Ancelotti won’t guarantee any player a place in first eleven
July 18th, 2009 - 8:56 pm ICT by IANS
London, July 18 (IANS) Chelsea manager Carlos Ancelotti said that he wants to drift away from the culture of favourites and won’t guarantee any player a place in the starting line-up.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho listed nine players — Michael Essien, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack and Petr Cech — saying that they were undroppable in the starting line-up.
But Ancelotti doesn’t want to go by that philosophy.
“I don’t want to choose my first team. I think Chelsea is a great team because it has 25 great players, and for me it is impossible to choose the first team. It may be I never want to choose. I want 25 players that can play well for Chelsea,” Ancelotti was quoted as saying by The Guardian, ahead of his first match against Seattle Sounders.
Even his predecessors, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink, never tinkered with the starting line-up and picked relatively settled sides since Mourinho’s departure from Stamford Bridge in 2007.
Ancelotti said that he had been surprised with the level of professionalism and drive within the squad.
“Most important I found a very good team with quality, and a very good mental attitude to the job. They work and concentrate very hard. I like (this) and, for me, it is a surprise because I didn’t think to find this situation. I am very happy for this because teamwork is the most important thing to win. The training is very hard, different to Italy. Here the players run very hard and this is also a surprise for me,” the Italian said.
- Ancelotti refuses to rest Chelsea players - Dec 08, 2010
- Chelsea's 'record signing non-performing' star Torres could face the axe: Ancelotti - Apr 09, 2011
- Guus Hiddink rules out dramatic Chelsea comeback - Apr 15, 2011
- Chelsea confident of getting Hiddink - May 24, 2011
- Chelsea goalie Cech fears Liverpool blunder could cost club Premier League title - Feb 10, 2011
- Terry hails Chelsea's team spirit - Jan 12, 2010
- Chelsea on alert eyeing Hiddink's possible return - Mar 23, 2011
- For Abramovich, it could be Dutch on coach selection - Apr 14, 2011
- Ancelotti warns Chelsea stars that none of them are 'untouchable' - Jul 18, 2009
- Ancelotti is new Chelsea coach - Jun 01, 2009
- Chelsea squad not good enough: Ancelotti - Apr 20, 2011
- Chelsea sack Ancelotti as manager - May 23, 2011
- City will be a thorn in our flesh: Ferguson - Jul 19, 2011
- Chelsea will drive you mad, Hiddink warns successor Ancelotti - May 16, 2009
- Chelsea win Champions League for the first time - May 20, 2012
Tags: ashley cole, claude makelele, didier drogba, favourites, frank lampard, guardian, guus, john terry, jose mourinho, luiz felipe scolari, match, mental attitude, michael ballack, michael essien, predecessors, professionalism, ricardo carvalho, stamford bridge, starting line, teamwork