Wait for it, Carlo! Chelsea boss Ancelotti fearful of Tottenham's threat to title tilt

17 April 2010 00:34
[LNB]Focused: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti [LNB]If Chelsea thoughtthey had the title all butwrapped up afteropening a four-point lead,Tottenham's magnificentdisplay against Arsenal hasmade them think again. [LNB]Three wins from their remainingfour games will be enough to ensurethe Barclays Premier League titleheads back to Stamford Bridge aftera four-year hiatus, irrespective ofwhat their rivals do. [LNB]But the first of those is today atWhite Hart Lane, the ground whereArsenal's title hopes effectivelyended with Wednesday's 2-1 defeat. [LNB]Carlo Ancelotti has takennote, even if he has been boosted bythe news that Ashley Cole andBranislav Ivanovic will be fit enoughfor the bench this evening. [LNB] 'It's not a formality,' insisted Ancelottiof Chelsea's title hopes. [LNB]'Wehave to fight again, above all tomorrow.I was very impressed withTottenham's performance againstArsenal. [LNB]'They played very well. It's aderby again and they are involved inthe race for fourth place, so we haveto pay attention.' [LNB]Not so long ago, Chelsea fansrelished the prospect of a trip to'Three Point Lane'. [LNB]But with Spurshaving recorded two league winsand a draw at home to their Londonrivals in the past three seasons, thehoodoo appears to have been welland truly broken. [LNB]And such is Ancelotti's respect forwhat Harry Redknapp has achievedwith Spurs, he feels Chelsea willneed to match the performancerequired to see off ManchesterUnited a fortnight ago.[LNB] Pivotal: Drogba seals victory at Old Trafford[LNB]'We need the same mentality,the same philosophy,' he warned. [LNB]'We want to put pressure onthem immediately. I don't knowif it's possible because Tottenhamwill want to do the same.But that is the right way to geta good result.' [LNB]Much will depend onwhich Spurs team turnsup. Will it be the sidethat grabbed early goalsin both halves anddefended so resolutelyagainst Arsenal? [LNB]Orwill it be the onewhich capitulatedto Portsmouth atWembley in the FA Cup semi-final?Ancelotti feels that if Redknapp caniron out inconsistencies then a titletilt is not beyond Spurs next season. [LNB]'Sometimes they have had verygood performances like on Wednesday,'he said.[LNB]Impressive: Harry Redknapp[LNB] 'But three days before,they'd lost an unbelievable gameagainst Portsmouth. With more consistency,they could be higher in thetable and we have to assume we'llbe playing the best Spurs team.' [LNB]Yet if the pressure is getting toAncelotti then he is not showing it.[LNB]'I love football, I don't need toswitch off from it. I watchedTottenham versus Arsenal onWednesday. I prefer to watch amatch instead of a movie,' said theself-confessed film buff. [LNB]Not even the first live televiseddebate between three men engagedin a very different leadership racecould divert his attention. [LNB]'No politics,'said Ancelotti. [LNB]'Almeria versusReal Madrid, that was on.' [LNB]It seems Ancelotti is very comfortablewith the position he and hisplayers find themselves in. [LNB]'It's veryeasy,' he insisted. [LNB] 'I don't have towork on their focus and motivationbecause they know what they needto do. We never speak about theDouble. That's not the right way toprepare. [LNB]'There is pressure, that'snormal. But we're in a good positionand if we're not relaxed, how areother coaches coping behind us?' [LNB]Return: Ashley Cole[LNB]A salient point, and as his titlerivals find themselves piling upthe injuries at such a crucialstage of the campaign, Chelsea'stiming on that frontwould seem to beimpeccable. [LNB]The trip to Spursmay have come a littletoo early for Coleand Ivanovic buthaving the pairback for the visitof Stoke tomorrowweek for agame in whichthe title couldconceivably besewn up can only make Ancelotti'slife that bit easier. [LNB]'Ashley is ready and he's fit,' saidthe Italian. [LNB]'He'll start on the bench.It's good for us to have him fit, andit's good for England as well. Hemight play a friendly game nextweek. But he's really fit, 100 percent, and I'm sure that he andIvanovic will give a boost to theteam in the next game.' [LNB]If things pan out in Chelsea'sfavour then the Stoke game couldbe Didier Drogba's last this seasonshould he decide to miss theFA Cup final against Portsmouthand instead have a hernia operationin an attempt to be fully fit forthe World Cup. [LNB]Drogba revealed: 'I had surgery fora hernia problem six years ago andtoday it is bothering me again. Justbefore the Africa Cup of Nations Igot a knee to my kidney and thepain returned. [LNB]'I've felt pain ever since and wecan't go on like this for long. Do Ineed surgery? I don't know yet, butwe have to do something. Before theWorld Cup? That is a good questionand I don't have an answer.' [LNB] Problem: Drogba may need a hernia operation[LNB]* Chelsea are taking legal actionagainst claims made by outgoingBarcelona president Joan Laportathat they offered him a share of a£7million sweetener in an attemptto persuade him to sell Ronaldinho. [LNB]Laporta claimed in a recently publishedbook that Chelsea offered thecash as part of a deal for the formerWorld Player of the Year in 2004 viahis former vice-president SandroRosell. [LNB]'I told him (Rosell) to get itout of his head, that Ronnie was notfor sale,' wrote Laporta. [LNB]'But headded, 'Joan, they are giving us acommission of 10 per cent'. [LNB]'Sandro kept insisting about theoffer of Chelsea. He (said) they weregiving us 10m euros to sharebetween us. [LNB]'That attitude made meprofoundly indignant.' [LNB]Chelsea deny even making anapproach in 2004 for Ronaldinho,now with AC Milan, and haveemployed a law firm in a bid to withdrawthe book from sale.[LNB] Ancelotti bans Double talk and warns players: We can still blow it! Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick clings to faint Premier League title hope ahead of derby clash with City AC Milan eye Ivanovic with Italians hoping Chelsea bid for Maicon [LNB] 

Source: Daily_Mail