Source: Daily_Mail
We let the boss down ... so now it’s payback time, warns Chelsea star Florent Malouda
[LNB] Chelsea closedranks in thisdivided Cypruscapital to insistthe first defeatunder Carlo Ancelottiwill not trigger the sortof slide which ended inLuiz Felipe Scolari'sdismissal. [LNB]Ancelotti sat with the air ofa man not entirely abreast ofthe conversation as FlorentMalouda explained how theplayers held an inquest intowhy things had gone so badlywrong at Wigan and why it isimportant to avoid embarrassmentagainst ChampionsLeague rookies APOEL.[LNB]'When you lose the way welost to Wigan, nobody canbe happy with that,' saidMalouda.[LNB] Blue backlash: Malouda and Co were on the receiving end of a rant from Ancelotti[LNB] 'The players know itwasn't a good performanceand not the level we expect ofChelsea. We did not put all theingredients in to win. We werealways reacting and late witheverything.' [LNB]Speaking of being late,Malouda apologised for hisnasty challenge on Wigan'sMario Melchiot. [LNB]'I missed theball, I was late. I told him sorry and I told thereferee that. Mario knows Ididn't have any intention tobreak his leg.'[LNB][LNB]But the thrust of his messagewas about eliminatingthe errors and winning again.[LNB]'It was not a good performance,'he added. said. [LNB]'We tryto analyse things and look atmistakes, even when we'vewon. Now we have an opportunityin another competition. We'refirst in this group and we come here to win. We are not nowgoing to lose every game. We prepare to win and wedon't want to be in trouble. [LNB]'Ifwe don't win, we'll have morequestions to answer but weknow what we're capable of.We want to make anotherwinning series.' [LNB]Focused: Ancelotti[LNB]Ancelotti confessed to rantingin Italian at his players athalf-time at the DW Stadiumand has since forced them towatch the video nasty of thegame. [LNB]Malouda said: 'Everything went wrong. It would be asurprise to see him laughingon the bench.' [LNB]Last season, under Scolari,Chelsea were unbeaten fortheir first 12 games but onedefeat, at home to Liverpool inOctober, sparked a slide.[LNB] Theywon just 11 of the next 23 andScolari was gone by February.Although he scoffed at theidea, this amountsto Ancelotti's first test, avoidingthe same trap at a timewhen his squad is stretched.[LNB]'I don't want to know whathappened last season,' saidAncelotti. [LNB]'I'm focused on thisseason. We lost one game, butthat can happen. We have tofix it. I haven't worked withthese players for long but I liketheir attitude. I don't thinkthey've lost that.' [LNB]Michael Ballack and JohnMikel Obi are injured, DidierDrogba and Jose Bosingwaare suspended, Joe Cole andDeco are not ready to startafter injuries and Ashley Coletrained on Tuesday with a dressingon his right knee. YuriZhirkov will step in if theEngland left back suffers anyreaction overnight. [LNB]Paulo Ferreira and NemanjaMatic are not in the ChampionsLeague squad and with atransfer ban in place for theirallegedly illegal recruitmentof teenager Gael Kakuta,Ancelotti's options suddenlylook limited. [LNB]Youngsters SamHutchinson, Jeffrey Brumaand Fabio Borini are in Cyprusto bolster the squad. It adds up to the prospect ofa tricky task against APOEL,fired up for their first ChampionsLeague home game infront of a 22,000 full house. [LNB]They started their Group Dcampaign with a goalless drawaway to Atletico Madrid andChelsea's visit has caught theimagination in the Greek halfof a city split since the Turkishinvasion in 1974.It would be trickier forChelsea if APOEL did nothave problems of their own. [LNB]Four of their best players areinjured but Nuno Morais willplay against the club he lefttwo years ago. [LNB]Morais, 25, started just onegame in three years at StamfordBridge, appearing fromthe bench in eight others, buthe witnessed the JoseMourinho era when the clubwon two Barclays PremierLeague titles, two CarlingCups and the FA Cup.[LNB]He was also on the bench forsome of Chelsea's most colourfulEuropean nights atBarcelona for the tunnel rowbetween the managers andagainst Bayern Munich, whenMourinho hid in a laundrybasket to evade a UEFA ban.[LNB]'It was different seeing himhiding in the skip,' saidMorais, who also recalls vividlythe semi-final defeat at Liverpool,when Luis Garcia wonthe game with a goal whichmay not have crossed the line.[LNB]'That was the first time Icould feel my bones shaking,that atmosphere at Anfield,'he added. [LNB]At least Morais knowsChelsea can be beaten.[LNB][LNB] [LNB] Fabio Capello to risk wrath of Fergie, Wenger et al by selecting top squad for England's tie in UkraineMan United and Arsenal linked with Annan - dubbed 'the new Essien' GOAL! The game's top players are scoring for fun this season... but what's the secret of their success? CHELSEA FC
