Ancelotti dismisses exit speculation

(GSM) – Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed speculation regarding his future as Chelsea manager by stating that he will be in charge of the Blues beyond this summer regardless of how they finish the season.

The Londoners crashed out of the UEFA Champions League following Internazionale’s 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last week and they let the opportunity of being at the top of the Premier League slip by following their 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

Speculation has since been rife that Blues owner Roman Abramovich could axe the Italian should the club end the season empty-handed, despite only drafting the former AC Milan coach in last summer.

However, Ancelotti told Italian newspaper La Stampa his ‘future will definitely be at Chelsea next year independent of results’.

And Chelsea are well placed in the FA Cup semi-final, with Ancelotti believing that he will be given the necessary time to produce trophies at the club.

He admits Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Ewood Park was a setback but, with a game in hand against Portsmouth on Wednesday being an opportunity to close the gap at the top to just one point, he has vowed to get on with the chase.

“They are two points lost especially looking at how the game went,” said Ancelotti.

“We are going through a tricky period, between injuries and cup disappointment. But we’re still fighting on two fronts.”

In a breath of fresh air, Ancelotti is refusing to blame injuries to key trio Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech as the sole reason for their recent loss of form.

“The period we’re going through is independent of injuries,” admitted the 50-year-old.

“They have a bit of a bearing on it, but we had many absences in January as well during the African Nations Cup.

He reiterated: “All the clubs have had injuries, it can’t be an excuse.”

The former Juventus and Parma boss has had considerably less money to spend than his predecessors in charge, but Ancelotti insists high-profile changes are not always necessary.

“It’s not a given that the more you spend the more you win,” he said. “We have a good squad which will be slightly changed next year.”