Chelsea's Carlo Ancelotti happy to be a friend rather than the Godfather to his players

24 July 2009 19:49
The intrigue, the drama, the driver with the "killer's" eyes who took him to meet Roman Abramovich it is all very cinematic. And it is no surprise to hear that the latest man charged with fulfilling the Russian billionaire's ambitions at Chelsea is a bit of a movie buff. He reels off the names of his favourites: "The Godfather series, one, two and three, but I like the first film the best. I also like Once Upon a Time in America. I like The Deer Hunter. My favourite actor is Robert De Niro. I haven't met him yet but maybe one day he will come to Chelsea." Sport on televisionTerry set to stayLittle wonder Ancelotti is happy to be in the United States on Chelsea's pre-season tour, even if it was only Will Ferrell and Charlize Theron who appeared on the pitch before the club's match against Inter Milan in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday. De Niro's games are basketball and baseball and his idea of Chelsea is the area of New York, not Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti laughs when asked if he intends to be "The Godfather" of his new club. After all, he is not the first Chelsea manager to talk of his life in terms of films. Jose Mourinho said that he felt he was in a "movie" when he reflected on his career and he was also star-struck when he moved to London, envious that one of his staff lived in the same block of flats as the actress Monica Bellucci but whereas Mourinho was the star, Ancelotti is content to be the director. He also wants to be close to the players, although the club will be wary after the 'father-friend-confessor' approach of Luiz Felipe Scolari and the intense bond engendered by Mourinho, as they do not want another manager in a similar mould. They need longevity, not a shooting star. However, Ancelotti is clearly his own man. He does not mind the players calling him Carlo, and he is available if they want to socialise with him he took David Beckham to his favourite restaurant in his hometown, Parma, last season because the midfielder, on loan to AC Milan, was on his own in Italy and the company was welcomed but there are "rules". "For me discipline is another thing," Ancelotti said. "I have my rules and I will enforce them. But I want to respect the players and I want to earn respect from them. So if they want to call me Carlo then it is no problem." The only difficulty so far, Ancelotti confesses, has been the language. He studied English for eight years at school and then again, for two hours a week, six months ago. His claim that this was because he wanted to learn an "international language" is a bit thin. He was coming to Chelsea and since his appointment the lessons have intensified. "I speak English all day and every day," he said. "Now it is better, but the problem is that I know what I say but I don't always know if the player understands what I say." This interview was also conducted in English. Ancelotti acknowledges, after having spent so much time associated with Milan, that his new venture, although lucrative, is also risky. "To go to a new world where they speak another language is not easy. I like speak to the players, know their feelings and motivations and they help me," he said. "But it was not a courageous choice. You don't have to be 'Braveheart', because Chelsea are known all over the world." His situation is helped in that, although they are very different characters, he is now working for Abramovich having spent so much time under Silvio Berlusconi in Milan. "I don't think there's a big difference," Ancelotti said. "Abramovich is always asking for information. He is very passionate. That is my impression. He is often at the training ground to support my decisions and my work. Berlusconi is the same." But Ancelotti had to cope with interference at Milan, too, although he brushed aside suggestions that he clashed with the Italian media magnate. "Berlusconi never said to me to pick one player or another," he said, while accepting that one disagreement, stemming from an open letter to Gazzetta dello Sport, centred on whether Kaka was a striker or midfielder. "There are different ways of interpreting the letter," Ancelotti said, with a smile. Temperamentally he appears suited to the task. Tactically he has set about changing Chelsea, too, finally altering the structure put in place by Mourinho. Ancelotti wants to employ a diamond in midfield and two strikers, which means a new role for Frank Lampard, one of several Chelsea players to have impressed him greatly. "Lampard is a fantastic player because he has so much quality and the amount of work he puts in and because of how many goals he scores," Ancelotti said. "At training, he is always the first one there. He puts in so much effort. All the English players are like that. "In this team, there are top players. I like their quality, I like their mental attitude. Above all, I like the English players, John Terry, Lampard, Ashley Cole. I also like Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, they all have a very good mentality." Ancelotti claims to be delighted with what he has inherited, including Chelsea's off-the-field organisation. However, he along with assistant Bruno Demichelis will import ideas from the famed Milan Lab. "We want to do all we can to prevent injuries occurring because that was a big part of what we did at Milan and we want to bring that to Chelsea," Ancelotti said. "It's about prevention rather than treatment and we want to use that here." Beckham, for example, had a back problem cured at Milan because it was traced to the state of one of his teeth. "Sometimes it's just little things but it's little things that can make all the difference," Ancelotti said. "I want to use all my experience at Milan to do some fantastic work at Chelsea." CARLO ANCELOTTI ON... CHELSEA: For Italian people, Chelsea means a lot because of Vialli, Zola, Di Matteo, Ranieri and even Gullit. The club is very close to Italian fans. ON FOOD: I have no problem with English food. English food is roast beef and you have very, very, very good breakfasts. In Italy, it is only coffee and brioche. I even had Yorkshire pudding and I thought it was really good. I can eat it but the players can't! ON SIR ALEX FERGUSON: We drank some wine together after the Champions League semi-final two years ago. It was a surprise for me, because in Italy the coach of my opponents is usually angry if they've lost. THE SPAT BETWEEN FERGIE AND BENITEZ: Little things worry little minds! I don't care about that. ON ROMAN ABRAMOVICH: My impression of Abramovich is that he loves football, he loves his club, he loves his players. He wants to know everything that is going on in the club.  

Source: Telegraph