Ahead of the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal clash on Wednesday, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has backed Frank Lampard to succeed in his new role as manager of Chelsea, also ruling himself out of a return to the Premier League club.
Ancelotti, who led Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009-10, will face his former player Frank Lampard in a midweek battle at the Santiago Bernabeu, after the Englishman was named Chelsea’s interim manager.
Despite spending about $300m ($373m) on new players in January, Chelsea have slumped to 11th in the Premier League. They have also been eliminated from both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
The Champions League represents the English club’s last chance for silverware this season.
What Did Ancelotti Say About Chelsea?
“I feel sad (looking at Chelsea’s position in the table). I have a fantastic memory of this club, of the people that are still working there. I’m a supporter of Chelsea, because I spent two years there,” Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
“Will I go back (as coach)? No, I hope Lampard will be able to do a fantastic job with them. Lampard has been a great player who I coached for two years.
“He knows these kind of games well and how to prepare his team. He has been here for a week, but he will do well in the time he is at Chelsea.”
Despite Chelsea’s poor run of form, Ancelotti urged his side to be wary of the English club, who have faced Real in the knockout stages of the last two Champions League seasons and beaten them twice in four games.
“We suffered a lot last year,” the Italian manager said.
🗣 Carlo Ancelotti confirms he won’t go back to #CFC. “I have a fantastic memory of this club & the people still working there. I’m a supporter of #CFC because I spent two years there. But go back? No. I hope Lampard is able to do a fantastic job.”pic.twitter.com/g2qRWHArCc
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) April 11, 2023
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“We have to respect the team and the club, they have very good players and even if they are not in a good moment they have great motivation and will bring out the best. It’s a squad of a very high level.
“The team is excited and motivated to return to the Champions League and experience another magical night at the Bernabeu.
“We have to take advantage of the fact that we play the first game at home.”
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