Ancelotti laughs off Lampard jibe

14 January 2011 16:30

Carlo Ancelotti has laughed off Frank Lampard's claim that the current atmosphere at Chelsea is like the final days under Luiz Felipe Scolari and revealed he had spoken to Roman Abramovich about the club's miserable run.

The Blues are on an even poorer run than they were at the end of Scolari's doomed reign - indeed, their worst in the league for almost 15 years - and have all but surrendered their title. But Ancelotti still has the backing of the club's billionaire benefactor, who he spoke to over the telephone this week.

"This is not good news!" Ancelotti joked when asked about his vice-captain's concerns. "I think the players, the team, lost some confidence in their football, the football that we played very well last year. But I think we are able to come back and play the same."

Ancelotti, whose side have slumped to fifth, added: "I don't know the feeling with Scolari, but the feeling here with the players is very good.

"Maybe it's the same atmosphere, but we have the capacity to move on. We are very close. I support the players at this moment, and the players support me.

"I think it's not a big problem if the players are not happy, no? I think the only reason they are not happy sometimes is that we didn't get the right results. This is the only reason."

The club, as always, are refusing to comment on Abramovich's movements but there would be no better time to improve their record of one win in nine league games than in front of the owner against Blackburn on Saturday.

Ancelotti said: "He knows what the difficulties are, and he hopes - like us - to look forward to try and beat Blackburn."

With virtually half the transfer window having passed, the Italian has yet to reinforce his squad but continues to insist there is money available. Ancelotti was tight-lipped over a £3million move for Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, which has reportedly broken down.

"There are a lot of rumours, a lot of speculation and names," he said. "Maybe sometimes some agents are using the names to earn more money. Pienaar is a good player and we know him very well, but this doesn't mean we need to have him play here."

Source: PA