Woeful Chelsea has Ancelotti fuming
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Two points off the lead in the Premier League and through to the Champions League knockout phase does not look like a crisis but something is not right at Chelsea and coach Carlo Ancelotti is worried.
On Saturday, the Premier League champion was booed off at Stamford Bridge having spent the last few minutes desperately defending to hang on to a 1-1 draw against an Everton team which was thumped 4-1 at home by West Bromwich Albion last week.
Chelsea's draw allowed Arsenal to climb above it into top spot after it beat Fulham 2-1, with Manchester United also still a point ahead after its game at Blackpool was frozen off.
"I am disappointed. I am angry ... the first half I think it was good, there was good spirit. The second half was totally different ... we lost the idea of playing our own football," Ancelotti said.
"I don't understand why we changed, it was just long ball. We have a particular kind of football and we should stay with that," added the Italian. "We didn't and it's difficult to understand why. Obviously I'm worried, we have to do better."
Ancelotti's men have now taken just five points from the last 18. Defeats by Liverpool, Sunderland and Birmingham City were followed by last week's 1-1 draw at Newcastle, with a 1-0 home win over Fulham its solitary success since October.
It is lucky for the champion that its rivals have also dropped points unexpectedly during the same period or it could already have been cut adrift.
Not only are they not winning, they are not playing well.
On Saturday, it led with a first-half penalty by Didier Drogba, just about the only time he looked interested all day, but shipped a late equalizer to Jermaine Beckford.
"We're actually a bit disappointed not to have gone on and won it," said Everton manager David Moyes after his players showed far more appetite for the battle.
Ancelotti bemoaned the lack of leadership in his team last week but even the return of captain John Terry and midfield dynamo Michael Essien could not instill any noticeable will to win on Saturday.
The Chelsea coach, who swept to a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season in charge, is clearly unhappy with what he is seeing in his second campaign.
"I knew a difficult moment would arrive but I didn't expect it to last so long," said Ancelotti. "It's too long. I saw the players looking worried, afraid and that's not our kind of football."
Although nobody at Chelsea is willing to say it, the unexpected departure of popular assistant coach Ray Wilkins at the start of the poor run and other subsequent staffing reshuffles appear to have undermined morale.
Arsenal climbed to the top thanks to Samir Nasri's spectacular double against Fulham.
Nasri opened the scoring in the 14th minute and the in-form France midfielder then grabbed the winner with 15 minutes remaining for his 11th goal of the season in all competitions.
"It was a combination of touch, intelligence, special talent and calmness as well," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of Nasri's two finishes.
Carlos Tevez scored the winner as Manchester City beat Bolton 1-0 to stay fourth, and three points off the pace. Fifth-place Tottenham drew 1-1 at Birmingham and is three points behind City.
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