Coach Ancelotti is sad because Chelsea's decline
"It is true that I am very sad to see Chelsea fall," Ancelotti said on April 11 at a press conference before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. "I have fond memories of this club, of the people who still work there. I'm a Chelsea fan, of course, because I had two really good years at the club."
However, Ancelotti - who has a year left on his contract with Real - denies the possibility of returning to work at Stamford Bridge. "Back? No. I hope Lampard can do a great job," he said.
In the summer of 2009, Ancelotti succeeded interim coach Guus Hiddink, and became the third Italian coach to lead Chelsea, after Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri. He spent his first season flourishing when he won the treble with the English Super Cup, the Premier League and the FA Cup. But Chelsea went empty-handed the next season, and Ancelotti was sacked after losing to Everton in the final round of the Premier League. Through 109 matches under his rule, Chelsea drew 20, lost 22 and won 67 - reaching a rate of 61.47%.
This season, Chelsea fell when ranked 11th in the Premier League, soon eliminated from the FA Cup and League Cup. Therefore, the owner of Stamford Bridge has fired Graham Potter to appoint Lampard as an interim coach until the end of the season. The former British player used to lead Chelsea from July 2019, but had to leave in January 2021 because of his poor performance.
Having worked at Chelsea together, Ancelotti hailed Lampard as a fantastic, extraordinary player who knows what can happen in a big game. According to the Italian coach, having more experience in the chair will not make a difference through the two Champions League quarter-finals. "I'm 63 and Lampard is 44, so I have 20 years more experience than him. But that won't change what happens in the game," said the Real head coach. "Lampard has been back at Chelsea for less than a week, but has known many players and I think he will do well during his time at the club."
Ancelotti revealed Federico Valverde is training well and is ready to play despite the controversies related to the assault on Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena after the match in La Liga on April 8.
Sitting next to the Italian teacher, defender David Alaba expressed his support for his teammates. "Valverde is fine, and has all the support from the whole team. He trains well, looks sharp and focused for the next game. But I can't say more about what happened." Austrian guard expressed.
