Source: PA
Ancelotti defends Drogba omission
Carlo Ancelotti insisted Chelsea remained on course to finish in the Barclays Premier League top four as he defended his decision to drop Didier Drogba in Monday night's goalless west London derby.
The Blues failed to secure the win needed to lift them back into the Champions League places as new signing Fernando Torres endured another game to forget for the faltering champions.
It would have been even worse for Ancelotti's men but for a stoppage-time penalty save by Petr Cech from Fulham's Clint Dempsey.
But the Chelsea boss was happy with his side's performance and that of £50million striker Torres.
"The most important thing is to finish in the top four," said Ancelotti. "I think we will be able to do this if we play like we did tonight. I'm an optimist and there's good reason to have confidence.
Explaining his decision to axe Drogba, Ancelotti said: "I don't know if Didier was happy, but every player knows every game is important. It doesn't matter. We wanted to rotate to maintain his condition and to give everyone great motivation."
