Ancelotti keeps his cool but problems loom for Chelsea

IT was not just on the pitch that a frustrating reality faced Carlo Ancelotti, it was everywhere.

Even when he looked at the back of the match programme, he was confronted by the uncomfortable truth that his squad was dwarfed by Wigan’s.

This was only one defeat – Ancelotti’s first in English football – and his team remain level on points with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League but the real concern at Stamford Bridge, with Uefa’s transfer ban over the signing of Gael Kakuta hanging over them, is that the problems are just beginning.

Although he maintained he was unconcerned about the loss, he also admitted he had no idea why it happened and his thoughts on where things were going wrong would have been much clearer if he had been able to call on anyone on the bench that could come on and change the tide of the game. It was a big ask for Salomon Kalou.

For some teams, trailing 2-1 in the Premier League and down to 10 men, defeat is no disgrace but John Terry includes himself in expecting rather more from Chelsea.

“You can go anywhere in the world and not play well, but the least we expect from every player is that we work hard and fight,” he said. “The whole team, collectively, didn’t do that. That’s the most disappointing thing of all.

“All the other big sides in and around us had emphatic wins, so it’s disappointing that we’ve come here and thrown away three points. It’s disappointment all round.

“The manager has stressed that and the players feel that. When you look at it, you can’t come to places like this, when they’ve got their crowd behind them, and not match their work ethic. We didn’t win our headers, didn’t win our tackles and that’s simply not good enough. That’s the minimum we ask for.”

Only those whipped up by the overreaction that might surround this shock result will be surprised to see Chelsea in the top two at the end of the season but the nagging doubts will remain for as long as Ancelotti’s squad is as stretched as it is, and thanks to the Kakuta ruling that will be for a very long time.

But the Italian, whose side travel to Cyprus to face Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League on Wednesday before facing Liverpool on Sunday, dismissed the suggestion that the loss was down to a lack of quality alternatives.

“We had options on the bench,” Ancelotti said. “That’s not a problem for us. Sometimes we have players out, but that’s not a problem. We have a competitive bench.

“We’ve done very well until now and now we have to make sure we have a good reaction to this game against Apoel and also against Liverpool.

“I only consider this as one bad day because I think the team is in good condition now. It’s normal, this is football. It’s impossible that all our matches we will be good.”

Quite right but Ancelotti also acknowledged that he had not expected Wigan to be quite as good as they were and Roberto Martinez, who is slowing shredding the scepticism that greeted his appointment, certainly hit on a way of upsetting the Londoners.

Paul Scharner played off lone striker Jason Scotland, who, making his first Premier League start at the age of 30, gave Terry and Ricardo Carvalho a rough afternoon, allowing wide players Charles N’Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega to remain in advanced positions and limit the influence of the Chelsea full-backs.

Ashley Cole made some telling early runs but was carried off with a knee problem, while Jose Bosingwa was rattled by Colombian Rodallega’s ceaseless pressing and physicality and therefore the visitors were deprived of any width.

Nicolas Anelka was reduced to dropping into his own half to collect the ball, John Obi Mikel was poor before going off at the break with an ankle problem, while Frank Lampard was anonymous after the first half hour and Didier Drogba was also limited. The Ivorian was at fault for Wigan’s opener, allowing Titus Bramble to head in after no Chelsea player had tracked N’Zogbia as the Frenchman ran 40 yards to collect a short corner and cross.

Drogba equalised from a Florent Malouda cross just after the r estart but after another N’Zogbia through-ball, Petr Cech tripped Rodallega in the area and was shown a straight red card.

He took some time to leave the field and, afterwards, would only mumble: “I don’t want to say too much, but what I will say is that it was not a penalty.”

Rodallega slammed past substitute Henrique Hilario, who will now play against Liverpool, before Maynor Figueroa crossed for Scharner to touch in Wigan’s third in added time.

It was the first time in their history that Wigan had defeated one of the Premier League’s recognised ‘big four’ and Martinez feels a weight has been lifted.

“It has been a mental block in terms of hoping for a win and fearing the worst,” Martinez said. “The boys were brave, never looked back and knew exactly what to do to compete20against Chelsea.”

REFEREE: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) 7. This was full-blooded stuff but handled well by the experienced official, who had no choice but to send off Cech. Sensible, yet authoritative.

MATCH RATING: **** Always good to see one of the big boys toppled but Wigan did it in some style on a day that will never be forgotten in these parts.