Carlo: Angry Blues will put things right
CHELSEA manager Carlo Ancelotti claims his players have been left furious by a run of form which has seen them drop out of the title race.
The Italian is understood to be safe from the ignominy of being sacked eight months on from leading the club to a historic double, despite presiding over a run of just one win from nine games following Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Wolves.
Ancelotti revealed his squad are determined and that there is also anger at the club’s predicament which sees the champions nine points behind leaders Manchester United and in danger of missing out on a top four finish.
He said: “ At this moment we have to stay focused on the details. I think that on the training ground everything is OK. The [players] are angry and they want to move on quickly from this moment.
“I think that to move on quickly from this moment we have stay compact together. Not just the players, not just the manager, not just the staff – also all the people that are involved with this club with emotion with passion can do something to move on quickly from this moment.”
After losing a clutch of influential players in Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole and Deco in the summer Ancelotti’s squad lacks depth, and he hopes to strengthen during the transfer window.
“Looking [at] the transfer market there are some opportunities we can do something,” Ancelotti said. “But I think it’s private and confidential.”
Ancelotti’s transfer funds will be boosted to the tune of nearly £500,000 after the club received compensation from Fifa for letting their players go to the World Cup.
“We are pleased that we can share the success of the 2010 Fifa World Cup with the clubs by providing them a share of the benefits of our flagship event,” Fifa President Sepp Blatter said in a statement.
SACKOMETER
CARLO ANCELOTTI is just one of several top flight managers currently feeling the heat, with the three beleaguered bosses below also on some extremely thin ice.
READY FOR HIS P45
Roy Hodgson is a dead man walking and only questions remaining are over how long the owners will take to pull the trigger and who will be anointed the next Anfiled messiah.
ON THE BRINK
Avram Grant is the bookmakers’ favourite to be next to go. Decent results at Christmas bought time but back at the bottom of the table after a 5-0 drubbing from Newcastle.
SAFE – FOR NOW
Even dragging Aston Villa into the bottom three hasn’t cost the Frenchman his job – yet – although he’d be advised not to get too settled in the Midlands as the axe surely beckons.