Carlo Expects City Challenge

Carlo Ancelotti fully expects Manchester City to challenge Chelsea for the Premier League title this season.

The Eastlands giants ended Chelsea's 100 per cent start to the season on Saturday after a 1-0 victory thanks to Carlos Tevez's solo effort.

City manager Roberto Mancini claimed on Friday that Chelsea would retain their title.

However, Ancelotti expects a genuine challenge to come from the side backed by Sheikh Mansour's millions.

"They are fantastic players, a very good squad. They can fight for the title."

Ancelotti believes his side will bounce back from the defeat at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Chelsea face a home Champions League clash against Marseille before taking on Arsenal at Stamford Bridge and then travelling to play Aston Villa, where the Blues were beaten 2-1 last season.

"We lost also last year here, it's not a good pitch for us," he said.

"But we stayed at the top of the table, every game is a big test for us.

"Strange performance, but it can happen you are not able to score, this is football.

"You have to play against a strong team with a good performance.

"If you don't play at your best it's normal you don't score a goal."

Manchester City Beat Chelsea At Their Own Game, But Both Teams Still Suffer From The Same Weakness

Ridiculous as it may sound, Chelsea were almost the perfect opponents for Manchester City at a sun-dappled but curiously subdued City of Manchester Stadium.

As befitting a team that had plundered 20 goals in its first five Premier League fixtures, the reigning champions and Double winners did not arrive at the home of the world’s most cash-rich club with an inferiority complex.

Carlo Ancelotti named his starting line-up the day before the game, grinned ‘Good team, yeah?’ and sent them out to bulldoze City into submission.

Yet the formula of solid defence, three midfielders imperiously winning the possession battle and a trio of attacking assassins who can create and kill in equal measure came unstuck in a way that may have been familiar.

Essentially, Chelsea was out-Chelsea-ed. Not by the modern Chelsea. Ancelotti has set his team up in a framework that allows artistry and expression. City bore more than a passing resemblance to the team that Jose Mourinho built at Stamford Bridge – patient, cautious and strong but deadly on the counter-attack.

It was a template that proved equally successful at Inter Milan and one that Roberto Mancini, Mourinho’s predecessor at the San Siro and another catenaccio afficianado, is closely acquainted with.

Like Mourinho at Chelsea, Mancini has used the oil millions at his disposal to create a team that thrills only in spurts, and like Chelsea, the inclusion of three holding midfielders creates an engine which can fail to offer a creative, match changing, spark.

Both Mancini and Ancelotti fielder three holding midfielders in their starting line-ups, with Michael Essie and Yaya Toure the more creative of each trio.

With such systems, both coaches can rest assured that ball retention and solidity can power the front three, but in the matches where they require that extra bit of guile, that creative spark to unlock the door, both sides can be left wanting, despite their undoubted wealth of talent.

David Silva, who is being given the time by manager and fans alike to grow into the playmaker role just off the main striker, offers the greatest prospect of fantasy and Adam Johnson is a speedy dribbler in the Arjen Robben mould. Mario Balotelli is an unknown quantity but should lift punters off their seats when he is fully fit and let off the leash.

For all their undoubted dynamism, the likes of Carlos Tevez and James Milner are not going to win too many prizes for aesthetic appeal.

That will bother Mancini not one jot. The feisty Argentinean, with captain’s armband now hugging his bicep to illustrate his importance to the City cause, and versatile Milner promise to be cornerstones of Mancini’s team.

Other building blocks are neatly fitting in place. Nigel de Jong, magnificently tigerish against Chelsea, and Gareth Barry have emerged as the midfield anchors, Vincent Kompany is the defensive leader and Joe Hart has the swagger and athleticism to be the best Premier League last line of defence since Peter Schmeichel.

Yet the trick that Mancini has not yet mastered – and will probably need to this season if he is to maintain his status as the Premier League’s most stylish touchline prowler – is to turn City into a relentless winning machine.

Mancini’s team have habit of conjuring wonderful one-off victories – the 4-2 triumph at Stamford Bridge last season being the most obvious exhibit in their gallery of memorable wins – followed by perplexing failures to chalk up points.

The 3-0 early season victory over Liverpool, another big gun who came to Eastlands with the intention of gathering three points not one, was followed by a last-minute 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and a 1-1 home draw against Blackburn Rovers.

Mancini blames this on the absence of a honed winning mentality. The dressing room hopes to win but do not yet expect it, he argues.

This is a convenient explanation but does not satisfactorily answer why the former golden boy of Italian football has not settled on a formula that works against all opposition. Or even a template that can be tweaked to work against both the high rollers and the mid-rankers.

At this stage of their evolution, City’s greatest strength is their ability to soak up pressure and hit opponents on the counter-attack. Tevez’s goal was a classic example. City won the ball, Toure released the team’s talisman into oceans of space and the Argentinean’s desire, speed and confidence in his capacity to seize the moment did the rest.

Against opponents who defend deep, put nine outfield men behind the ball and leave 30 yards between the lone frontman and most attack-oriented midfielder, City have tended to struggle.

When they are expected to take the attack to their opponents, they have a habit of reverting to type and then flailing around in search of a plan B when the wheels come off.

Given the attacking riches at Mancini’s disposal, this will be tolerated for only so long. It is right that Silva is given time to adapt to the unique demands of the Premier League that can leave even the head of the even the most gifted player spinning. Likewise, Balotelli, Toure junior and Jerome Boateng, sure to be a key figure in the defence as the season progresses, also deserve to be cut some slack.

But there are enough experienced Premier League performers in the most expensively assembled squad in England for City to be effective against all-comers here and now.

After all, they won’t play Chelsea every week.

Chelsea And Juventus Set For January Battle For Santos Sensation Neymar

Chelsea face fierce competition from Juventus for Brazilian wonderkid Neymar .

The Blues were chasing the 18-year-old striker in the summer transfer window – a pursuit that caused controversy with claims of an illegal approach as well as Pele and Robinho getting involved and trying to persuade the player to stay with his club, Santos FC.

The teenage sensation ended up staying at Santos, but, according to the People, Chelsea and Juventus are set for a battle for the player in the January transfer window.

And the paper says that the Serie A side has already launched negotiations with Neymar’s representatives.

Santos are reportedly asking for a staggering £32 million for their star.

Florent Malouda: Winning The Champions League Is Our Main Target

Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda says the club's dream is to lift the Champions League at Wembley in May.

Malouda has been in outstanding form this season, and already has six Premier League goals to his name.

The 30-year-old told the Daily Star Sunday that it is European success which drives the club on.

"It's a big target for this club to win the European Cup," he said.

"Coming so close has been frustrating and we really do feel this is the year we can win it”

The strength in depth of the Chelsea squad, Malouda believes, holds the key to their success.

"The manager can put one team out on a Saturday and another out in the week. They would both be world class."

The dynamic French midfielder also thinks that their manager Carlo Ancelotti is the perfect man to lead them to glory, both at home and in Europe.

“I think our manager is one of the most proven managers there is," he said.

"Every single player at the club is having a lot of fun playing under him and he wants the Champions League as much as us. This can be the season for us."

Malouda insisted, however, that any talk of the Blues taking their eyes off the Premier League should be quickly dismissed.

He said: "Any talk of us putting more importance on the Champions League than the Premier League is wrong - we know how important both are to the club and the fans.

"We want them both. We know how hard that will be but we have a fantastic squad.”

Reserves Welcome The Reds

The reserves welcome Liverpool to Cobham this afternoon as they aim to continue their impressive start to the league season. It's a game that can be seen live on Chelsea TV.

A 3-2 win at Newcastle just under a fortnight ago followed up a promising display in the 1-1 draw against Everton at Stamford Bridge, and coach Steve Holland is looking to take momentum from those two games into this one, despite missing several key players due to the first team's fixture with Marseille tomorrow night.

'It's a big game, we've had a good start so far,' Holland said. 'It's a shame the game was arranged during a Champions League week, we would have really liked to have played Liverpool with our full strength reserve side against theirs, but both clubs have European games and that will affect the selections I am sure.

'Nevertheless it's not a fixture we are used to, Liverpool are a big club with a reputation for having good younger players so it's one we're looking forward to.'

Having come back from falling behind inside two minutes to snatch a late win at St. James' Park, Holland was delighted with his side's character.

'Particularly when you consider that five of the team that started against the reserves started against the first team the other night,' he pointed out, 'so it was a big group effort on the night, and we'll possibly have Jose Bosingwa in to get some game time.

'He played 55 minutes in a specially-arranged game last Wednesday, and this falls nicely for him, so the plan is that he progresses his fitness with some more time. Other than that it is likely to be a similar squad to that at the Newcastle game which came off the back of the trip to Slovakia.'

That means there will be places in the squad for Adam Phillip and Michael Woods, who have both returned to action after a year on the sidelines. It was Phillip's injury-time penalty that snatched victory in the north-east.

'He's had an awful year in that he's been injured for nearly all of it,' said the coach. 'In his last reserve game he scored a hat-trick at Portsmouth, then got injured in training and hadn't played since, so that was his first time on the pitch and it was a nice moment for him, also for the medical staff, after toiling away for a year.

'It was a nice moment for everybody to get the winner with the last kick of the game. The pair are slowly building up, but it will be slow. When you have been out for a year it has to be step by step and we are being very careful to avoid a setback.'

Match Report: Manchester City 1 - 0 Chelsea

After handing Chelsea the title the day before, Roberto Mancini watched his Manchester City side promptly snatch it away again as Carlos Tevez's second-half strike ended the champions' 100% record.

In a tactical battle with defences largely on top throughout, Tevez's moment of inspiration just before the hour proved to be decisive.

Chelsea were unable to halt the South American's burst from halfway and he found the perfect finish too, through Ashley Cole's legs and in off the post.

Carlo Ancelotti's men battled hard to force an equalizer, but, just as they had done for most of the contest, they failed to open up a disciplined City defence and came no nearer than the header Branislav Ivanovic struck the bar with before half-time.

It rather showed up the opinion Mancini offered that Chelsea would win the title easily, and signalled City can join Manchester United and Arsenal in harbouring genuine hopes of glory next May as well.

It was slightly strange that the build up to a game between the Premier League's biggest spenders should be centered around respective injury problems.

Yet that is exactly how it turned out, Ancelotti claiming he had just 12 fit players, which was one more than Mancini.

Defensively, City are struggling with neither Joleon Lescott nor Jerome Boateng - who did make his debut as a late substitute - considered fit enough to start.

And once Wayne Bridge had failed a pre-match fitness test on a thigh injury it was anticipated would keep him out for another fortnight anyway, Mancini went for 19-year-old Belgian Dedryck Boyata, normally a centre-half, to make only his fourth league appearance.

Boyata rewarded his manager with a solid contribution to an obdurate defensive performance from City.

Only once were the Blues opened up properly, and that had nothing to do with the teenager.

In fact it was Tevez who drifted away from Florent Malouda as he anticipated a return pass to Didier Drogba, who had just taken a corner on the Chelsea left.

Tevez's movement gave Malouda the space to curl a deep cross to the far post, where Alex nodded it back to Ivanovic.

The Serbian had two goes at putting Chelsea in front. The first came bouncing back off the bar, giving him a second header to go for, this time Joe Hart making a comfortable save.

Apart from that, both goalmouths were largely underused.

Knowing this was their biggest test of the season so far and without Frank Lampard to drive them forward from midfield, Chelsea were content to play within themselves, keep a fairly rigid shape and let City expend their energy trying to break them down.

For their part, the home side failed to get sufficient support to Tevez, who worked incredibly hard up front on his own but was limited to speculative long-range efforts.

Under such circumstances, it was hardly a surprise it began to get a bit tetchy and Pablo Zabaleta's booking for a reckless sliding tackle on Ivanovic gave way to a period of play scarred by physical confrontation.

The first two minutes of the second period produced as much intense action as there had been in the whole of the first.

After Hart had pushed a curling Nicolas Anelka shot away from danger, Michael Essien should have done far better with the near-post corner than send his header sailing over the bar after being picked out completely unmarked.

City responded with their first meaningful assault on the Chelsea goal, which forced Cech to make a decent low save to deny Silva.

It proved to be the prelude to the deadlock being broken.

Yaya Toure and the nippy Silva deserve mentions for their short pass and running off the ball respectively after Ramires had conceded possession just inside the City half.

The rest of it was all the South American's own work as he ran ferociously at the visitors' defence, jinked to his right, then blasted a shot through Cole's legs and into the net off the inside of Cech's right-hand post.

Twice Essien tried to level from long-range. Twice his radar was way off and the ball sailed over.

Alex glanced a header wide after Boyata had marred his effective performance by getting booked for chopping down Yury Zhrikov, but with Cole also belting a shot into the side-netting, Chelsea ran out of ideas.

After beating the Chelsea twice last season as well, City are rather getting to like this.

Reaction: It Was Not A Good Day

Carlo Ancelotti watched his side suffer a second defeat in a row yesterday, something the Italian has not become accustomed to.

Since the beginning of this campaign, Chelsea has looked unstoppable, but yesterday proved we're still susceptible to counter-attack football, with Manchester City completing a 1-0 win.

Following another tense encounter against Newcastle midweek yesterday was no different as end-to-end football took place inside the City of Manchester Stadium.

'We wanted to play better, obviously because we didn't play how we wanted,' admitted Ancelotti after the game.

'We saw the power of Man City in midfield; we lost a lot of possession and were not able to play the football we wanted.

'We gave the ball to them and gave them the opportunity to score on the counter-attack. We maintain the top of the table but we lost this time.'

But rather than blame any individual performance for yesterday's outcome, Ancelotti was certain it was collective errors which ended in defeat.

'That was not a good performance as a team and so for this reason every player did not have a performance which was their best. As a team we didn't play well.

'But it is difficult to judge this team after one defeat. We lost one game but our moment is very good, we are doing very well.

'It was not a good day but this team has a very good mentality.'

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini agreed with his fellow Italian by insisting Chelsea cannot be written off by this one performance alone.

'Chelsea will probably win the title,' said Mancini. 'It is not possible that they can score four, five goals every game. Sometimes they have to play like yesterday.

'Carlo is one of the best managers in the world. I am happy for me, I am sorry for him yesterday but he can't win always.

'If they find space it is easy to score a goal but if they don't have the space to counter-attack it makes it hard. Our players played very well, defended very well, and this helped,' he added.

One change which drew attention in this fixture was the removal of Didier Drogba 20 minutes before the end, when he was replaced by Daniel Sturridge.

It allowed Nicolas Anelka to take up the central striker's position, while fresh-legged Sturridge roamed up and down the right wing.

'I wanted to put more speed in front with Anelka and Sturridge and to use the speed of Sturridge, he was fresh, so I took this decision to change Drogba,' said Ancelotti.

'We have on the bench this opportunity to change the players. We have young players; [Josh] McEachran played 10 minutes and played well. We have to have confidence in the young players.'

But following last year's 2-1 defeat at Eastlands, Ancelotti had one more thing to say: 'This is not a good place for us. Man City is a very good team. They have the possibility to win the title.

'They are growing quickly and will be an opponent for the title.

'They played how we expected because they had a compact shape in their half and they used a lot of power to catch the ball and play counter-attack. We knew this,' added the Chelsea manager.

John Terry Is Only Fooling Himself

John Terry moaned like fury to the referee at the final whistle. Then he moaned some more, and kept on moaning. It was a hopeless and rather lame outburst of anger from the former England captain, who must have known in his heart that Chelsea had been outmuscled, out-thought and outplayed by Manchester City.

So often it is Chelsea who crush opponents with their steamroller combination of power, strength and efficiency.

Not yesterday. Not against a team set up to destroy by City manager Roberto Mancini. Not against a midfield display of immensely disciplined force from man of the match Nigel de Jong.

Maybe it was a shock to Terry and his Chelsea team-mates that they were on the receiving end here – and that they could do absolutely nothing about it.

But that was the truth of it yesterday.

Didier Drogba, the most feared striker in the Premier League, was taken off 20 minutes before the end by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti – for the very obvious reason that he’d been made to look like a pussycat rather than a lion by the desire and determination of the home defence.

Drogba went past his manager to the ignominy of the dug-out with a look of surprise on his face. It was not a surprise to anyone else in the ground.

It was a moment of great symbolism – the moment the myth that Chelsea would stroll to the title this season was dispelled.

The idea that you could pick a season’s champions after just five matches was always nonsense, but it was a notion that had gained wide enough currency to be endorsed even by rival managers like Mancini.

There had even been talk of Chelsea becoming the new ‘Invincibles’, and not losing a league match all season as Arsenal did so famously six years ago. More nonsense.

Defeat here revealed much more about Chelsea than their five opening victories against the makeweights of the Premier League. Ancelotti had declared in advance that it was the first big test for his team this season – and it was an examination they failed badly.

City players were first to almost every loose ball, and were the more inventive team in a generally tight and dull match dominated by negative tactics.

Drogba was not the only Chelsea player to have a duff day. Their new Brazilian midfielder Ramires was overwhelmed, and it was his mistake – dwelling on the ball in midfield and being robbed by James Milner – that led to the counter-attacking winner from Carlos Tevez.

Florent Malouda’s elegance was conspicuous by its absence, while both Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were less than comfortable in defence.

You had to say they were more like Chelsea invisibles than invincibles.

The contrast with City, particularly in the second half, was often stark. If Terry and his pals go away thinking they were the victims of a football mugging, they will be fooling only themselves.

A wall of noise from the home fans greeted the final whistle. There could be no doubting that Mancini is beginning to fashion a team that is ready for the marathon battle of an English season.

De Jong was a tower of strength and, in his image, City have become hard to beat – and that is crucial for any side with ambitions to break into the top four.

To become champions, however, they will surely need to add more adventure and flair to their team. And they will need to score more goals.

Yesterday they had just two significant scoring attempts in 90 minutes despite being the superior side. They have scored only seven goals in six league matches so far.

You cannot win a title playing a whole season with three defensive midfielders.

It will be fascinating to discover whether Mancini, who thus far has appeared to be the most archetypal of Italian managers, is a leopard who can change his spots.

Ancelotti Tips Chelsea To Bounce Straight Back From Manchester City Defeat

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti expects his team to bounce back immediately from their surprise defeat to Manchester City.

Ancelotti admitted his team was off colour but stressed that their first league defeat in six months is only a minor setback.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, he said: “We are disappointed but must look forward to maintaining our position at the top of the table. We did well five times but lost one time. It was not a good performance as a team and so far this season every player did not have a performance like this.

“It’s difficult to judge this team because of one defeat. We lost one game. Our momentum is good. We are doing well. This team has a very good mentality.”

Ancelotti admitted his team was subjugated by the tactics of City.

“We suffered the power of Man City in midfield,” he said. “We lost a lot here. We were not able to play our football in the opposition’s half. We gave them this possibility to get the ball and hit us on the counter-attack.

“It is not a good place for us. They played how we expected. They put a compact shape in their half and used a lot of power to play the counter-attack. We knew this.”

Ancelotti believes the team built by the big-spending Sheikh Mansour can run Chelsea close for the title.

“Yes, I think so,” said the Italian. “There is every possibility. They are growing quickly and can be a runner for the title.”

Asked about when injured players such as Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun will be fit to return, Ancelotti said: “We will play one more game without these players and then they should be fit after the international break.”

Malouda Warns Of Marseille Threats

Chelsea winger Florent Malouda insists Marseille will provide a difficult test for the Blues as they welcome back former player Didier Deschamps to Stamford Bridge.

The ex-Chelsea midfielder is relishing his return to the club as Marseille manager having played one season with the Blues until the summer of 2000.

Marseille won the French title by six points last season after a wait of 18 years and Malouda insists they will be a lot tougher than MSK Zilina.

Chelsea beat Zilina 4-1 in Slovakia a fortnight ago to start their Champions League Group F campaign in style, but France international Malouda says Marseille will want to make their mark against the English champions.

"Marseille will be a difficult one because if you look at the recent years the French teams have done well in the Champions League," said Malouda.

"Last year they had two teams in the last eight. It is big for Marseille, they were champions last year and were waiting a long time, so they will want a good start.

'They won't want to come to Stamford Bridge and lose 4-0 like Bordeaux did two years ago. I can tell you it will be difficult in both games. Over there it is a big atmosphere but we are used to that."

Marseille's current squad contains former Manchester United and Real Madrid left-back Gabriele Heinze and ex-Porto midfielder Lucho Gonzalez.

They have made some big changes in attack where last season's leading scorer Mamadou Niang, who contributed 18 goals to the league campaign, has moved on along with Bakary Kone and Fernando Morientes.

The strikers have been replaced by two France players in Loic Remy, whose transfer was held up due to concerns over a heart condition, and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Deschamps, 41, insists that it will be a tough job to return home from Stamford Bridge with any reward because of Chelsea's strength in depth.

"Returning to Stamford Bridge will give me great pleasure," added Deschamps. "Although the stadium itself is renovated and much bigger, the wonderful ambience which I experienced remains.

"Chelsea has a very competitive European team with something like 20 internationals - a great compensation if you have injured or suspended players.

"Not only does Chelsea want to win this trophy, they are among four or five teams which can legitimately expect to do so. They won the Premier League title last season and are already performing really well.

"I know their manager Carlo Ancelotti well. He was my coach for six months at Juventus and I also often played against him. I like his style of football and I'll also be pleased to see Carlo again."

Scouting Report: Josh McEachran - Chelsea And England

Name: Joshua McEachran
Age: 17
Club: Chelsea
Nationality: England
Position: Midfielder

The League Cup has long provided a platform for England's top level clubs to blood fringe talent and the midweek defeat of Chelsea by Newcastle was no exception. The Pensioners, at one stage, found themselves 3-1 behind but were afforded an avenue back into the tie upon the introduction of Josh McEachran. Although the schemer had only 36 minutes he quickly became the go-to player for Carlo Ancelotti's side.

A week earlier he made his Champions League bow, becoming the first player born after the competition's inception in November 1992 to feature at that level. He was a late substitute against Zilina.

Primarily an attacking midfielder, McEachran has already earned comparisons with Jack Wilshere of Arsenal. Indeed, the more optimistic among the England fans have already postulated a Gerrard/ Lampard style tactical decision for the two at senior level for the Three Lions.

McEachran is comfortable in possession and moves easily through defenders while dribbling. He favours his left-foot and has a clever and inventive range of passing. He has proven himself to be an effective dead-ball specialist throughout his short career so far and is beginning to earn slots on the Chelsea bench for key matches.

The teenager has been at the club since the age of eight. He was plucked from the Oxford Mail Boys League, where he had been playing for Garden City. McEachran featured prominently for the club through various under-age ranks and had his first training session with the first team at the age of only 15.

McEachran formed a key part of Dermot Drummey's FA Youth Cup winning side last season, forming an effective central partnership with Irishman Conor Clifford. Indeed, he provided the captain with the winning goal in characteristic fashion in the closing minutes of the final's second leg against Aston Villa. Although naturally a prompter, McEachran is not averse to winning the ball back high in opposition territory. He was nigh-on unplayable in the games against Villa and marked himself out as the outstanding prospect in the Blue ranks.

His international career is burgeoning too, helping England to win the most recent edition of the Under-17 European Championships against Spain. It took McEachran a few games to truly hit his stride but he was excellent in the semis against France and in the final against la Rojita.

The Chelsea academy, which was revamped by Roman Abramovich, has come in for criticism in recent years as the club has failed to promote a regular first team player from within since John Terry's emergence around a decade ago. Should McEachran and his classmates graduate those words will have to be eaten.

Josh McEachran Ready For The Big Time At Chelsea, Says Carlo Ancelotti

Out of defeat has come a ray of light for Carlo Ancelotti, whose disappointment after Chelsea's Carling Cup exit on Wednesday was tempered by the emergence of Josh McEachran.

The 17-year-old midfielder made his home debut as a substitute in the 4-3 defeat by Newcastle in midweek, having appeared briefly in the Champions League win at MSK Zilina the previous week.

And such was the teenager's composure that Ancelotti will have no qualms putting him in to face Marseille at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Chelsea has problems in midfield with Yossi Benayoun added to an injury list already containing Frank Lampard, McEachran's role model in the senior squad.

The Oxford-born teenager has been fast-tracked from the Chelsea side that won the FA Youth Cup last season into the first team squad, and has also been called up for the England under-19 squad to face Cyprus next month.

Ancelotti certainly has no doubts about the teenager's temperament and ability. "He can play in the first team right now, without problem," said the Chelsea manager.

"He is very young but he showed fantastic ability and quality. So it is possible. If we need him he is ready to play the Premier League and the Champions League. I am not afraid to put a young player in important games because he has fantastic quality."

The comparisons with Jack Wilshere at Arsenal are inevitable, but McEachran's upright stance and tidy style are more reminiscent of a young Scott Parker.

"It's difficult to say who he is like because to have a 17 year-old with his personality and character is amazing – he was not afraid to play in the last game," added Ancelotti, who will not consider letting him get first-team experience elsewhere.

"We won't be sending him on loan. He will stay here and play here. We now have one more player. It's a surprise because he is a very talented player and we prepared a program for him to improve but I think he is improving very quickly.

"I don't have a fear of rushing him because his character is good, he is focused. He has balance. He is not afraid or quiet. And for this reason I can say he can play.

"There is a possibility he can play a part against Marseille. We may need someone because without Lampard, without Benayoun we don't have a lot of midfielders. And if we need him I think we can count on him.

"He has the ability to change the game – he can make a difference." Sir Trevor Brooking has seen the same attitude and ability, having watched McEachran star when England U-17s won the European Championship, beating Spain in the final: "Josh is left-footed, really good on the ball, and sees a pass. He's one of those where you've got to decide where to play him, he can play wide or tucked in. He also has a good attitude."

McEachran admits he could score more goals and has been encouraged to study the way Lampard gets into the penalty area. "I want to score more goals.

Chelsea say to me 'look at Frank Lampard'. I need to get into the box more," he told the club's website.

"Last year was really good for me. I didn't perform very well in the early stages of the Youth Cup but in the semi-final and final I thought I picked up my game and played well.

"Then came the European under-17 Championships. They say it was the strongest crop they have had for 10 years, and hopefully a few of us can push on."

Youth Report: Chelsea 2 - 4 Southampton

Chelsea's youth team fell to a second straight 4-2 defeat at Cobham on Saturday, as Southampton returned to the south coast with three points.

Two Bobby Devyne strikes early in the second half had looked to have given the Blues a chance after they had fallen 3-0 behind in the first period but a penalty shortly afterwards denied any hopes of completing the comeback.

Chelsea started well when Amin Affane released left-back Reece Loudon, and his cross was almost turned goalwards by Buomesca Na Bangna, who then sent a header straight at the Saints goalkeeper after Toddy Kane had kept the move going.

Chelsea goalkeeper Jamal Blackman then launched a counter-attack with an excellent long throw, allowing Devyne to run through, but he slotted his effort just the wrong side of the far post.

Both sides were looking threatening and tidy, but it was the visitors who went in front on the quarter-hour, a cross from the right headed home by an unmarked attacker from 10 yards.

Chelsea responded well, and Na Bangna was unfortunate not to convert after Bobby Devyne had sent an angled ball over the Southampton defence, his looped effort slightly misjudged and underhit.

It was harsh on the Blues then that they went two down in the 23rd minute, a free-kick only half cleared, and when the ball was returned it fell nicely for a Saints player in space, who had time to control it and slot home between Blackman and the near post.

At the other end an Amin Affane free-kick resulted in a scramble in the Saints area, eventually cleared before a Chelsea toe could poke the ball home.

The third arrived on the stroke of half-time, when Southampton's left winger was allowed the time to cross and pick out his centre-forward six yards out, who sent a simple header in off the post.

Chelsea were handed a penalty in the opening couple of minutes of the second period, which Devyne dispatched neatly to the goalkeeper's left.

The deficit was reduced further before the hour when schoolboy John Swift's excellent lofted pass put Devyne through and he made no mistake, lifting the ball up and over the keeper to score his second.

Swift's joy was cut short two minutes later when his challenge inside the Chelsea area gave the Saints a penalty of their own, and although Blackman saved the initial effort, the taker hammered home the rebound.

The Blues continued to press but could not find a route to goal, and it was Blackman who kept the score down with a late flying save from a powerful drive.

Carlo Ancelotti Brushes Off Roberto Mancini's Claims That Chelsea Will Walk To Premier League Title

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will renew his long running friendly rivalry with fellow Italian Roberto Mancini tomorrow as his Chelsea side travel to Eastlands to face big spending Manchester City.

Mancini emerged triumphant when the two teams met last season at Stamford Bridge thanks to a Carlos Tevez double, which inspired City to a 4-2 victory, arguably the Citizens' best performance of the season.

However, Ancelotti’s men bounced back from that defeat to claim their first championship after a three year barren spell.

Chelsea have continued that form into this season and are currently setting the pace at the top of the Premier League table, such impressive early form that Mancini has already claimed that they are certain to be champions once again this season.

Whether Mancini’s admission is just the latest episode in the various managerial mind games that are common place in today’s game is unclear, but Ancelotti doesn’t believe his old team-mate is up to the latest round of kidology.

“I think it is not a mind game, I know him very well, for this reason he knows us very well, he knows our ability, and I think that's what he thinks. It is not dangerous for us,” Ancelotti said to the club’s official website.

The pair have a long running friendship which dates back to their days representing the Italian national side together in the 80s and early 90s, whilst they were rivals when in charge of the two Milan clubs as recently as three years ago.

“We were team mates in the past in the national team, I met him two months ago in Manchester and the relationship is very good”, Ancelotti said of his respect for his Manchester City counterpart.

“He is very competitive and he has experience, he has ability to read the game”.

Ancelotti, formerly of AC Milan is quick to remind Mancini that he narrowly edges the head to head meetings, and stresses that he is keen to extend that margin tomorrow afternoon.

“Sometimes he won, sometimes I won. 8-7 and three draws, I want to improve my lead.”

Despite Ancelotti’s narrow advantage in the head to head contests between the pair, Mancini will look back fondly at his sides victory over the champions last season, but Ancelotti claims that his side possess even more confidence now than they did at that point last year.

“[Last year] was the past, it was a difficult moment for us when we lost at home but now is a different story. We have more confidence compared to last year, we are in a good moment and we can do better compared to the last match at Manchester," he said.

In fact, City did the double over Ancelotti’s men last season, with former manager Mark Hughes in charge for the 2-1 win at Eastlands.

In both fixtures Carlos Tevez proved to be a pivotal figure in Chelsea’s downfall and Ancelotti admits that he is an admirer of the former Manchester United and West Ham front man.

“He is the most dangerous player of Manchester City, he has quality” said Ancelotti.

“He has power and very good mentality. I appreciate his kind of play and we have to pay attention.”

Charles Kabore: Olympique De Marseille Can Beat Chelsea In The Champions League

Chelsea can be beaten by Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League, Charles Kabore has declared in La Provence.

The holding midfielder insists that les Phoceens are not considering the prospect of losing heavily at Stamford Bridge next midweek, despite acknowledging the fact that Carlo Ancelotti has a powerful side at his disposal.

“We can’t say whether we will lose 5-0 or 2-0. We may win,” the 22-year-old Burkina Faso international declared. “Chelsea have good forwards and great defenders. It has been three or four years that they have played together; they know each other by heart.

“No team is unbeatable. All teams make mistakes. Chelsea are not unbeatable. I believe.”

Kabore is expected to be rested by Didier Deschamps during Saturday evening’s encounter against Sochaux in Ligue 1 as les Phoceens attempt to continue rejuvenating their season, which started in extremely dubious circumstances as they lost both of their opening Championnat encounters.

The former Libourne-Saint-Seurin man is expected back in the starting XI when OM travel to London on Tuesday.

Tevez Reveals Chelsea Talks

Manchester City star Carlos Tevez admits he came close to signing for Chelsea when he left Manchester United.

Tevez locks horns against Chelsea, aiming to boost City's title hopes with a win over the reigning champions.

The Argentine ace admits he could have been playing for Chelsea instead of Manchester City after holding talks with Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti prior to his switch to Eastlands.

"When Man United didn't want me, I had a conversation with Ancelotti but there was never any concrete offer," revealed Tevez.

"I only ever talk about proper, written offers - and that was the case with City."

Meanwhile, Tevez insists he stands by his criticism of City boss Roberto Mancini's training methods.

Tevez was unhappy with Mancini last season when claimed the Italian's double training sessions left the players drained.

"I think I was right to say that," noted Tevez. "This season, because the games are coming so thick and fast, there isn't time for double training so I am relieved it's not an issue. But I still stand by what I said.

"Roberto and I had a good chat at the end of last season and everything was left really nice. It was simply two guys sitting down in a room and chatting honestly and openly and sorting things out."

Tevez also revealed he was shocked to be handed the captain's armband by Mancini this season in place of Kolo Toure.

"It did surprise me. For one thing, my English isn't fantastic and communicating in the dressing room isn't always easy.

"But it's certainly having a positive effect on my game. Before maybe I would disappear from games for 10 or 15 minutes, but now I can't afford to do that.

"I've got to concentrate 100% all the time."

Carlo Ancelotti Keen To Manage Ghana - Domenico Ricci

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has a desire to turn his hand to African football, and would like to coach the Ghana national team, claims his friend Domenico Ricci.

Ancelotti has proven a hit in Italy and England, and in future wants to grapple with the illusions and reality of African football as he widens his reach.

For his part, Ancelotti has maintained his immediate future rides on Chelsea as he continues to attract riches at Stamford Bridge following their impressive start to the season.

"I can say that Ancelotti's thoughts have shifted from the Ivory Coast to Ghana," Ricci, an African football expert and agent, told Premium Calcio.

"There are various people involved too. A famous Milan player who is a midfielder and still playing will be his assistant."

Last week reports in England claimed Chelsea were ready to offer Ancelotti a contract extension.

Cech: Clean Sheets Are Crucial

Petr Cech believes defensive miserliness has been as much a reason for our excellent league start as the attacking play at the other end.

It is the forward-thinking players that have grabbed the headlines, helping themselves to 21 league goals in five games, but Cech and his defence have yielded only Scott Parker's consolation strike at West Ham in that period, and the goalkeeper is keen to point out it is at the back where the best sides lay their foundations.

'Sometimes getting clean sheets and not conceding can be more crucial than scoring the goals. When you don't concede basically you only need to score one goal,' said the 6ft 4in stopper.

'We can say that because you can only build a team from defending well, it helps obviously when you need to start well. When you start scoring a lot of goals it is a big bonus.'

It has been said that today's opponents Manchester City will pose our first real test of the Barclays Premier League campaign, but Cech is keen to point out the benefit hindsight offers.

'It was a tricky start because last season at the beginning we went to play Wigan away and lost, it is not an easy game,' he said. 'Although we won 6-0 there, if you see the first 40 minutes it was a tough game.

'We scored at the perfect time and then two at the start of the second half and it finished 6-0 but for 40 minutes that game was really tough and we had to play well to make things happen and win the game. It is never easy to win a game in the Premier League wherever you go.'

That said then, he knows City will provide a stern examination as they aim to show their own title credentials. Cech believes the Eastlands club has everything in place to challenge, but may still need to gel as a unit.

'Money can't buy the success, you need a good team to win something, you need the spirit and the atmosphere in the dressing room and the club generally to be successful. You can put the best players together but it never means you will have a good team,' he explained.

'You have to have the players to build that spirit and atmosphere. If everyone is thinking about their ego then you can have a great manager, a great squad, great facilities but never a great team.'

Despite their vast outlay over the summer, it remains one of their cheaper acquisitions, goalkeeper Joe Hart (a £600,000 signing from Shrewsbury Town) who has Cech's attention after replacing Shay Given as City's preferred choice.

'I think it has been difficult for him at the start, he can see how highly rated, and rightly, Shay Given is, then suddenly got in front of him and had to show to everybody he deserved to play,' said the 28-year-old. 'He started with a fantastic game against Tottenham and has been playing well, started for the national team, and he came into the spotlight.

'Now people will watch him in a different way, he is not one of the candidates to be England's number one, now he is the number one and he has more pressure on. So far he has been doing really well.'

This afternoon's affair pits the league's two tightest defences against each other. Cech will be hoping that it is he who has the quieter afternoon.

Old Friends, New Rivals

Carlo Ancelotti has been discussing his relationship with his friend and Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini.

The pair played together for Italy in the 1980s and '90s, and were rivals in Milan for four years as they managed the city's two footballing giants. Now they face off again in England, with high expectations on both.

Ancelotti has enjoyed a near perfect start to the season while for Mancini, there are problems with both form and fitness. The former Leicester City player has already publicly conceded the championship to Chelsea.

Asked whether this was just kidology, Ancelotti remarked: 'I think it is not a mind game, I know him very well, for this reason he knows us very well, he knows our ability, and I think that's what he thinks. It is not dangerous for us.

'To be under pressure is normal, above all when you have a team you have to build the mentality of the team, it is not an easy job, he is doing his best and I hope the club appreciate his job,' said the Chelsea man of his counterpart.

'We were team mates in the past in the national team, I met him two months ago in Manchester and the relationship is very good.

'He is very competitive and he has experience, he has ability to read the game.'

Despite City's double over us last season (Mark Hughes was manager for one of those games), Ancelotti still has the upper hand against Mancini.

'Sometimes he won, sometimes I won. 8-7 and three draws, I want to improve my lead,' he smiled.

'[Last year] was the past, it was a difficult moment for us when we lost at home but now is a different story. We have more confidence compared to last year, we are in a good moment and we can do better compared to the last match at Manchester.'

That was a 2-1 defeat in December, when new captain Carlos Tevez's free-kick earned City all three points, and the Argentine scored two more at Stamford Bridge in February.

'He is the most dangerous player of Manchester City, he has quality' said Ancelotti. 'He has power and very good mentality. I appreciate his kind of play and we have to pay attention.'

It is in defence where City have problems, with only three recognized defenders fit, though Joleon Lescott and Jerome Boateng may figure.

Lescott has been troubled by a groin injury that has kept him out of City's last three games, while Boateng has not featured at all since his summer move from Hamburg after aggravating a knee injury when he was accidentally struck by an in-flight meal trolley.

Pablo Zabaleta is earmarked for the right-back role, Mancini only has youngster Dedryck Boyata, plus midfielders Gareth Barry and James Milner available to fill the role if neither Lescott nor Boateng are deemed to be fit enough.

'I do not know what I am going to do just yet. I will speak with Joleon and Jerome, but if they are not available I am not sure. Maybe Boyata, but I am not sure,' Mancini conceded.

Emmanuel Adebayor should be fit to make the bench after a recent spell out with a dead leg, but former Blue Shaun Wright-Phillips joins Aleksandar Kolarov and Mario Balotelli on the sidelines with a knee injury.

'I am disappointed we have all these injuries at the moment," added Mancini. 'I only have 11 players who are 100% fit.'

Ancelotti: Countering The Counter

Carlo Ancelotti is calling on his players to learn lessons from the two defeats against Manchester City last season before going into today's match at Eastlands.

Happily the six points lost in those fixtures were not enough to prevent Chelsea crossing the finishing line first in the race for the title last campaign, but with City expected to be among the challengers this season there is no guarantee similar-slip ups wouldn't be more costly this time around.

The game at Stamford Bridge in February especially, when despite going a goal down Roberto Mancini's side came back to run out 4-2 winners, was one that highlighted City strengths.

'It was not a good moment for us, we played well the first half but second half we lost balance and conceded goals from the counter-attack,' Ancelotti recalls.

'For this new game we have to remember this is one of the reasons we lost and we have to pay attention to counter attacks, because we want to play attacking football.'

Carlos Tevez who scored twice in that game remains but the pace of Craig Bellamy, who also netted two goals, is no longer available to Mancini and there are likely to be other changes in their team from seven months ago, included in midfield where they have added Yaya Toure from Barcelona.

'I think compared to last season they are trying to put more strength and more power into midfield where they are using three midfielders and they have good skills.

'In England you have to be able use quality and you have to be able to use strength and power. You play against some teams who have a lot of power so you have to have in your team both power and quality.

'They can use maybe [James] Milner as a left winger, he is a runner, and I think for this reason they want to put more strength and power in midfield and use Tevez in front with the support of Milner and David Silva.'

Looking at his own side, Ancelotti believes his players are now up to full speed, including the World Cup participants who suffered both summer disappointment and a truncated pre-season.

'You can see from the condition of Ashley Cole, Anelka, Malouda in games that they now are 100 per cent fit,' he points out.

'I am watching the same John Terry as last year - a player focused, concentrating on the training ground, good leadership, good performance on the pitch. This is not a surprise.

'We are not looking for revenge for last season in this game. The motivation is that we want to maintain our lead at the top of the table. This game is an important step for us because it is away and it is at Man City. It will be difficult but our aim is this.'