Ancelotti gets first taste of FA Cup romance
CHELSEA manager Carlo Ancelotti will have his first taste of FA Cup football this weekend and the Italian is already aware it has a markedly different flavour in England compared to his homeland.
There, domestic knockout competitions are all but ignored, with even clubs like AC Milan and Juventus, who have both had spells with Ancelotti at the helm, going through the motions in front of sparse crowds.
Many believe the FA Cup no longer has the place in English hearts it once enjoyed but, nonetheless, Ancelotti knows the famous trophy remains worth fighting for, as Chelsea proved last season when they came back from behind to beat Everton in the final.
“It is a very important competition in England,” Ancelotti said. “In Italy, the Italian Cup is not so important.
“We want to do our best and it is one of our objectives, our aim, to win it. Last year we won it. We want to do the best again this year.”
Division Two side Watford are the visitors to Stamford Bridge for a third round clash tomorrow and Ancelotti will not need reminding that a stumble at this hurdle precipitated former Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari’s exit almost a year ago.
Chelsea were held at home by Southend United, a Division Three team, and although the replay was negotiated successfully the Brazilian was dismissed in February, just a month later.
With Chelsea guaranteed to be leading the Premier League table going in to the New Year few are predicting a similar fate for Ancelotti, but the Italian confirmed he had not fallen into the trap of treating the fixture as a training match for the league tests that follow.
“I want to put out my best team,” he said, although African Nations Cup commitments will force him to make do without Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien.
-AFP
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