Ancelotti plays down CL talk

Carlo Ancelotti
12 April 2012

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti insists his side have no chance of winning the Champions League if they continue to produce the same poor first half display as they did against MSK Zilina.

Chelsea ensured they will finish top of Group F thanks to a 2-1 win over Zilina but they had to come from behind to beat the Slovakian minnows. Second-half goals from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda lifted the gloom over Stamford Bridge after Babatounde Bello had shocked the English champions with a 19th minute opener.

"It was a difficult game because we didn't start the game well, were 1-0 down," said Ancelotti. "We had a good reaction in the second half, with more intensity and good play, and plenty of opportunities to score. The second half was very good."

He added: "But if we play like we did in the first half, it's impossible to win the Champions League. If we play like we did in the second then we'll have a chance."

Ancelotti admitted he was upset at half-time and replaced the poor Gael Kakuta with Salomon Kalou.

"I was upset because we didn't play well," added the Italian. "We changed something in the second half, changed the intensity of play.

"This was the difference. We'd played too slow in the first half and gave them the opportunity to control their defensive position.

"I just wanted to play with a different system, with two wingers with Daniel Sturridge and Didier Drogba in the middle. For this reason I took out Kakuta.

"I was disappointed because this was an important game and an important moment. We wanted to win and finish first in the group. But we didn't play in that first half. We had no intensity or tempo. We changed things immediately in that second half and our behaviour changed.

"It was important to win and move on quickly. Also, for the young players, it was a good experience. They played well, generally, and put in good performances for the team."

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