Ancelotti returns to Stamford to expose Chelsea’s downfall
With the team in shambles, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly picked up the phone and called Blues great Frank Lampard to come back and try to steady the ship.
In another world, Carlo Ancelotti would have been on the phone with the American.
Ancelotti, on the other hand, returns to Stamford Bridge as an opponent, representing Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.
After Zinedine Zidane stepped down in 2021, Madrid president Florentino Perez brought the Italian back for a second stint at the helm.
Ancelotti's Madrid defeated the Blues in the first game, taking a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, and they could have added more as they dominated proceedings.
Former Chelsea duo Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger made key saves and blocks on the other end, leaving Lampard's side empty-handed.
Ancelotti's return to Chelsea brings back fond memories of one of the best Premier League teams ever, which he led to the club's first-ever league and FA Cup double in 2010, halcyon days that stand in stark contrast to the Blues' recent slump.
The Italian's Chelsea team featured big names like Didier Drogba, John Terry, Michael Ballack, and Lampard himself, and they won 7-0, 7-1, and 8-0 at the Bridge on their way to domestic glory.
Chelsea's current mishmash of players lacks both leadership and quality, as evidenced by their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week.
"I am sad, yes," Ancelotti admitted before the match. "I have such fond memories of this club and the people who still work there."
"Of course, I support Chelsea because I spent two wonderful years there."
"I think and hope Lampard will be able to do a fantastic job with them."
It was a generous line from Ancelotti, but the Italian will hope his coach isn't quite so generous on Tuesday night in London.
Ancelotti was fired by then-owner Roman Abramovich in 2011, capping off a brief but memorable two-season reign.
- In safe hands - Madrid are aiming for a record-extending 15th Champions League title, defending the title after defeating Liverpool last season, and appear to be miles ahead of the 2021 victors in the Spanish capital.
Despite not being the first, second, or third choice for the job, Ancelotti was chosen as a safe pair of hands and also assisted Madrid in winning La Liga last season.
Like Zidane before him, is demonstrating that excellent man management is a necessary skill for Los Blancos coaches — but not the only one, as he was quick to point out.
"I am 'fantastic' at managing, but there are other things, because this team is well-trained," Ancelotti said ahead of the first leg.
"If we win the Copa del Rey, we will have won every title possible in two years, and there are teams that will never win that."
Ancelotti has kept squad members like Dani Ceballos, Nacho Fernandez, and Asensio hungry and helpful, with the latter scoring again at Cadiz on Saturday. At least, the majority of them.
Eden Hazard, a former Chelsea star, has remained a fringe presence, and his former fans will be hoping not to see him on Tuesday; if the Belgian appears, it means Madrid has clinched progression and the key players are resting.
"The door is open, and it's up to us to kick it open even further," Lampard said after the first leg loss, hoping for a comeback.
It will be music to Ancelotti's ears, with his team being so dangerous on the break against desperate opponents and the coach wise enough to play to their strengths.
The 63-year-old has won the trophy six times, twice as a player and four times as a coach, and he recently noted that he is approaching his 1,300th game as a coach.
His experience and stability stand in stark contrast to Chelsea's haphazard project, and they may assist him in highlighting chasms where he once left silverware and memories on Tuesday.
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