Chelsea Boss Carlo Ancelotti: I'm Not An Attacking Coach

Posted Saturday, April 03, 2010 by Goal.com

Former Milan boss denies only thinking of gung-ho approaches...

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has laughed off suggestions that he is an attacking coach and that his side must take the game to Manchester United on Saturday.

With Chelsea set to visit a Manchester United side without top-scorer Wayne Rooney, Ancelotti has told his men that they must be responsible and control the tempo of the game at Old Trafford.
Chelsea are the current Premier League top scorers, having scored 82 goals on the back of last week's seven-goal haul against Aston Villa.

Yet despite his side's goalscoring exploits, the former Milan coach is reluctant to be seen as a coach whose only focus is on attack.

“I don’t consider myself to be an attacking coach,” said the Chelsea coach according to Press Association Sport.

“I am Italian and the fortune of Italian football is defensively. I like balance. I am a balanced coach.

“This is our aim, to attack and play football, but the first thing is to maintain balance because I don't like to concede a goal.

“The easy way to score is a counter-attack. In Italy the team that won Serie A was not the team that scored more goals, it was the team that conceded the least.”

And with his side set to visit the champions tomorrow, Ancelotti knows that his charges can’t afford to give anything away.

Currently Chelsea lie a point behind United, needing a victory to overtake their opponents, but knowing that a defeat would leave them four points behind a side who are notorious for ending seasons strongly.

“We want to play our football and we want to keep control of the game but it will be difficult," added Ancelotti.

"Manchester United want to do the same, they play at home and they will want to keep control of the game. This is the fight we will face.”