Chelsea defeats Inter Milan at Rose Bowl
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Jose makes it a Special test for Ancelotti as new boss looks to make Chelsea berth his own
Stamping his personality: Could Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti fill the huge void left by Jose Mourinho?
Carlo Ancelotti will dismiss it as little more than a training exercise - a tune-up as they say over here - but the significance of Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Inter Milan on Wednesday goes far beyond the events in California's Rose Bowl.
Ancelotti's success in his new job will ultimately depend on whether he can chase the lingering presence of Jose Mourinho from the corridors of Stamford Bridge and persuade the Josephiles - players and fans alike - to release their emotional bonds with the self-professed Special One.
Five trophies in three years cast a Mourinho -shaped shadow across the work of Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari but there were signs during Guus Hiddink's brief reign that Chelsea's dressing room was ready to shake free from their recent past. Ancelotti's task is to complete this operation and Frank Lampard, always one of Mourinho's inner circle, expects him to do it by winning silverware.
'I don't think Ancelotti will have any issue with stepping out of Mourinho's shadow,' said Lampard. 'He comes to us having won the Champions League twice and the Italian league. He's worked at the highest level and is respected as being one of the top coaches in the world.
'If we can win the Premier League or the Champions League this season, he will have been a success in his own right and nobody will be asking that question.'
Former AC Milan manager Ancelotti engaged Mourinho at close quarters last season, with regular verbal skirmishes, but came off second best as Mourinho's Inter claimed another Serie A title.
Now, in only his second game as Chelsea boss, they meet again, with Mourinho up against his former club for the first time since his dramatic departure in September 2007.
'It will be great to see him,' said Lampard. 'It's been a while and, personally, I love him as a man and a manager. He's been a massive figure in my career.
'He was the man in charge during an amazing period in Chelsea's history and maybe only now we fully realise what a special time it was.
Staying put: Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge and not link up with former his former boss at Inter Milan
'We hadn't won the league for 50 years. We had a team of very good individuals but we didn't win things. He added some players but the most important thing was the confidence he instilled in us. It was that little bit of magic which rubbed off on the whole club.'
The animosity between Mourinho and Ancelotti adds spice to tomorrow's game, which kicks off at 4am British time. When asked about living up to the 'Special One', Ancelotti said: 'I don't know any Special One. I don't want to do comparisons with other coaches. I want to do it my way.'
When this was put to Mourinho, he said: 'I don't know one either, but I do know a coach who won two consecutive titles with Chelsea after 50 years without winning it.'
And, when asked how his 'friend' Ancelotti might cope in England, he snapped back: 'He's not my friend. He's a good coach with plenty of experience and he could do well.'
Meanwhile, defender Ricardo Carvalho, who had hoped to link up with Mourinho again with a move to Inter, said on Monday that he is resigned to another campaign at Chelsea.
'I have a contract and I think I will stay,' he said. 'Last year was disappointing, I didn't play. I was injured for quite a long time last season. I wasn't happy and maybe the club wasn't happy with me, but now I have to get myself fit and ready to play.'
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Chelsea defeats Inter Milan at Rose Bowl
Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard scored to give Chelsea FC a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday night in a soccer exhibition at the Rose Bowl.
The game was part of the World Football Challenge, a series also involving AC Milan and Mexico City's Club America.
Drogba scored on a swerving 30-yard shot that Inter Milan goalkeeper Vid Belec deflected inside the right post.
Lampard converted a penalty kick in the 50th minute after Inter Milan's Ivan Cordoba used his right elbow to block Daniel Sturridge's shot from the left side of the penalty area.
Inter Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the subject of a possible transfer to FC Barcelona, entered the game in the 59th minute. Ibrahimovic, who played in the 2006 World Cup for Sweden, led Serie A with 25 goals last season.
The Associated Press.
I'm surprised Ibra still featured in the match.
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right man, i swear ancelotti will say something to shoot mourinho one