Ancelotti: Not a problem if Chelsea want me out

CARLO ANCELOTTI yesterday appeared all but resigned to his fate as Chelsea manager after insisting it would “not be a problem” if club owner Roman Abramovich sacked him.

Ancelotti looks a dead man walking at Stamford Bridge after overseeing what is set to be the club’s worst season since Abramovich’s takeover almost eight years ago.

Speculation has already moved on to the identity of the Italian’s replacement, with the likes of Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard, Andre Villas Boas and Marcello Lippi all linked with the job.

Ancelotti yesterday insisted he had yet to discuss his future with Abramovich and was focusing on helping third-placed Chelsea finish as high as possible in the Barclays Premier League.

But he added: “The club can decide if I have to continue here or they want to change.

“This is not a problem. The club has the possibility to judge my job.

“If they are not happy, they can change without problem.”

Confirming he had only briefly spoken to Abramovich after Tuesday night’s Champions League exit at Manchester United, he said: “The most important thing for a club, and for a manager, is to have a good relationship with the club, the owner.

“When this relationship is not good, you have to change.

“Until now, the relationship with the owner is fantastic.

“He has supported me this season when we didn’t achieve important results.

“If, at the end of the season, the owner decides my job was not good enough, this is not a problem.

“I know football. I know clubs sometimes want to change the manager.

“I will try to do my best, because I want to stay here.

“If there is a possibility to do that, I will be happy.”

Ancelotti masterminded Chelsea’s first-ever double last term – his maiden season in English football – but he admitted this did not make him bulletproof.

“Everyone was happy to win the double last year, but this is the past,” he said.

“This season has not been a good season for us.”

Ancelotti’s philosophical response to his potential sacking is partly down to his acceptance of the way Abramovich has operated in the past, with the two previous managers who failed to deliver a trophy also given the boot.

But it also suggests he feels he is not to blame for much of what has gone wrong this season and that he knows he would have no problem gaining employment elsewhere.

But the Blues boss refused to discuss how much blame he should take himself for what has gone wrong and how much should be apportioned elsewhere.

“It’s not the moment to find guilt,” he said ahead of today’s trip to West Brom. We can judge at the end what was wrong and what was good.”