Friday, June 5, 2009

Steps for Success at Stamford Bridge


Norman Hubbard of ESPN Soccernet has put together a list of steps for success for new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti:

Last longer than his three predecessors - A warning from recent history: Phil Scolari lasted just seven months. Avram Grant was in charge for eight months, Luiz Felipe Scolari for seven and Guus Hiddink, albeit of his own volition, for less than four. Chelsea may talk about the long term, but short-term thinking prevails.

Make it his team - Three managers have come and gone since the Portuguese's exit, but this is still Jose Mourinho's side, consisting of players with a fierce loyalty to him and operating with the defensive structure he devised.

Find some flair - It is tempting to wonder whether Scolari's reign would have lasted longer had he succeeded in signing Robinho. As it was, Chelsea had fewer players capable of unlocking a defence with a flash of skill than their principal rivals, a situation that was exacerbated by Joe Cole's absence for the second half of the campaign and Florent Malouda's mediocre form before Hiddink's arrival.

Communicate better - Last season provides a lesson. Scolari struggled to get his message across and left. Hiddink communicated wonderfully well and was loved. Ancelotti's faltering English may not bode well especially as, despite a cosmopolitan dressing room, there are few Italian speakers.

Reduce the average age - Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco and Shevchenko have all celebrated their 30th birthdays. In contrast, of the side who started the FA Cup final, only John Obi Mikel is under 26.

Decide on Drogba -A conundrum that needs answering before it causes further trouble. He has scored in Chelsea's last five domestic Cup finals. He has also contrived to disgrace himself in their last two European exits. Drogba polarises opinion, but Chelsea's fortunes seem to depend upon his mood.

Reduce the player power - No dressing room appears to contain as many vocal, influential players as Chelsea's. Yet this should be Ancelotti's specialist subject: his Milan teams of the last eight years have included players of the stature of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu, Kaka, Alexandre Pato, Shevchenko, Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Rino Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi, Rui Costa, Clarence Seedorf and David Beckham. They might not all be rampant egos, but several certainly are.

Charm, but not obey, Abramovich - Roman Abramovich was rarely spotted at Stamford Bridge towards the end of Scolari's reign. He quickly reappeared under Hiddink. Ancelotti needs the Russian to retain his enthusiasm - not least for signing cheques - without interfering in transfers, as Shevchenko's arrival proves.

Win the big games - As Lampard showed against Everton at Wembley, Chelsea have big-game players. Indeed, by common consensus, they possess plenty of them. Yet the fact remains that they have failed to win too many such matches.

Win the Champions League - Ancelotti has admitted it himself. He believes he has a three-year deadline in which to conquer Europe. To last beyond a second season, some other success is required first. But it has become very apparent that for Chelsea, the Champions League is the ultimate.

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