Ancelotti puts plans on hold

Blues boss sets sights on claiming the club's first-ever double

By Ben Collins   Last updated: 19th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ancelotti puts plans on hold

Ancelotti: Keeping the faith

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Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti insists it is too early to consider what changes are necessary at Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Blues failed again in their quest for UEFA Champions League glory as they were dumped out in the last 16 by Inter Milan this week.

Some have said it could be the end of an era for the current Chelsea side, with six of Tuesday's starting line-up 29 or over - and that was without the Portuguese trio of Ricardo Carvalho (31), Deco (32) and Paulo Ferreira (31).

It is thought Roman Abramovich will have to finance another spending spree for the Blues to bring in some fresh, young talent.

The Russian owner was at Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Thursday but Ancelotti insists his visit was not to discuss their plans for next season.

"Roman was here yesterday and spoke with me and the players," Ancelotti confirmed.

Abramovich support

"He came here to support us because he knows football very well and he knows that we are still involved in important competitions, so I think his presence here was very good.

"We didn't speak about the future, about the changes for next season, because it's not the right time to speak about this.

"I said we have important games in the next week and we have to stay focused - all the players and all the club."

Although Ancelotti admits some changes are inevitable in the summer, he still has faith in his players.

"Roman was disappointed and he's the owner of a club that's out of the Champions League," he said.

"Everyone was disappointed. We didn't play like we wanted but I have trust in these players.

"It can happen that, sometimes, when we are not able to do what we want, but its nothing else.

Positive reaction

"It's normal that, with a new season, there are new faces. But I have fantastic, professional players and we will have a very good reaction.

"We've done very well this season, we've changed something by putting a different identity in the team.

"Now we have to be strong, sure, and maintain good control of our emotions, but the players have good quality to do this."

Chelsea must now turn their attention to domestic matters as they trail Premier League leaders Manchester United by just two points with a game in hand and face Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Ancelotti knows claiming the club's first-ever double would offer some redemption for their European failure and is determined to finish his first season in England with silverware.

"We have to look to the next game," he added. "We have 10 or 11 matches left until the end of the season and, after them, we'll have a lot of time to speak about the future of this team.

"Now I want to think about this team. I want to put this team in the best position until the end of the season. We have to look at the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Destiny

"This is not an easy moment because we are out of the important competition, the Champions League, and we are disappointed about this.

"But we can still have a fantastic season. We are involved in two important competitions so, after this disappointment, we need to have a good reaction.

"Our destiny is in our own hands. If we win every game, we will do the double. That's very difficult, but we can try to do this.

"Only six teams have won the double in 140 years here in England. It's not easy, but we that's our aim."