Ancelotti hails Chelsea strikers

The win over Copenhagen relieved some of the pressure on Ancelotti
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has praised his strikers after the 2-0 win over Copenhagen in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.

Nicolas Anelka scored twice after starting alongside Fernando Torres, while Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou came on late in the game.

Asked if they were the best in Europe, Ancelotti said: "Yes, I think.

"We want to maintain their fitness but rotation could do them good with the Premier League and Champions League."

The win was a welcome tonic for Ancelotti, whose side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton on Saturday while they are struggling to defend their Premier League title.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are now on the brink of a place in the quarter-finals barring a capitulation in the return leg on 16 March.

And, although Ancelotti is having to rotate his strikers, he insisted he has their backing as he tries to win the Champions League and rescue a season in which the tournament is his side's only realistic chance of silverware.

"They are accepting my decisions without problems, and this is important. To have them available at the moment, it's important at this time of year," added Ancelotti.

"We have fantastic strikers. I have to make a decision about the games, to put them in or not.

"Didier played for two hours against Everton [in the FA Cup]. Torres and Anelka were fresh and, together, they played well."

Torres showed signs of returning to his best against Copenhagen and, despite failing to score in his three outings since moving to the Blues for £50m from Liverpool in January, Ancelotti was satisfied with the Spaniard's contribution.

"His performance was really good," said the 51-year-old Italian. "There's a little bit of disappointment because he could have scored. But it doesn't matter. His movement with Anelka was so good.

Maybe we will never be as good as Chelsea but, on another day, we could have been a lot closer to them.
Copenhagen manager Stale Solbakken

"Anelka was able to score and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement. He will score in the next game."

Ancelotti had insisted before the win against Copenhagen that his faltering side's season was not over and he added after the game: "We are still alive.

"I had an idea before the game, and I maintain the same idea now. We are not dead. It's just one game, though.

"I want to see my team play again, again, again."

Copenhagen boss Stale Solbakken had no complaints after the defeat and said some of his players did not do themselves justice.

"We lost to a better team," he said. "They were stronger than us and we made too many technical errors.

"To be honest, some of my best players maybe didn't have their best days. They looked sharper and were quicker.

"Some of my players played very well and should have a positive feeling in a few days, but others didn't live up to what they achieved before.

"Maybe we will never be as good as Chelsea but, on another day, we could have been a lot closer to them. Chelsea were two goals better than us: no discussion."

A.nemdil & Press Agencies