Ancelotti: We can still do the Double - and I can cope with the pressure
Published 14:56 19/03/10 By Martin Lipton
Carlo Ancelotti today challenged his Cheslea side to bounce back from their Champions League nightmare by lifting the Double.
Defiant Ancelotti vowed that Tuesday's defeat by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan did not spell the beginning of the end for him and his team.
And in a statement of intent, the Italian insisted that his mind was set on making history with a wining streak that will capture the Premier League and the FA Cup.
Ancelotti said: "I don't think it will be difficult to lift the players.
"Of course we are disappointed to be out of the Champions League and it is not an easy moment for us.
"Now we have to be strong, that's sure, and maintain good control of our emotions. But the players have good quality to do this.
"We have very important trophies to pursue. We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and two points behind Manchester United but with a game in hand.
"So our destiny is in our own hands. If we win every game, we can do the Double.
"That's very difficult, but we can try to do this. Only six teams, I think, have won a Double in 140 years here in England. It's not easy, but we can think about this and do our best: that's our aim."
Chelsea's first step comes at Blackburn on Sunday, with Petr Cech still not fit to return in goal, and Ancelotti added: "We have to have a very good reaction in the next game.
"Every game will be very important for us. We have 10 or 11 games before the end of the season and we can still do a fantastic season."
Ancelotti did not appear concerned by Roman Abramovich's training ground visit on Wednesday, hinting that plans for next season are already advanced.
"Roman was here and spoke with me and with the players," said Ancelotti. "He came here to support us because he knows very well football and he knows that we are involved in important competitions again. So I think his presence here was very good.
"We didn't speak about the future, about the changes for next season, because it's not the right time to speak about this. I said we have important games in the next week and we have to stay focused: all the players and all the club.
"He was disappointed and he's the owner of a club that's out of the Champions League. Everyone was disappointed about the last game against Inter."
"I started to train in 1995 and every year I've had pressure. It's normal for me to be under pressure.
"When you arrive towards the end of the season, the pressure grows. This is normal because every game can decide our future. The last game decided our future in the Champions League: we are out.
"Maybe, we hope, we can do something in the Premier League and the FA Cup in the up-coming games. I am able to cope with the pressure. I can control this."
