Ancelotti: English league harder to win than Italian
The Italian coach guided AC Milan to Serie A success in 2004 but the quality of the opposition in the English top flight promises to provide him with a lot more obstacles.
Ancelotti will take charge of his first match at Stamford Bridge when the Blues face Hull City in the lunchtime kick-off today.
Ancelotti remains unbeaten since taking over from interim coach Guus Hiddink but the pre-season niceties will be dispensed when the real action gets under way.
The competitive spirit inside the Premier League caught out former boss Luiz Felipe Scolari to such an extent that he was sacked last February.
Ancelotti insists he is “not stepping into the dark” as he prepares for his first game in the English league and is equally realistic when it comes to his appraisal of the task that lies ahead.
“This is my first season outside Italy so it is a bit different, but I want to do well with my team,” said Ancelotti. “I am happy, not afraid. There’s no tension or pressure.
“It is new but not the unknown. I’m not in the dark. I know my team very well. I appreciate the squad over the month I’ve had here, and the quality of this team.
“The ambition is to remain competitive until the end of the season in all the competitions – in the FA Cup, the Premiership and the Champions League. We want to arrive well in March and April in all the competitions. If we have strength and the right mental attitude, we can win at the end.
“In England the championship is more competitive because, in Italy, three or four teams can win. Here I think that more teams can win the league.
“To win a season in England is not easy for any team. It’s not easy for Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United, and also for Arsenal. To win here is very difficult. We’ll have to overcome difficulties in every game.”
Meanwhile Hull boss Phil Brown is excited by the prospect of kicking off the Barclays Premier League season in front of an audience of millions – even though he expects his side to be on the back foot for most of the game.
Having survived their first top-flight season by the narrowest of margins, Brown is happy to be in the spotlight once again.
“Since we came back on July 1, everyone’s mind-set has been on Chelsea and Stamford Bridge,” he said.
“It’s been brought forward for TV so now it’s even bigger and of course it’s Carlo Ancelotti’s first game so it’s very exciting. Who knows, we might even be top of the league before everyone else kicks off.”
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