Chelsea boss Ancelotti reveals family fears

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was forced to skip title rivals Manchester United’s clash at Liverpool after returning to his native Italy to visit his 86-year-old father Guiseppe, who is ill.

The former AC Milan manager also missed his side’s preparations for Saturday’s 5-0 trouncing of Blackburn Rovers to be at his father’s bedside but was hopeful he was recovering.

“Sunday, we have a free day and I will go back to Italy,” said Ancelotti. “I will return on Monday as I think my father will be better.

“These are difficult days but I think after Monday he will be better and I can stay here quietly and without problems.” On Saturday, two goals from Frank Lampard and one apiece from Michael Essien and Didier Drogba after Gael Givet had put through his own goal were enough to take Chelsea above United to the top of the Premier League.

United were facing Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday and Ancelotti was hopeful Rafael Benitez’s struggling side would produce a result good enough to keep the English champions off the summit.

Chelsea were also buoyed by the return of midfielder Joe Cole, who started a game for the first time since suffering a knee injury in January.

The England international was involved in dangerous attacks from the very first minute at Stamford Bridge - he headed a clear chance wide then - and left the pitch to an ovation from the fans.

Ancelotti was also impressed.

“He is a great professional and I know that after eight months it is not easy to play like today,” he said.

“That was a surprise. I am happy for him and also happy for us because he is a very important player. He has fantastic quality in midfield - he’s a genius.”

Rovers manager Sam Allardyce was highly critical of his side’s second-half performance, which saw a 1-0 deficit balloon into a thrashing.

“I wanted us to frustrate Chelsea as best we could and we did that very well in the first half,” he said. “My talk was to continue it that way. Our defending was looking solid and we were limiting Chelsea to shooting from outside the box.

“But we went pathetically wrong. All the tactics that we set up went out of the window,” Allardyce added.

“When their second goal went in we felt we had to open up and attack even more and when you are playing against a side of this quality they will just go and score more goals.

“I’m bitterly disappointed in the players’ lack of understanding of the situation they were in.

Instead of making themselves more difficult to beat they made themselves easier and that’s why we got beat 5-0.

“At the moment they are not good enough, that’s the bottom line. The mental resilience is not there.

“They can’t physically challenge the opposition.

They just want to play football but just playing football away from home in the Premier League doesn’t get you results.

You have to have all the elements that go with it.”

LONDON, Sunday (AFP)