SOCCER:ROMAN ABRAMOVICH has assured Carlo Ancelotti he has a future at Chelsea and promised funds to strengthen the squad as the champions prepare to plunge headlong into a sequence of fixtures the manager believes will determine the outcome of their title defence.
Chelsea travel to Tottenham tomorrow sitting third in the table after one win in six league games and having not won in the Premier League at White Hart Lane since 2005, but with the manager’s position not under immediate threat.
The Russian owner telephoned Ancelotti after Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at Marseille and expressed support and sympathy, with the indication that he is prepared to spend on reinforcements next month, despite previously stating that the emphasis should be on using graduates from the academy.
“I spoke with Roman after the game and he gave me total support,” Ancelotti said. “He understands very well the problems we’ve had: the injuries, the times we’ve played good football but haven’t won and the effect that’s had on our confidence. He understood all that. He’s doing his best to give every one of us at the club – my players and my staff – his total support. When I say I have Roman’s total support, it means he’s very close to me at this moment. For this reason, our relationship is very good.
“It’s very important to have the support of the club and the players when moments aren’t good. You have to have trust in each other. He’s been closer to us in this period compared to the other moments. I don’t fear for my job. I feel I have the total support of my players and I feel I have the total support from my club. I trust Roman, and he has trust in me.”
The current run – five points from six games – is Chelsea’s worst in a decade. Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked seven months in after taking eight points from six matches and with the team threatening to drop out of the top four, moreover, and that followed the ruthless dismissals of Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant.
Ancelotti had been unsettled by the sacking of Ray Wilkins as assistant first-team coach last month, but the Italian was Abramovich’s choice, the owner waiting a year before he secured his man from Milan on a three-year deal worth €7 million a season.
Even so, the manager recognises the need for swift improvement, with Chelsea’s season appearing to have stalled and daunting games against Manchester United and Arsenal to follow the visit to Spurs.
“Our destiny passes through these games,” Ancelotti said. “When you go through moments like this you either die or you improve your character, your relationship. That’s what happened last year when we lost to Internazionale in the Champions League. We could have had a bad season after that, or we could improve our personality. After that moment, we were actually better as a team.
“In the same way I hope that after this period – and, obviously, this moment will finish – we will be better for the experience. Our destiny for the title will be decided in these games. The next few matches will be very important for us. They will show if we are able to fight for the title this year or not. Experience, character and personality are the most important qualities to help us move on quickly.”
That may include Abramovich funding purchases in January. The lack of depth to the squad has been exposed with key personnel – Frank Lampard has not played since August and will not feature at Spurs – succumbing to injury. Ancelotti will be tempted to add a centre-half, too, given the problems suffered by John Terry and Alex.
“When I spoke to Roman we spoke about the situation with the team and if we need to improve our squad in January, we’ll be able to do this,” Ancelotti added.
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