Ancelotti demands ‘reaction’ from Blues

CHELSEA coach Carlo Ancelotti has demanded that his side turn on the style against Marseille in their final Champions League Group F game tonight.

Chelsea, suffering a mid-season slump that has seen them win just one game out of the last six in the Barclays Premier League, have been ordered to return to the free-flowing football that excited everyone when the new campaign began.

Ancelotti was clearly angered and upset by Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Everton last Saturday and told his players so in a team meeting.

“We are trying to search the right way to move on quickly from this moment and we have a possibility to do this,” said Ancelotti.

“The result of the game is not important but the performance is very important. We want to put out the best line-up possible because we consider the game important for our confidence and to come back and play our football.

“We have to come back quickly to play our football. I spoke with my players. It is not the right place to explain what I said to them. It was private and confidential. The reaction has to be good tomorrow.

“When I say strong team, it doesn’t mean there are no young players in the team.”

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba makes an emotional return to the Stade Velodrome and admits that finishing his career at the club remains a very tempting prospect.

Drogba, now 32, spent just a year at Marseille, scoring 18 league goals, plus another 11 in Europe in 2003/04 after arriving from Guingamp.

His goal record made him a cult hero among the Marseille fans and the Chelsea ace has often spoken of finishing his career in the south of France.

“I am glad to be here and see some familiar faces,” said Drogba. “I know that everything will be good tomorrow.

“All I can say is that I have been at Chelsea for six years now and I am happy there.

“My family is also happy there. Of course Marseille is tempting. But there are so many parameters that come into play. I can see myself ending my career at Chelsea.”

Drogba admitted his recovery from a bout of malaria has been tough. “I have been sick for a few weeks. It is difficult to come back to full fitness very quickly.

“But I am really happy with the way I have recovered. I am trying to help the team. I know that I can do better and I have to do better. It is not really about the goals, it is the way I am playing.

“We’ve created a lot of chances but we score from set pieces and penalties and this is something that will have to change.

“We just need one game to change this, and why not tomorrow or the game at the weekend?”

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps insists he will not experiment with his side tonight and although he is aware that Chelsea are in a mid-season slump, the Marseille coach still expects a difficult encounter.

“I won’t experiment,” said Deschamps. “Maybe I will try to rest some players but I need to pick a very competitive team because this is a big team.”