• Ancelotti says, ‘without Rooney, it is better’
• Italian has happy memories of Old Trafford
Carlo Ancelotti believes that Wayne Rooney’s ankle injury may give Chelsea an advantage for Saturday’s match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The game could be pivotal in the Premier League title race.
Rooney suffered the injury in a 2-1 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich on Tuesday and United released a statement this afternoon that said: “We’re pleased to report that Wayne has not suffered a fracture. The scan revealed only minor ligament damage.”
While Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to reveal on Friday how many games Rooney will miss, Ancelotti said that the 34-goal striker’s absence would give Chelsea an edge. He said: “I was sorry for him but I think without Rooney for us it’s better. Everyone knows how important Rooney is for them. He’s fantastic player and had a fantastic season. This injury could be an advantage for us. Sometimes a team gives more than 100% when a very important player is out and [so we] have to pay attention to this. Manchester United have the experience and the players to support the loss of Rooney.”
Ancelotti has fond memories of Old Trafford. “We want to go there to win. It’s difficult to win at Old Trafford,” he said. “Old Trafford is a fantastic stadium for me. I won the Champions League [in] 2003 there and I have good memories, the best memories of my career. I will always love that stadium.”
>>He also managed a 1-0 win there with Milan when they knocked United out of the Champions League in 2005, though two years later his side lost 3-2 at Old Trafford, a defeat salvaged with a 3-0 victory at San Siro.
Since being knocked out of the Champions League by José Mourinho’s Internazionale, Chelsea have scored 12 goals in two Premier League games, leaving them a point behind the champions and two goals better off on goal difference.
Ancelotti is keen to maintain such momentum. “The destiny after this game [of the title] will be in the hands of the winner,” he said. “Saturday is very important because we play against a fantastic team, top of the list now. I think we’ll have a very good chance. Now our moment is good. We’re fit and confidence has improved after Portsmouth [who were beaten 5-0] and Aston Villa [7-1]. It’ll be a very important game. We want to do our best [and] have the possibility to do this. Our moment now is good. But nothing will be decided.
“A lot of time in the season we’ve been top but United are now top, and Arsenal are very close to us [two points behind]. It’s very difficult to stay top to the end for all the teams. We hope to arrive there before the others.”
Although United will be missing Rooney Ancelotti was keen to name his own, lengthy casualty list. He said: “I want to remind you that we have [Michael] Essien, Ashley Cole, [José] Bosingwa, [Branislav] Ivanovic, [Ricardo] Carvalho all out.
“Essien is doing recovery and working in the water. He will come back to train in 15 days. He had some problems at the start but now is good and proceeding well. We hope he will come back to play the last game of the season but we’re not sure. With Ashley we’re sure he can play before the end of the season.
“[Juliano] Belletti is back from Brazil and ready to play. [Didier] Drogba had a little problem and [was] out for two days after a kick on his knee but trained very good.”
Ancelotti also said that Didier Drogba is being troubled by a hernia. “He’s living with this problem for three or four months. Sometimes he has a problem after the game but during the week he is OK,” the manager said. “He doesn’t need an operation now. If he has one at the end of the season he will be ready [in] seven days – it would be a small surgery [but] I don’t know if he needs surgery. Now he’s fit and has to play.”
Chelsea’s captain, John Terry, underlined the importance of Saturday’s match while recalling the team’s 3-0 humiliation there last season. “There is so much on the game,” he said. “We go there not only with confidence but still hurting from that defeat, and that will spur us on.”
Carlo AncelottiWayne RooneyChelseaManchester UnitedPremier LeagueJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk
