Chelsea sacks manager Ancelotti

Posted May 23, 2011 06:08:00

Chelsea fired manager Carlo Ancelotti on Sunday, after a 1-0 loss at Everton completed a season which had "fallen short of expectations", the club said in a statement.

"Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Carlo Ancelotti parted company with the club today," a statement on Chelsea's website read.

"The owner and board would like to thank Carlo for his contribution and achievements since taking over as manager in July 2009, which included winning the Double for the first time in the club's history.

"However, this season's performances have fallen short of expectations and the club feels the time is right to make this change ahead of next season's preparations.

"Carlo will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge, where he will be given the reception and respect his position in our history deserves.

"Chelsea's long-term football objectives and ambitions remain unchanged and we will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager."

Former AC Milan manager Ancelotti had been a popular figure at Stamford Bridge and guided the club to the double in his first season.

However he paid the ultimate price for a mid-season slump which witnessed Chelsea's worst run of league form in nearly 15 years that ultimately wrecked its chance of defending the title.

Ancelotti was the sixth manager of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's eight-year reign.

The respected Italian had been hired with the brief of turning Chelsea into European champions but under Ancelotti the Blues exited against Inter Milan in the last 16 last year before being beaten by Manchester United in this year's quarter-finals.

Ancelotti's authority had been undermined by the abrupt dismissal of his assistant Ray Wilkins in November, a dismissal which was followed by a disastrous form slump.

Intense speculation had surrounded Ancelotti's future for several weeks, but he was philosophical when asked about the possibility of being fired last week.

"The club have to judge my job - be objective," he said. "If they decide to change, it's not a problem.

"You won't see me crying or doing something. I will accept the decision of the club and find another 'solution'."

"When I started my experience here in England, if someone had told me that we would win the FA Cup and the Premier League in two years, I'd have been happy.

"In these two years, I have to be happy because the team, last year, was fantastic."

- AFP

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, england

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Ferguson, Ancelotti warned over ref remarks

Posted May 18, 2011 06:01:00

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti have received warnings from the Football Association for saying referee Howard Webb was good at his job.

Ferguson had called Webb "the best referee in the country" before the official took charge of United's 2-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea on May 8, while Ancelotti described him as a "fantastic referee" prior to the Old Trafford meeting.

FA regulations make it clear managers are not allowed to comment on referees before a game, regardless of whether the statements are positive or negative, and the FA said it wanted to send a message out to managers to watch what they say.

Regarding Ferguson's case, the chairman of the FA's regulatory commission said in a statement: "This is a clear breach of the rule and it is the first time such a matter has been placed in front of a commission".

Later on Tuesday, the FA announced it had also warned Ancelotti "as to his future conduct" for comments he made at a news conference on the same day as Ferguson's remarks.

- Reuters

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, united-kingdom, england

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'No problem' for Ancelotti if axed

Updated April 15, 2011 23:45:00

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday it would be "no problem" for him if he were sacked at the end of the season.

Media speculation has been rife over the Italian's future after the London side's last realistic chance of silverware vanished this week when it was beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals.

"I don't know what my future is," he told a news conference.

"At the end of the season, I think the club can decide if I continue here or (if) they want to change.

"If they are not happy, they can change without problem. For me, this is not a problem."

Ancelotti said he had spoken to owner Roman Abramovich after the United defeat but it was unclear if he had discussed the future with the Russian who Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has said is "obsessed" with the Champions League.

Abramovich has shown no mercy in showing the door to managers who have not brought home trophies and Ancelotti knows last year's Premier League and FA Cup double may count for little when it comes to determining his fate.

"Last year is the past," said Ancelotti, who has a year left on his contract.

"Everyone was happy to win the double last year but this is the past.

"Obviously, this season was not a good season for us and now we have seven games to control the situation."

Qualifying for next year's Champions League is now the clear priority for Chelsea, which travels to mid-table West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Chelsea is third in the table, trailing leader Manchester United by 11 points. It is four points behind Arsenal and two above fourth-placed Manchester City.

- Reuters

First posted April 15, 2011 23:05:00

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Ancelotti defends Torres selection

Posted April 13, 2011 11:47:00

Carlo Ancelotti defended his decision to pick Fernando Torres despite another disappointing display from the Spanish striker as Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League.

Torres, who has not scored in more than 11 hours of football since joining Chelsea for a record 50 million euros in January, was substituted at half-time as Manchester United powered into the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory.

Chelsea veteran Didier Drogba, who replaced Torres at the break, immediately caused problems for United and scored an equaliser which gave the visitors hopes of a dramatic comeback.

As Chelsea's dejected fans were left pondering what might have been had Drogba been picked to start ahead of Torres, Ancelotti was unrepentant.

"I thought a lot of time to take this decision," Ancelotti said.

"I preferred to start with Fernando for this kind of game. But Didier played very well in the second half."

Ancelotti rejected suggestions from Sir Alex Ferguson that it would have been impossible for the Chelsea coach not to pick Torres given the club's record outlay on the player.

"A lot of people thought Drogba would play, but I thought that having signed Torres for the money they did, they had to play him," Ferguson said.

"I wasn't 100 per cent sure. But I couldn't see how they could leave Torres out."

Ancelotti insisted however that Ferguson's comments were wide of the mark.

"This is not true," he said.

"I picked Fernando because I felt his skills and ability could be good for us."

Drogba had been brought on at half-time because Chelsea was chasing the game at 1-0 down, Ancelotti said.

"I wanted to put more pressure on the front," Ancelotti said.

"We needed to score. I felt Didier was fresh and we could use his power in front. This was the reason I took out Fernando."

Ferguson meanwhile said he was convinced Torres would eventually come good for Chelsea, despite his disappointing start at Stamford Bridge, and described the club's signing of the Spaniard as good transfer business.

"I don't think anyone who had the opportunity to sign Torres would have turned it down," Ferguson said.

"Everyone said at the time it was a fantastic bit of business so you can't criticise him for that. It was a good signing.

"It's not working at the moment but he's a young man and there's other seasons ahead."

The game had been billed as make-or-break for Ancelotti, whose position is expected to come under severe pressure after a season that in all probability is now likely to conclude without a trophy.

Ancelotti would not be drawn either on his own future or that of his first team squad, which could be the subject of a summer transfer clear-out.

Asked if a major overhaul of the playing staff was required following Chelsea's failure to reach the Champions League semi-finals for a second year running, Ancelotti replied: "To speak about this now is not the moment.

"We still have eight games in the Premier League, we have to play these games and after that we have the time to speak about this."

Ancelotti also shrugged off questions about his position.

"I'm not concerned. I have to work, I have to try to do my best. It's not my decision whether I stay or don't stay here," he said, revealing that he had not spoken to Russian owner Roman Abramovich after the match.

-AFP

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