Chelsea 2 Hull City 1: Diamond dealer Ancelotti needs a gem like Aguero

17 August 2009 01:31
Not unlike Graff jewellers of Mayfair, Chelsea find themselves around £40million short when it comes to diamonds. If their opening-day victory over Hull was not exactly daylight robbery, then it did expose the need for a player capable of producing something out of the ordinary to slot into Carlo Ancelotti’s new system. Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero Missing part of the jigsaw: Aguero Such players are few and far between, and with prime target Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery looking less available with each passing day, it is unsurprising that Chelsea’s attention appears to have shifted to Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero. The highly creative Argentina forward would certainly be an ideal candidate to play at the tip of Ancelotti’s diamond midfield and could also partner Didier Drogba in attack. But although Chelsea representatives are understood to be negotiating in Madrid, with talk of a £42m bid, Atletico remain adamant the jewel in their crown will not be allowed to leave for a penny less than his £52million buy-out clause. If Chelsea are to pull off a deal for Aguero then they are likely to need to do so by Wednesday. Atletico are almost certain to field him in the Champions League play-off away to Panathinaikos, which would make him cup-tied. Curiously, reports are also linking Chelsea with Atletico’s Maxi Rodriguez. A winger by trade, moving for Rodriguez would suggest that diamonds might not be for ever after all. That said, a laboured victory over Hull is unlikely to be the catalyst for Ancelotti to jettison the tried and trusted tactic which served him so well for eight years at AC Milan. But at the San Siro, Ancelotti had the sumptuous talent of Kaka to help him unpick determined opposition, and on this evidence a ‘marquee signing’ is required at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti, of course, professed the need for patience, insisting it will take time for his changes to feel ‘natural’. ‘At the start we played well because we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t score. And after they scored the game became more difficult,’ he admitted. ‘But we maintained the idea of how we want to play, and we deserved to win.’ Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea Phil Brown Hull City Contrasting styles: Ancelotti and Brown Only just. The Italian jiggled with his midfield during the game, starting with Frank Lampard at the point of the diamond before shifting him to the left and bringing on Michael Ballack and Deco to provide more creative spark. But for all the changes, the system remained the same and in the end it took a magnificent free-kick and an injury-time fluke from Drogba to cancel Stephen Hunt’s debut goal for Hull, and save Ancelotti from losing the tactical battle to Phil Brown. The fist-pumping passion with which Ancelotti celebrated Drogba’s late winner certainly revealed his sense of relief — as did Roman Abramovich’s high five with a compatriot. Outspoken in the past, Drogba chose to sit on the fence when questioned about Chelsea’s need for fresh blood, even if there was a minor hint that Ancelotti still feels a piece of the jigsaw is missing. ‘The manager knows better than us what kind of player he wants to bring here for the system he is playing,’ was as far as Drogba would go. ‘The squad is very strong. If there is a new player we will only get better.’ Cruel blow: Even Didier Drogba could not claim he meant his cross to lob Hull's Boaz Myhill in stoppage time Cruel blow: Even Didier Drogba could not claim he meant his cross to lob Hull's Boaz Myhill in stoppage time Brown is crossing his fingers that this week he can pull of a major transfer coup of his own. New signings Hunt, Steven Mouyokolo and Seyi Olofinjana performed well, as did striker Kamel Ghilas, who looked promising. New boy Hull City's Stephen Hunt showed both sides of his game — a horrible early challenge on Frank Lampard and a poacher’s goal. Hunt was booed by Chelsea fans still angry about his role in the fracturing of Petr Cech’s skull in 2006, but he got a rousing ovation from the away fans when he was substituted. But if Brown can tie up a deal for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo this week, it will significantly improve his chances of defying the critics who claim his side are destined for another long fight to stay up. Negredo has already proved he can do the business, having scored 19 goals at Almeria last season, a tally which convinced Real to exercise their buy-back clause. They are looking for a similar agreement with Hull, and bringing in a ‘marquee’ name would help in persuading defender Michael Turner his ambitions can be served at the KC Stadium. CHELSEA (4-4-2); Cech 7; Bosingwa 5, Carvalho 7, Terry 6, A Cole 5; Essien 6, Obi 5 (Ballack 46min, 6), Lampard 6, Malouda 6 (Deco 69, 6); Anelka 6 (Kalou 79), Drogba 8. Booked: Drogba. HULL CITY (4-5-1): Myhill 7; Mouyokolo 6, Turner 7, Gardner 7, Dawson 7; Mendy 6 (Geovanni 78), Olofinjana 6, Marney 5 (Barmby 44, 6), Boateng 7, Hunt 6 (Ghilas 69, 6); Folan 6. Booked: Mendy, Barmby. Man of the match: Didier Drogba. Referee: Alan Wiley

Source: Daily_Mail