Ancelotti: Chelsea may not buy in January

Carlo Ancelotti claimed Chelsea will only spend in January if his squad suffers injuries after the club had their FIFA transfer ban suspended yesterday.

The Blues would run the risk of buying no new players until June 2011 if the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejects Chelsea’s appeal against the two-window ban for the illegal signing of Gael Kakuta.

And Roman Abramovich’s club could yet decide to try to land big-money targets like Sergio Aguero or Alexandre Pato in January while they have the chance.

But on the eve of facing Manchester United, Ancelotti insisted he was happy with the squad that had taken his club to the top of the Premier League and into the last 16 of the Champions League.

And after coaching a Milan which included 40-year-old Paolo Maldini, the Italian insisted he is not desperate to inject new blood into his ageing squad.

“It’s a decision that gives us the possibility to buy new players if it’s necessary, but at this moment it’s not necessary,” Ancelotti said.

“It’s a good thing for the club and the team. I know the best players are not available in January. But now, for us, it’s not a problem. In this moment, I’m very happy with the squad, these players, and it’s not necessary at the moment to take new players.

"I know we will lose four in January [to the African Nations Cup], but if we maintain the players’ fitness we can do a good period also without the African players.

“I have experience not to have problems with old players. I've trained some players until they’re in their 40s, so these players have a lot of time yet.”

Ancelotti’s Milan side twice knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League, including after a 3-0 victory in the second leg of the 2007 semi-finals. He is also the last manager to win at Old Trafford in the Champions League, in 2005.

But he reckoned Liverpool’s recent 2-0 win over Manchester United - and their pressuring of their midfield - was a better lesson in how to beat the defending champions.

“Liverpool played a fantastic match and put a lot of pressure on the pitch,” he said. “That’s why they won. They didn’t give United any possibility to play like they want to play.

"It was a good lesson for us because Manchester can suffer when there’s pressure on their midfielders. Every team is vulnerable. There is not a team that is invincible, right?

But Ancelotti still wrote Rafa Benitez’s team out of a three-team title race. “I don’t think it is just between Chelsea and Manchester United - I think Arsenal have good possibilities to arrive in first place,” he said. “At the moment you can’t think Liverpool can win because Liverpool are behind.”

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