Laid-back Carlo insists Blues will fight to finish

CARLO ANCELOTTI yesterday denied his apparent indifference to his fate as Chelsea manager could cause his players to slack off for the rest of the season.

Ancelotti last week claimed it would “not be a problem” if Roman Abramovich sacked him after overseeing what is set to be the club’s worst campaign since the Russian billionaire’s takeover.

Indeed, Ancelotti seemed all but resigned to losing his job in the summer but, for now, he and his players are in limbo with six matches remaining this term.

With the title on the brink of being surrendered, there could be a danger of the squad losing their motivation over the course of the next month.

But Ancelotti said: “They are Chelsea players, they are professional.

“This is football, that sometimes the manager can change.

“They are working with me at this moment. Maybe they will work with me in the future. Maybe they will not work with me in the future but with another coach.”

There are numerous reasons for the decline at Chelsea which has put Ancelotti in the firing line, most of them arguably not the Italian’s fault.

One of those was certainly the injury and illness suffered by Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba at the end of last year, during what was the club’s worst run in the league for almost 15 years.

Ancelotti claimed the duo’s absence cost Chelsea vital points that might have made the difference in the title race.

He added: “In the difficult moment, it was not easy to move on without these kind of players. We missed them in November and December when we didn’t play well.

“Everyone doesn’t have a good memory but this team, in the last month or more, did very well in the Premier League.’’

Chelsea could go second if they beat Birmingham tonight and Arsenal lose at north London rivals Tottenham but Ancelotti has given up hope of catching United.

“The gap doesn’t allow us to think we can win the title,’’ he said.

“So it’s better for us to think about preparing for the next game against Birmingham to try to win, and the other five games.’’

For his part, Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is backing Ancelotti to cope with the pressure on his shoulders after experiencing a similar scenario himself while in charge of Rangers.

McLeish is a hero with Blues fans after lifting the Carling Cup and his side can complete a double over Chelsea in tonight’s clash at Stamford Bridge.

But McLeish knows he also will come under the microscope if Birmingham are relegated despite their shock cup win over Arsenal at Wembley two months ago.

He said: “I can relate to what is happening with Carlo. I went trophyless one of the seasons at Rangers.

“That is not very good in the eyes of the Rangers fans or anyone associated with the club.

“Carlo will be feeling the same. We know the law of the jungle as managers. You are going to get scrutinised and criticised.

“Chelsea are expected to win things and Carlo gets scrutinised on that basis.

“Equally, if I don’t keep the team in the Premier League, I’m going to get it in the neck as well. We all have relative pressures.

“But Ancelotti is a cool dude, has been around the block a few times, has massive experience.”