Source: Telegraph
Carlo Ancelotti challenges Chelsea to stake place in history and win the Double
The Chelsea manager issued a rallying call to his players and, perhaps, a public declaration to Roman Abramovich that he remains the right man for this job and can deliver the rewards the owner seeks. Asked why he had mentioned the Double, Ancelotti replied: "To put new motivation in all of the club." He also volunteered that in 140 years of English football only five clubs had achieved the feat of becoming League champions and FA Cup winners in the same season. "It's a good statistic," he said. But could he name the clubs? Related ArticlesBlackburn Rovers v Chelsea: match previewRoman Abramovich blind to real problem at ChelseaChelsea linked with Torres moveAbramovich not planning wholesale changesAbramovich should give Ancelotti chance to buy bigSport on television"Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United," he reeled off before being prompted with Aston Villa and Preston North End. There is a sixth, which he overlooked Liverpool in 1986 but the point remains the same. "Our destiny is in our own hands," Ancelotti added. "If we win every game, we can do the Double. That's very important, to think about this [I wanted] to shift the objectives because we were focused on the Champions League and now we've changed our aim. To think you can do a Double is a good motivation for everyone. If we want to do this, we have 11 games."So was it a target he set, or one set for him by Abramovich? "It was my idea, it's a new motivation for me, also. I needed this because I was disappointed by what happened on Tuesday," Ancelotti said. It means, the Italian added, that Chelsea have "11 cup finals" until the end of the season, starting with Sunday's trip to Blackburn Rovers. Abramovich was at Chelsea's training ground in Cobham, Surrey, on Thursday and addressed the players as well as talking to Ancelotti. Sources close to the billionaire made it clear that the main blame was being pinned on Ancelotti while there is understood to be anger at a number of Chelsea's most senior, and highest-paid, players who are failing to live up to their reputations. Abramovich, in particular, complained about a lack of team spirit. Ancelotti said Abramovich "came here to support us because he knows that we are involved in important competitions again". Both owner and manager want to see a reaction with the latter conceding that confidence has suffered with the end of their European campaign. He has been there before, of course. This kind of pressure, working for an owner such as Abramovich, is something he dealt with for eight seasons at AC Milan. There is a difference, however. While Abramovich may not try to tinker with team selection, like Silvio Berlusconi did, he is certainly less patient. Still, Ancelotti drew on a previous Champions League defeat the reverse Milan suffered to Deportivo La Coruna in 2004 when they surrendered a 4-1 lead. "He was disappointed and angry," Ancelotti said of Berlusconi while adding that he had then similarly switched "focus and concentrated on Serie A". What happened? "We won it," he said of his only Italian league title. He needs a similar reaction now, or else his job will be in danger. Ancelotti said that it was "normal" to see "some new faces" in the summer. But is he confident he will be there next season? "Yes, I'm sure," he said. "100 per cent. Are you sure?"After last Tuesday, the answer has to be no while it was, of course, only last May that Ancelotti stated he was "100 per cent certain" he would stay at Milan.