Chelsea boss wants players to bounce back

Carlo Ancelotti reckons Jose Bosingwa's Chelsea colleagues need to use their Champions League exit as motivation in their bid to win the Premier League title.

The Blues suffered an acrimonious exit to former boss Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan 3-1 on aggregate on Tuesday night at the last 16 stage of the Champions League.

Chelsea were disappointing losing, 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to the Italian side and Ancelotti has admitted he will be under pressure following the result.

However, he now needs to get his side back in the right mindset to now go forward and win the Premier League and FA Cup. The online betting suggests they are in with a chance of doing the double, but they will need to dig deep.

Ancelotti believes his players need to control their emotions and be strong in the games against Blackburn and Portsmouth that come in the next seven days.

"This defeat could be a very good motivation for the next few games," said the Italian manager.
"We have to be strong after this defeat. We have to have a new motivation, a good motivation, for the future."

Chelsea will have to go on in their Premier League title battle without Chelsea and Portugal right-back Jose Bosingwa, who is out injured with a knee problem for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old has not featured since limping out of the game against Aston Villa in October and the club recently revealed he needed another operation on his knee, ruling him out for the run in.

He will also be unavailable for Portugal in the summer, news which could be a blow to the side's World Cup 2010 odds.

Chelsea players must deal with pressure of playing for club

Jose Bosingwa's Chelsea team-mate Michael Ballack believes all the players at Stamford Bridge need to remain focused on the battles ahead of them despite the injury problems which have rocked the club this season.

Currently, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelloti must do without Ashley Cole, Petr Cech, Yuri Zhirkov, Michael Essien, Alex and Deco along with long-term casualty Bosingwa - who underwent surgery on a knee problem earlier in the season and has missed three months of football so far.

In their last match Chelsea suffered a dreadful 4-2 home loss to Manchester City, but they still managed to hold on to their lead in the Premier League title race - where they sit one point ahead of rivals Manchester United. The online betting now makes the Blues and the Red Devils joint favourites for the title.

German international Ballack was sent off in that game and has called for his Chelsea team-mates to focus on their upcoming matches to ensure they can end the season with silverware.
"I think if you play for Chelsea you have to deal with the pressure, everybody knows the expectations," said the 33-year-old.

"You want to win everything possible and you try it every year, but you can't win everything, we know this as well but we have to play good football, we have to get the best of our team."

Portuguese right-back Bosingwa's manager at Stamford Bridge, Ancelotti, recently said he did not want to leave Chelsea to take charge of the Italian national team after the World Cup.

Italy are fifth favourites for the competition and could be a good World Cup bet.

Cech looking at another decade in Chelsea blue

Jose Bosingwa's Chelsea team-mate Petr Cech has set his sights on playing for the Stamford Bridge outfit for the next ten years.

The Czech goalkeeper has seen Branislav Ivanovic fill the right-back role in front of him in recent months as Portuguese international Bosingwa has been ruled out of action for three months after having surgery on a knee problem.

Cech has returned to fine form in recent weeks to help Chelsea consolidate their position at the top of the table, where they hold a one-point advantage over Premier League title rivals Manchester United.

The 27-year-old has praised his team-mates for getting Chelsea into the position they are now in and also highlighted how it can be difficult for goalkeepers in a successful side as they may only have a few things to do during games and so need "to be spot on" when called into action.

Cech told Chelsea magazine that keepers can compensate for ageing legs with "a bit of experience" and he is looking to keep his reactions sharp and play on in Chelsea blue for many more years.

"If I stay fit, at least as I am now, then I'll play as long as I can because this career is normally pretty short and everyone wants to make the most of it," said the 'keeper.

At the other end of the Chelsea team, star striker Didier Drogba has said that at the start of each season he aims to better the performances he put in during the previous campaign.

The Ivory Coast forward has scored 23 goals so far this season, but stated he is always looking to improve and get better as a player year after year.

He scored against Cardiff at the weekend to help Chelsea into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Indeed, the FA Cup betting makes Chelsea favourites to lift the trophy.

Ivanovic likened to Bosingwa by team-mate

Ashley Cole has praised the impact that Branislav Ivanovic has had deputising for the injured Jose Bosingwa during Chelsea's Premier League title charge.

The 25-year-old Serbian international arrived at Stamford Bridge from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008 and is primarily a centre back by trade.

He has been forced to fill in for Portuguese star Bosingwa at right-back this season after he underwent surgery on a knee problem that has forced him to miss three months of football so far.

England left-back Cole has been full of admiration for the job Ivanovic has done for Chelsea, helping them to the top of Premier League by getting forward and offering some width to their attack when needed.

"Brana has done brilliantly. When he first signed here we saw in training everyday what he can do and for me he has been one of our best players this season," he told the club's website.

"He is out of position some might say, but he is up and down like Bosingwa and it is good to see him fit and enjoying his football."

Ivanovic recently told the website that he has his sights set on playing 100 games for Chelsea, after he surpassed the 50 mark a few weeks ago in the victory over Sunderland.

Chelsea slipped up last night as Hull defied the football odds to claim a 1-1 draw.

Advantage Chelsea in the Premier League

The media focus on Wednesday night was undoubtedly on Manchester, where a bitter contest was ensuing between two old rivals both hungry to reach the Carling Cup final and secure the first silverware of the season. However, elsewhere in English football, other clubs were quietly going about their business, unconcerned about the drama unfolding at Old Trafford.

One such team was Chelsea, who brought an end to Birmingham's magnificent unbeaten run in all competitions with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Before the game, all signs pointed to a tough test for Chelsea, who had only managed a goalless draw against a resilient Birmingham side in December at St Andrews. However, a period of domination during the opening minutes of the clash was capped by a simple goal from Florent Malouda, who headed home after good work from the lively Joe Cole.

From the perspective of England fans, it was a great night, with Cole looking back to his old self after making a slow, steady return from injury. Frank Lampard also looked on top form, notching up the second and third goals of the game with accurate finishes.

The result sent Chelsea back to the top of the league, with Arsenal only able to secure a point against a battling Aston Villa side. On the evidence of Wednesday night's action at Stamford Bridge, it’ll take something special to knock Chelsea off their perch. Their title rivals don't look like having the flair or consistency to mount a serious challenge to Carlo Ancelotti's side's quest to bring another title to west London and this is reflected in the Premier League betting odds.

Furthermore, Chelsea could be on for the double, as the best odds FA Cup bookmakers are offering make the London club strong favourites to lift the trophy.

Belletti aiming to impress in new role

Juliano Belletti wants to prove to Chelsea fans he is good enough to bolster their midfield and help the club's Premier League title chances while they are missing valuable players.

The Brazilian started Chelsea's 7-2 Premier League victory over Sunderland at the weekend, playing in the holding midfield role as Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel are away at the African Cup of Nations.

Belletti has been utilised in a number of positions at Stamford Bridge since he was signed by Luis Felipe Scolari, including covering for Jose Bosingwa when the Portuguese full back has been missing.

While Bosingwa has been sidelined since October with a knee problem Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has favoured Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic in the right full back position so Belletti is now calling to be used more in the midfield.

He has now played the last two games as the anchor of the Chelsea midfield but has admitted there is a lot of competition for places in that area.

"At Chelsea I like to play in midfield because there is so much quality. It is not a difficult job for me because the other players have quality and experience," said Belletti.

"I played there in pre-season in America and I spoke with Carlo after pre-season and said I can help the team, not just as a right back, but also in midfield in the absence of Mikel and Essien, and at this moment in January the team needs me."

Essien has been hit with a knee injury while at the African Cup of Nations and scans on the joint revealed a torn medial ligament and meniscus damage which will rule him out of action for at least one month - which could affect Chelsea's Premier League title odds and their Champions League hopes.

FA Cup can help Chelsea youngsters

John Terry thinks the current breed of youngsters at Chelsea can gain inspiration in the FA Cup and help the side with their Premier League title aspirations.

The Chelsea captain saw his side defeat Watford 5-0 in the FA Cup third round with young players Gael Kakuta, Nemanja Matic and Daniel Sturridge all starring in the victory.

Two goals from Sturridge, an own goal from John Eustace, and strikes from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard saw a Chelsea side without Portuguese right-back Jose Bosingwa ease into the fourth round. The fact will travel to Preston North End for their next match in the competition should only serve to shorten their FA Cup odds.

According to Terry, the FA Cup is a great chance for younger players at big Premier League teams to get some valuable experience, like he did when Chelsea won the trophy in 1997.

"That day Jody Morris was on the bench as well and it was really important in giving us the belief we could make it here. I honestly believe there are some youngsters at Chelsea now who can make this year's FA Cup work for them in the same way," he said.

The experience could help them as they play roles in Chelsea's Premier League title bid, as the side will be without Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel while they are away at the African Nations Cup.

Terry won't be alone hoping that the youngsters will help Chelsea do battle with the rest of the Premier League top four.

Chelsea are currently without Bosingwa as the defender had surgery on a knee problem in October and was expected to be out for around three months.