Ancelotti's First Day in Charge

Some good news - Ancelotti faced the media today, showing off some not too shabby English, and even chucking in a joke or two to keep the journos amused.  Even better news, Ancelotti reiterated that JT will remain a Chelsea player: "he said he wants to stay, there is no problem for him for us, the story continues - Chelsea and Terry".  He went on to compare Terry to Maldini, high praise indeed.

Worryingly, Ancelotti once again took the opportunity to reiterate that he's joined us to win the Champions League, so whatever the fans may think, it seems definite that we're prioritising Europe over the Premiership this year.  He also commented that he "would like that Chelsea have an identity to play, and this identity we want to build".  This harks back to earlier comments Ancelotti made that Roman was unable to recognise the Chelsea side, and that they lacked personality.  This is crazy - we might lack world-class wingers, on a consistent strike force, but personality we have in droves (the home-leg against Barca was some of the most committed, disciplined and driven football I've seen in years).  Team spirit is one of our greatest assets.  Let's hope he spots that once pre-season training gets going.

Back to the good news again - Chelsea also announced today that they've completed the signing of Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow for £18M.  He's very versatile, able to play left-back and left-midfield, so provides much needed cover and competition following the departure of Wayne Bridge.  He's only 25, so adds a bit of youth to the side.  Given his versatility and our need for genuine cover on the left, he's probably a better buy than Johnson would have been.  Combined with recent purchases of Sturridge and Turnbull, it seems like we might have abandonned the policy to buy ready-made stars (that the team may or may not need), and instead to focus on building a team for the future.  It remains to be seen whether they're good enough to take us to the title next season.

Let us know whether you think this is a good start to Ancelotti's reign, and what you make of the Zhirkov signing.