Carlo Ancelotti must win with a squad picked by his predecessors
Carlo Ancelotti’s mission to finally acquire the Champions League for the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet may well have taken a canada goose coat 1000 calorie meal plans blow which leaves his chances moribund, following Fifa’s ruling that he cannot now add to his squad until 2011.
Chelsea amazon canada goose parka were certainly not expecting the world governing body’s judgment, so Ancelotti’s was not an informed choice in making the club’s final signings only Ross Turnbull, Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Nemanja Matic before the transfer window closed in west London for 18 months. In fact, as these four were incoming anyway before Ancelotti succeeded Guus Hiddink in the summer, this means the Italian’s chances of success now lie with a squad assembled by his predecessors.
And, given the immense pressures in west London for success, plus Chelsea’s modus operandi of expediency with their managers, Ancelotti’s Stamford Bridge era could be ended by players never personally wanted by the 50-year-old.
Now his and the club’s immediate future depends on the 24 men listed on Chelsea’s website which compose their first-team squad, the 15 players named as reserves – including the now infamous and suspended Gaël Kakuta – plus the on-loan Michael Mancienne and Scott Sinclair.
John Hollins, a former Chelsea player-manager during the 1980s, describes Ancelotti’s predicament as “mind-blowing”. “He’s now got to go through the competitions including the Champions League, which is what he was brought for. If he picks up any bad injuries in this best ideas about canada goose parka on pinterest first period he’s going to need to replace them. Well, he can’t. So he’ll have to bring back the young players,” Hollins says of Chelsea’s current loanees.
Yet beyond Mancienne, who has been a regular for Wolves this season, and Sinclair’s four Premier League substitute appearances at Wigan, Ancelotti’s pickings from his reserves are thin.
The Slovakian forward Miroslav Stoch has two first-team appearances. So, too, Michael Woods, though these came in 2007. The centre-back Sam Hutchinson’s Chelsea career numbers a single league appearance, again two seasons ago. None of the other players Chelsea can call on can you dry clean a canada goose buy a canada goose jacket coat have experienced English football’s top level.
Ancelotti also has the African Nations Cup in January to contend with. Then, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou of Ivory Coast, Ghana’s Michael Essien, Mikel John Obi of Nigeria will be missing for up to five weeks.
“They [could] be knackered or injured. It’s a minefield,” said Hollins, before suggesting that Ancelotti will have to prioritise.
“He may have to say I’ve come here to win the Champions League and use all the senior players to win the competition. He’s a got a massive buy canada goose jacket london selection problem. He has his first Champions League game coming up on buying canada goose jacket online 15 September [against Porto at Stamford Bridge] so it’ll be interesting to see what players he uses.”
Hollins also claims that in a World Cup year Ancelotti has a further challenge. “Players might say: ‘Oh I’ll just play for England, for Germany, or the African Nations Cup as I need a rest’. You’ve got the left-back for England [Ashley Cole], the captain of England [John Terry], all these England players who are looking to buy canada goose jacket london play in the World Cup. And I’ve got to say it, he’s [Terry] injury prone.”
Yet David Speedie, who played at buy canada goose jacket in canada Stamford Bridge during the 1980s, takes the opposing view believing the squad’s depth can you wash a canada goose parka and unity can successfully navigate the next season and a half.
“I 88 don’t think they need to add anything as they’re flying high at the moment,” he said of the four wins from four outings which has Chelsea heading the Premier League. “And the team spirit is very good – everybody seems to be getting on well, so it’s all hunky dory there. It’s a happy club.”
Hollins fears, though, for Ancelotti if results go the wrong way. “He didn’t expect to have his hands tied behind his back and his feet as well,” the former manager said. Has, then, Fifa’s landmark ruling ruined Chelsea’s chances of winning the title and/or Champions League? “Both,” added Hollins. “It’s put a massive strain on the squad. And it’s quite a senior squad if you look at the ages. They make a good team. But can you play them Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday?”
By January 2011 around half of Chelsea’s squad will be over 30. And last season’s FA Cup triumph could still stand as the last major trophy in the club’s cabinet.