Stamford Bridge in 2004.

But while Spain's Primera Division is touted as being the best in the world, with superstars such as Leo Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo flaunting their talent, and while Spain may be the world champions, Carvalho reckons it doesn't compare to playing in England.

"When I went to Chelsea it was much more difficult for me than coming here," Carvalho told Goal.com exclusively. "I grew up in Portugal and football there is very similar to the football here in Spain. I think it is a lot harder to play in the Premier League. Players are physically much stronger in England. In that sense, it is harder to play for Chelsea than for Real Madrid. And playing there is what has really improved me as a player. I had six very happy years at Chelsea."

That's hardly surprising, given that in that time Carvalho won three FA Cups, three league titles and reached a Champions League final that Chelsea narrowly lost on penalties. But for all the success, Carvalho decided to call time on his stay at Stamford Bridge in order to rejoin Mourinho and be a part of his revolution at the Bernabeu.

"I had an agreement with Chelsea," he added. "It was written in my contract that if after five years another big club came in for me then they would release me if I wanted to leave. And I was ready to go. I spent six years at Chelsea and I left with some great memories."

The football in England may be much tougher but there are different expectations playing for a club like Real Madrid. Carvalho, who has started in every game so far, including the midweek defeat of Ajax in the Champions League, feels that the fans don't get behind their team as they do in the Premier League.

"The pressure on the players is higher here," he said. "For example if you don't play very well the Real fans will quickly start booing you. I guess you just have to learn to accept that. If you don't play well and the crowd starts booing, then you just have to start running more and try to play better!"

And Carvalho is happy enough to once again be playing under his mentor Mourinho. The Portuguese defender has been with his boss at Porto, where they won the Champions league together in 2004, at Chelsea and now at Real Madrid. If anyone knows Mourinho well then it is Carvalho, and he doesn't feel that the manager's adventures in Italy with Inter have changed him too much.

"No, not really," he said. "Jose just has his own style and his own way and that remains. Yeah sure, he has a changed a little of course, but for me he is still the same person and the same coach."

That tends to suggest that Mourinho still very much likes to be his own man. Whether that will work for him or against him at Real Madrid only time will tell. But the impression the 'Special One' left at Chelsea has taken until Carlo Ancelotti to be wiped away.

In the interim, a slew of managers have come and gone, including big star names such as Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink. And Carvalho doesn't hide away from the fact that Scolari's appointment was a disaster as far as the players were concerned.

He said: "Two seasons ago we had some great problems. Scolari came in for five months and then Hiddink was there till the end of the season. It was a bad time for the team. There was no connection between the players the coaching staff and the management [under Scolari]. But that has all changed now and there is much more togetherness. And that makes it much easier."

However, Carvalho feels that the one person who was unfairly dealt a blow in the post-Mourinho transition was Avram Grant. The Portuguese defender feels that the Israeli coach deserved a lot more credit than he was given for his time in charge.

"You know he did a good job for the club," he said. "He took us to the Champions league final and we could have won it. And with him we fought till the last match in the league. And all this straight after Mourinho."

But that is all in the past now as Carvalho sees a stronger Chelsea under the calming influence of Carlo Ancelotti, as last season's double proved. And he is not at all surprised at how well the Londoners have started the new season.

He said: "Chelsea have some absolutely great players. They are tough and they are physically strong. They will be a challenge for the league and also for us in the Champions League. "

How ironic then, if at the end of the season it is Carvalho's former club which prevents him from winning a second Champions League medal, and deny Real Madrid that elusive tenth title in the process.

Home And Away: Ramires

The new boy in Chelsea's midfield has been adjusting quickly to life in west London and the Premier League.

HOME

How do things work at Cobham for you?
Talking wise I talk to a lot of the Portuguese speaking players, and in the dressing room I sit next to Daniel Sturridge and Jeffrey Bruma, they are both very calm and tranquil.

Which of your team-mates impressed you this weekend?
The whole team was impressive, but when I try to watch a game I try to focus on the players in my position so that I can learn more and see how they work on the pitch. Lately I have been very impressed with Essien, Mikel and Lampard.

What did you notice about your first match at Stamford Bridge?
To play every game in a stadium like that is a motivation, I was so impressed with the fans supporting their teams.

What's the most memorable dressing down you've experienced at half-time?
When I arrived at Cruzeiro, my team in Brazil before Benfica, it was only one week and things hadn't been going well. The assistant manager decided to have a meeting, and everyone was told off, with lots of shouting!

What is 'home' for you?
When I think of this word I think of family, friends and holidays, anywhere where you have people that care for you. Whether you are performing or not you always have these people beside you.

How is the search for a home?
I found an apartment in London already, and I will be near to Alex.

AWAY

Which other sports do you like watching on TV?
Tennis and golf, though I don't understand it very well but I am watching and learning a bit more.

Any famous friends outside of football?
No, I don't think so.

How much of London have you seen so far?
On my first day off I did a tour to see all the main attractions. Not on a big bus no! I was in a van and the driver drove me around, and let me out at places, so I saw Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace.

What is your favourite place to escape from it all?
I like to be at home with my wife and my baby boy, who is five months old.

Pat Nevin: Peak Power

Another game another stellar performance, this time against Blackpool at the weekend. Well it certainly was in the first half anyway and even the second period could have and should have produced a few more goals. Just like West Ham the week before and even against Zilina, there was a degree of energy conservation when the game was well out of the opposition's reach long before the full 90-odd minutes were played.

Last week from me there was a thought that our Didier wasn't absolutely firing on all cylinders in the East End, even if he did create two goals. This week I make no apology in talking about our star striker again, this time in total and absolutely glowing terms. There were points in the Blackpool game when you actually began to feel a bit sorry for their defenders, after all there were usually only two or three marking him most of the time and that clearly wasn't nearly enough on the day.

Obviously there was his goal, but there were plenty of other moments that beggared belief. Just think of two, the time he flicked the ball over his opponents in the box only to be denied by the keeper's legs and then the scissors kick pass down at the Shed End which was wonderfully inventive and almost perfectly executed. He was on the day unplayable to all intents and purposes.

The goals scored and assists stats already this season are phenomenal from a player who is absolutely at the top of his game when he is in the mood, which is most of the time at the moment. It immediately begged the question, is there anyone even close to him as the best striker in the world right at this moment?

Well the weekend at least made the debate interesting because there were some fine displays on show in the Premier League. Fernando Torres has finally begun to look like he might be getting back some of the fantastic form he has shown in the past few years after a quieter period. I feel he lost a bit of pace when he injured his hamstring, but the explosiveness looks like it is not gone forever after all.

There was also a quite superb hat trick from Dimitar Berbatov for Manchester United that any striker would be delighted to score, even if it was just in training. With Rooney not quite back to his best and the Bulgarian under pressure to deliver, he has looked very impressive this season. That said, I do not think there are many in the game who could hand on heart say that any of these players is hitting the heights that Drogba is on such a consistent basis.

There was a joy and a freedom about the Ivorian's outlook on Saturday that said loud and clear that he is at the peak of his powers. If he steers clear of injury and he remains just as happy then sit back and enjoy watching one of the finest strikers of not only his, but of any generation. Maybe the little rest from the jaunt to Slovakia sharpened him up and amazingly Chelsea are probably in a position to give him a rest now and again. On Saturday, Lampard, Terry and Anelka were all missing and I struggled to see that this made the team considerable weaker. What other squad could say that of such quality players? Answer none, I suspect.

So Wednesday sees Newcastle visit the Bridge, with I would imagine at least some trepidation. They will be hoping that Carlo does a Fergie and drops about ten players for this one and I for one wouldn't complain if he did. This campaign has to be managed if it is going to get close to last season's dizzying heights.

As I sat in the press box at Old Trafford last week and listened to the groans of the United faithful as the team v Rangers in the Champions League was read out, I understood the disappointment. If you have forked out a lot of money to see your team, maybe travelled a long way (apparently many United fans have to for home games), then it is galling to see Smalling instead of Rio or Hernandez instead of Berbatov. The good thing for Chelsea fans is that if the likes of Drogba, Lampard and Ashley Cole are missing then Anelka, Malouda and Zhirkov are far from disappointing substitutes; right at this moment I still reckon it would be well worth the admission fee.