United Keeping Plenty In Reserve Chelsea Clash

Ryan Donaldson says Newcastle United's young guns will not shirk the chance to take on the mighty Chelsea in the Carling Cup next week.

United take part in something of a dress rehearsal for the third-round tie on Thursday night at St James’ Park, and it’s likely that several members of the cast of characters for the cup clash will be involved in the FA Premier Reserve League encounter.

Donaldson put in a solid performance at Accrington Stanley in the second round last month and, while he has dropped back into the reserves since then, he has been checked out by several Football League sides – including Carlisle United – for a possible loan move.

Donaldson told the Chronicle: “As long as we’re in the cup the younger lads have a chance of playing. We’ll just have to wait and see and keep our fingers crossed.

“Chris Hughton has got a lot of trust in us and it’s good to see him saying that when you pick up the paper. The manager put in a lot more experienced players in as well in the last round like Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands and Ryan Taylor.

“It was easy for us because we want to play, but they showed that they are good professionals as well by putting in the performance too.”

Donaldson has bittersweet memories of the Carling Cup after enduring a shock defeat at the hands of Peterborough last season.

He said: “We all know what happened last year against Peterborough so it was good to exorcise the ghost a bit at Accrington. It wasn’t a pretty game but in the cup it is about getting through and we go the right result in the end.

“It wasn’t the best experience a year ago at Peterborough, but if anything that has made us stronger.

“The gaffer and Colin Calderwood reminded us of what happened last year and I think it showed.

“We’re all a year older as well now.

“That was a big game for us, so we were all delighted.”

United’s second-string game with Chelsea on Thursday kicks off at 7.05pm.

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.'

Match Report: West Ham United 1 - 3 Chelsea

Chelsea's 100% start to the new season continued against rock-bottom West Ham at Upton Park as a brace from Michael Essien and another from Salomon Kalou kept them top of the Barclays Premier League.

West Ham midfielder Scott Parker became the first player to score against the Blues this season but his late effort was scant consolation for the home side.

Chelsea's victory over their London rivals piled more pressure on under-fire manager Avram Grant, whose side remained rooted to the foot of the table without a single point from their opening four games and having conceded 12 goals.

In contrast, Carlo Ancelotti's team have now scored 17 and conceded just once, and their domination of this game began as early as the second minute when debutant Ramires won a corner on the left flank.

Essien rose above two defenders to head home Didier Drogba's cross to silence the home fans.

West Ham almost equalized moments later when new signing Victor Obinna sent a close-range effort straight at Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.

The visitors went 2-0 up in the 17th minute, though, when West Ham's England goalkeeper Robert Green spilled a 30-yard Drogba free-kick.

Defender Matthew Upson tried to clear the loose ball but it cannoned back off Chelsea's Ivory Coast striker Kalou and over the head of the stricken Green.

Kalou went close to grabbing his second in the 21st minute but his shot was deflected around the post, much to the relief of the grounded Green.

Another corner from Drogba caused panic in the home defence but this time John Terry's effort was collected easily by Green.

West Ham should have pulled one back in the 27th minute but the unmarked Obinna put his volley wide from eight yards.

The Hammers striker then sent a curling shot just wide of the target after cutting in from the left wing.

Chelsea almost extended their lead when another Drogba corner fell to Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel.

His rising drive from 20-yards slammed against the angle of Green's left upright and the crossbar.

Chelsea received a scare in the 35th minute when Terry went down under a challenge from Carlton Cole, but the England defender continued after lengthy treatment - much to the disappointment of the home fans.

Ashley Cole became the first name in Chris Foy's notebook in the 40th minute when he was shown the yellow card for a foul on Herita Ilunga.

In the 43rd minute, Cech had to punch away a cross-shot from Ilunga as West Ham looked in vain for a way back into the game.

They almost succeeded in stoppage time but Carlton Cole's effort was ruled offside.

Ramires should have troubled Green in the 50th minute but fired over from the edge of the penalty area as Chelsea continued to dominate proceedings.

West Ham tried hard to lift the tempo of the game and substitute Kieron Dyer, on at half-time for Luis Boa Morte, almost broke through with a clever run into the six-yard box.

Chelsea almost made it three on the hour when Kalou collected a fine pass from Drogba only to send his curling shot inches wide of Green's right-hand post.

The visitors had clearly settled for the three points as their was little urgency in their play.

When they did show some ambition, Drogba forced Green into a fine save with a 20-yard shot.

Branislav Ivanovic was booked in the 64th minute for bringing down Carlton Cole.

A cross from Obinna three minutes later then found only the hands of Cech, much to the growing frustration of the home fans.

Mark Noble then sent a long-range effort just wide of Cech's right-hand post but the home side still lacked the killer touch.

Chelsea made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute when Essien headed home Paulo Ferreira's cross but moments later they conceded their first goal of the season when Parker calmly lobbed Cech from 20 yards.

West Ham substitute Frederic Piquionne wasted a great chance to reduce the arrears still further when he headed against the bar from just two yards.

Cech Wary Of Slovaks

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will not be underestimating MSK Zilina in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Slovakian minnows travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the Premier League champions in the opening game of Group F.

The Blues have also been paired with Marseille and Spartak Moscow in a group which Carlo Ancelotti's side is odds-on favourites to top.

Czech Republic international Cech is well aware of the threat the Slovak champions will bring after eliminating Sparta Prague in the play-off round.

"Zilina had to go through qualification and the fact they have made it into the group stages shows their quality," said Cech.

"Underestimating any team in the Champions League can only damage you.

"Matches against Zilina will certainly have a special atmosphere.

"Then we have Marseille, who are a traditional participant in the European cups, with a number of achievements too. And then there is Spartak Moscow.

"I think all the teams are playable. We don't have to do any crazy travels so we may be satisfied."

Ancelotti: We're The Sexy Chelsea Abramovich Wanted

Carlo Ancelotti suggested his Chelsea side have finally given Roman Abramovich the football he has always craved.

Ancelotti’s Blues travel across London to Upton Park on Saturday looking to extend their goal glut at the expense of former boss Avram Grant’s basement dwellers.

Since Chelsea went on their seven-goal rampage against Stoke in April, they have scored 31 times without reply in six full games, with 14 in their opening three matches of the new campaign.

The attacking philosophy Ancelotti always claimed he wanted to introduce is in stark contrast with the win-at-all-costs mantra under Jose Mourinho that eventually did not prove enough to satisfy the Stamford Bridge owner.

While Ancelotti admitted he has been able to build on the foundations of the winning machine bequeathed by Mourinho and also immediate predecessor Guus Hiddink, the Italian believes his side is exactly what the Russian billionaire was always looking for.

Ancelotti said: “Chelsea showed their personality before I arrived here.

“They reached the semi-finals of the Champions League five times and that doesn’t happen unless a club has character.

“We have a clear identity to play with now. The identity to play in the way we want to do. We’ve shown that with possession, attacking football, maintaining balance during the game.

“This was our aim before the start of the season.

“Roman is not here a lot, although he came to Cobham to see us two weeks ago. I think he’s happy. He’s happy to see his team play good football.” Ancelotti’s style and personality is utterly different to that of Mourinho, even if the pair has not called a truce to their long-standing war of words.

Chelsea Eyeing Up The 'New Ronaldo'

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is keeping tabs on French forward Yohan Mollo.

Ancelotti has been tipped off about the Monaco starlet who has excelled on loan at Caen this season.

Winger Mollo, 21, has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo because of his pace and dribbling and Chelsea believe they may be able to take a gamble on him at around £5m.

Alves Rubbishes Blues Link

Dani Alves has squashed rumours of a January move to Chelsea or Manchester City and he instead insisted that he has a long term future at Barcelona.

According to the Daily Mail, the world’s most expensive right-back initially believed he would be heading for the exit at the Nou Camp after he failed to earn a new contract at the end of last season.

The change of President at the club, however, has made Alves confident that he can have a long career with the Catalans.

The £28m signing from Sevilla revealed: “The offer for renewal was not very serious.”

New president Sandro Rosell, however, has sanctioned fresh talks and Alves stated: “I've had the chance to talk to [new directors] Josep Maria Bartomeu and Andoni Zubizarreta, and found a great willingness to reach an agreement.”

John Terry Is Told He Must Play It Cool

He has played for club and country with broken noses, fractured cheekbones, concussion, dislocated elbows and busted feet.

He has swallowed his tongue, blacked out, gritted his teeth though a long-standing back problem and been punctured by more painkilling jabs than a pin cushion. But John Terry has been told that his gladiator days are over.

The player of whom it has been casually – and truthfully – said for so long that he would take the field even if there were bits hanging off him, has finally been ordered to slow down for the sake of his career.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti wants his skipper around for a long time, so there will be no more heroics. Terry, 29, returns for Premier League leaders Chelsea at West Ham today after taking a fortnight off to nurse a sore hamstring and missing two England games.

Ancelotti last night brushed aside any suggestions that Terry is cooling on his England career in the wake of a dismal World Cup and revealed he has ordered him to slow down.

Chelsea go into the game against struggling West Ham having scored a frightening 32 goals without reply in their last seven games stretching back to last April.

Cech: What A Difference A Day

For those who play football for their country this season, Wednesday is the new Thursday, Thursday is the new Friday, and Petr Cech is already a big fan of the change.

The days in question are the ones immediately following a typical double-header of international fixtures and with the scheduling of those matches now altered, the upshot is an extra day of recovery and preparation in the build up to today's game at West Ham.

Whereas for many years an international break meant a big program of games around the globe on the Saturday a week after the last league match, and then a second set of internationals on the following Wednesday, on the recommendation of top club managers the pattern is now Friday evening and Tuesday evening games.

'It is a really big improvement in terms of timing,' reckons Cech who returned from facing Lithuania for the Czech Republic this week.

'Before with the national team, the week was long when you had preparation from the Monday to the game on Saturday.

'To play the first game on Friday is better because you can then play on Tuesday. Before this change, some of the guys were flying for five hours back from somewhere, and you don't sleep after the game, you go straight to the airport, and then on Thursday you are completely dead.

'On Friday you could have a little training session and if you were playing an away game on Saturday it was not the best scenario because you kept travelling. It was tiring.

'So I think going to international matches on Friday and Tuesday is the best idea for a long time.'

It had long been a concern for top clubs with many star players that two-week international breaks had a detrimental effect on results. Last season, a last-minute goal prevented a Chelsea slip-up at Stoke after such an interval but when it came to playing away at Aston Villa with a Saturday lunchtime kick-off, Cech and his colleagues did suffer defeat.

Only time will tell if the new calendar shows any trends in results but our keeper does confirm this week felt more like a standard domestic one with a midweek game.

'You have your recovery day on Wednesday, the following day you feel the worst and then you have Friday to feel fresh and get ready for the game.

'Let's wait and see but it should improve everybody's state. Teams like us with many internationals, when everybody comes back from all over the world then you obviously have a disadvantage compared with other sides. One extra day can make a big difference.'

Ancelotti: Extending Eras

Old age catches up with all of us eventually, but Carlo Ancelotti believes that with the right management, its effects can be minimized on his squad.

Using captain John Terry as an example of a player approaching his 30th birthday, Ancelotti explained how players can prolong their careers in the way his legendary captain at Milan, Paolo Maldini did.

'I don't like players that want to play with injuries, when they are not 100 percent,' he said, discussing Terry's withdrawal from England duty last week. 'I don't like this. A player has to say to me I am not 100 percent and you have to decide.

'I think Terry with the national team took the right decision because he was not 100 percent and it could be a problem. He is a player with strong character, he loves to play for the shirt, but also you have to be realistic. When the player has a problem he has to say.

'When he said to me that he wanted to use this time to recover and resolve his problem, I agreed with him. I said to him to speak with the national team, he spoke with the national team and everything was okay.'

Ancelotti is hopeful that by sharing his advice with Terry, who has previously played with back, ankle, cheekbone and elbow injuries, the defender's career will be prolonged.

'I think so, he has not until now had big injuries,' the manager said. 'He is working very well in training and this is the key to play for a lot of time. It was the same, Maldini was able to work hard every day. It is the key to have a long career.

'Last season he didn't have a lot of problems and I think we can manage it, not just John Terry but all the players. But now in this moment when we have seven games in 20 days it is very important to control these things, we can lose players for a long time if we don't pay attention.'

Premier League Preview: West Ham United vs. Chelsea

If the formbook is anything to go by, West Ham United will be quaking in their boots at the prospect of entertaining Chelsea.

The defending champions are flying with 14 league goals without reply this season, while the Hammers on the other hand have scored two and conceded nine in their three league games.

While Chelsea are flying at the top of the league, West Ham are floundering at the bottom. The two teams are exact opposites. The first three games of the season have been agony for West Ham, and they will not be feeling too confident that their season can get underway against the Double winners.

Chelsea has been scoring goals for fun this season, but Julien Faubert is confident he can smother the Blues' joint top scorer, Florent Malouda.

"I know Malouda is on fire," Faubert told WHUTV. "He was a big player before and is a big player now, but I think we have to play as a team.

"If we play as a team and we are really compact, we won't let him play and will restrict his chances I think. I am not scared of anybody so I don't care who I am up against."

For Chelsea fans they will be hoping for more of the same. 19 places above West Ham going into this match and they will be looking to make it four wins out of four this term. Despite this, Carlo Ancelotti thinks his team can improve.

He said to reporters after the Stoke game: “We didn't play our best football but we were focused and concentrated - it's important to win.

"It's impossible to win 6-0 every week, today we played very well defensively."

The Blues were expected to be a weakened team this season following the summer departures of Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Deco and Juliano Belletti. However, that has been the case so far and Ancelotti's men are vying to continue their best start ever to a Premier League campaign.

TEAM NEWS

West Ham United

West Ham will have been boosted by the fact that midfield general Scott Parker signed a new four-year contract this week, after speculation Tottenham wanted to sign him during the transfer window. Thomas Hitzlsperger is out and Jack Collison and Zavon Hines have long term injuries.

New Hammers signing Lars Jacobsen may well start at right-back in a defensive set-up, with normal right full-back Julien Faubert moving to right wing. Young Mexican winger Pablo Barrera could play on the left wing with Kieron Dyer, Mark Noble and Parker in central midfield with Carlton Cole up front as a lone striker.

Possible starting XI: Green; Jacobsen, Gabbidon, Upson, Ilunga; Faubert, Parker, Noble, Barrera; Dyer, Cole.

Chelsea

For Chelsea it will be more of the same, although there are concerns over the fitness of England duo Frank Lampard and John Terry. Both missed the matches against Bulgaria Switzerland, although Carlo Ancelotti is confident Terry will start. Lampard faces a late fitness test, but Ancelotti is hopeful he will be able to play.

Brazilian Ramires gives the defending champions more options in midfield, while Branislav Ivanovic is still sidelined with a back injury.

Possible starting XI: Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Alex, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.

Florent Malouda Is Keeping His Feet On The Ground Despite Perfect Start

Florent Malouda has warned his Chelsea team-mates not to get too carried away by their good start to the season or they could pay a price at West Ham tomorrow.

Chelsea are top of the League after winning their first three games, which has included two impressive 6-0 wins against West Brom and Wigan.

The defending champions have not been beaten by West Ham since 2003 but Malouda is worried that could change if they take victory for granted.

He said: “There's something to improve even when you're winning 6-0. It's all about the details. It's important to be calm and patient when we win but also to be calm and patient when we have bad results. That's the way the manager sees it.

“When you're angry and you don't have good feelings, it's not the right way to have a good vision. When you stay calm, you're able to analyze and you keep improving, whether you're winning or having bad results.

“That's why I was saying we have to be calm and patient even when we win because in these games people are watching our games and seeing what we do.”

Malouda, who has scored four goals already this season, added: “It was only a few months ago that we were celebrating winning the Premier League and the fans arrived at the start of the season with so much joy and happiness. We want to keep that feeling.”

Carlo Ancelotti Believes English Players Have Greater Mental Strength Than Italians

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti believes that players in the Premier League want to work harder than those in his home country of Italy.

Ancelotti is always looking for ways to improve as a manager and he feels that English players have a similar mentality, with hard work being a feature of Chelsea's training ground.

"In football there are a lot of things, a lot of details that you can always improve," Ancelotti told his club's official website.

"Every experience can give you the possibility to improve. I had good experience before I came here and now I think I improved with this experience.

"There are not a lot of differences between Italy and England, but I think the English players have a stronger mentality, they like to work very hard on the pitch every day."

Ancelotti recently spent time at the Uefa Elite Club Coaches Forum in Switzerland, where he discussed the game with such luminaries as Jose Mourinho, Claudio Ranieri, Didier Deschamps, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, amongst others.

"We talk about everything, the rules, the balls, they asked us what made the difference during the World Cup and Champions League," he added.

"It is a good moment to have a relationship with the other coaches, it is a good moment during the season because there are the most important coaches in Europe and it is important to know about everything. After that we stay together and speak in the bar like supporters, it is fun."

Ancelotti also believes that an important part of management is ensuring that the personal relationships at work are positive.

"I like to have a good relationship with all the people that work around me," he explained.

"I think I have the respect of the media, I think, I know very well that sometimes the relationship depends on results.

"For example, Fabio Capello now has a problem but I think you have to pay attention to the criticism. Sometimes there is a right criticism but when you attack the person I do not like this. He is still a very good coach."

Chelsea Preparing £16.5m Winter Bid For Sevilla Winger Jesus Navas

Premier League champions Chelsea are prepared to make a £16.5 million (€20m) bid to land Sevilla winger Jesus Navas when the transfer window reopens in January, according to AS.

Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly keen to secure the services of the talented 24-year-old but the bid is sure to come up short of the Andalusian's valuation of the highly-rated World Cup winner.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are already said to be on alert as contract negotiations between Navas and Sevilla evolve.

Los Nervionenses are understood to be keen to tie him down to a longer-term deal and the hometown boy is unlikely to want to leave Seville.

His current contract at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is set to expire in 2012.