Name- Carlo Ancelotti; Mission- Champions League victory
Ancelotti's appointment continues Chelsea's obsession with winning the Champions League
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Monday, 01, Jun 2009 12:03
New Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has effectively admitted he has been given until 2012 to win the Champions League.
The Italian has been appointed on a three-year contract just a day after leaving AC Milan by mutual consent, following the departure of FA Cup-winning temporary coach Guus Hiddink.
And in his first-ever English-language interview, for Chelsea TV, 49-year-old Ancelotti said that owner Roman Abramovich had impressed on him the importance of claiming the one trophy that has eluded Chelsea's last four managers.
The Blues have reached the semi-finals five times in the last six years, including one campaign where John Terry missed a penalty that would have seen the club win Europe's premier club competition for the first time.
Ancelotti, who won the trophy four times with Milan (twice as a player, twice as a manager), said: "At Chelsea it is easy to find the objective: To win the Champions League.
"The right way [to do it] is to create a group of people that work well together," the Italian continued, explaining his philosophy as one that emphasised teamwork - despite managing star playmakers Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Ronaldinho during his time in Serie A.
"For me, the Champions League is a beautiful sensation, because when I played I won two times, and the same thing when I was a coach at Milan.
"The Champions League for me is the best competition in the world and all want to win it. Chelsea have a great record, five semis in six years is a beautiful score."
On his time in Milan, Ancelotti explained: "We won a lot of success... but now I think its time to change and Chelsea, for me, is a great opportunity, a great team for a new experience."
The Italian, who intends to be fluent in English by the start of the 2009/10 Premier League season, said he was looking forward to working alongside Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins, who played for Milan in the 1980s, and had received a glowing report of the club's facilities from Andriy Shevchenko.
He accepted that he had a lot to learn about the Premier League, with most of his experience of English football coming from television matches featuring the big four clubs.
"I like the Premier League," he said. "I think because there are great teams and they play good football, very speedy, and I like this football.
"In Italy now and also before, the matches are more tactical, the team think to defend well and after to attack...
"Chelsea is a great team with great players... I want to bring my experience, my individual quality.
"I think it's important to work together, and the most important thing is to have a great motivation."
There is little chance that a lack of motivation will be a problem - especially given the nature of the Blues' last two Champions League defeats.
To be considered a Stamford Bridge success, the aim is clear - Ancelotti must break this run of poor fortune and achieve his first Champions League success outside Milan.
Matthew Champion