Ancelotti believes that Chelsea's chances this season might be hampered due to late arrival of stars like Branislav Ivanovic. The Blues returned to pre-season training on Monday but the likes of England World Cup trio John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, Ivory Coast pair Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, Portugal duo Deco and Paulo Ferreira plus Serbia's Branislav Ivanovic, have all been granted additional time off following their exploits in South Africa.

"It could be a little different this year, a little difficult because we don't have all the players to start the season but we can still do a good job," Ancelotti told the club's official website.

Speaking about the return to pre-season training, the Italian coach added: "Last year we started at the same time and we need maybe five weeks to prepare the team, to do the best physical preparation.

"We will have the other players on July 22 and 26, but for the first games of pre-season they will not be involved."

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic insists he has no ill feeling towards Avram Grant as he prepares to help the Blues towards an historic double at Wembley.

Ivanovic is fighting fit for Saturday's FA Cup final and hoping to figure against his former boss with whom he never had the strongest of relationships.

The 26-year-old barely figured during Grant's brief stint in charge at Chelsea but has gone from strength to strength under Carlo Ancelotti.

He admits that was the most difficult time of his career but insists he bears no grudge towards his former boss.
No ill feeling

"I have no ill feeling towards Avram but at that moment I was really angry," said Ivanovic.

"I understand him now because I couldn't change a lot of things in that moment."

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Fabio Capello's England World Cup stars were handed an amazing snub by their fellow professionals last night.

PFA Footballer of the Year Wayne Rooney was the only member of Capello's planned starting side for South Africa to be named in the Premier League team of the season.

It meant Frank Lampard, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were among the England aces overlooked, according to Paris En Ligne Foot.

Although Chelsea look poised to win a historic first Double in the club's history, only two Blues, Branislav Ivanovic and Didier Drogba, were included.

That compared with the four United men selected, with Rooney joined by Old Trafford colleagues Patrice Evra, Antonio Valencia and Darren Fletcher.

Surprise choices included Birmingham keeper Joe Hart and Aston Villa centre-half Richard Dunne.

Chelsea signed Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic from Slovakian team MFK Kosice in a deal worth 1.5 million pounds (2.4 million dollars) on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge on a four-year contract and told the club's website: "I play together with (Chelsea defender) Branislav Ivanovic in the national team and have spoken to him about Chelsea. The first time I met him to play in the national team I asked a couple of questions.

"I am a solid midfield player, I have a lot to offer and for sure to progress and I will show everyone why I am at Chelsea.

"I know I am not well known but I have physical power and I am a quite technical, left-footed player.

"Since the age of 18 I have been at Kosice and before that I had played in the youth team of Red Star Belgrade."

Matic has prior experience of life in England, having taken in a trial at Middlesbrough in January, but is hoping his second spell will be more pleasant that the first.

"I was there in the winter, when I came it was winter in the north of England so it was not very nice, but the squad was okay and I liked it," he said.

Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic helped persuade Nenad Milijas to move to the Premier League.

The Premier League duo are International buddies with Milijas and their words of advice look like they have brought a gem to Molineux.

The Serbian reportedly turned down moves to La Liga in Spain and Ligue 1 in France to come to Wolves on the say so of his friends.

"Vidic at Manchester and Ivanovic from Chelsea are my very good friends.' Nenad told the Sunday Mercury.

"I have already talked with them and they have told me all about England, what people expect and what I must do.

"Vidic helped me very much before I came here. I talked with him and asked him if I should come to England."

Ron Atkinson believes Aston Villa could pounce to sign centre-back Branislav Ivanovic from Chelsea.

The former Manchester United and Aston Villa manager believes that the Serbian defender could be the answer to Martin O'Neill's defensive troubles.

The current Villa manager has lost the services of talismanic captain Martin Laursen to injury, and has Bolton Wanderers reportedly ready to offer another of his defenders, Zat Knight, regular first team football.

Knight's departure would leave O'Neill with just two established central defenders in the shape of Carlos Cuellar and Curtis Davies, who has publicly admitted he is not the man to replace Laursen.

Reports suggest O'Neill is ready to launch a £9 million raid on Fulham for Brede Hangeland, but 'Big Ron' believes the answer lies at Stamford Bridge as the current stock of defenders there leaves a surplus for other clubs to pick off.

"I saw Ivanovic play against John Carew at Stamford Bridge last season and he was brilliant," revealed Atkinson. "He was excellent, strong, tremendous in the air and he has played a lot of the time as their right-back."

Atkinson believes that Ivanovic's availability rests on the futures of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, who have been linked with moves to Manchester City and Inter Milan, respectively.

Atkinson added, "There is a lot of talk of Carvalho going to Inter Milan but he hasn’t gone, and if Terry doesn’t go to Manchester City, Chelsea are strong in that department.

Fiorentina's hopes of signing Branislav Ivanovic from Chelsea appear to have been dashed by Carlo Ancelotti's arrival in London.

The Serbian defender reportedly came close to joining the Florence-based club in January due to struggling to make a consistent breakthrough to the Blues' first-team.

However, Vlado Borozan, Ivanovic's representative, has now predicted a Stamford Bridge stay for his client due to a combination of increased pitch-time under temporary boss Guus Hiddink and even more so the appointment of Ancelotti.

"Ivanovic will remain at Chelsea,” the agent told TMW.

“He is on the list of players Ancelotti believes in. He wanted to sign him at Milan.”

Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic is witnessing increased pitch-time under temporary boss Guus Hiddink and has proved a European hit as his deuce against Liverpool and solid display versus Barcelona will testify to. As such, his agent cannot foresee a summer transfer.

Ivanovic and Fiorentina were expected to be united in January after the international centre-back struggled to make a consistent breakthrough to the Blues' first-team, however, Vlado Borozan, Ivanovic's representative, has predicted a Stamford Bridge stay for his client.

He is reported to have told the press, "He's going very well at Chelsea and I think he is off the market. I believe that now only the very top clubs could afford him.

"I am sure Chelsea will not sell."

Elsewhere, Chelsea's former manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, sacked within his first season in west London, is expected to take over as national boss for the Angola team.

Chelsea centre-back Ricardo Carvalho has hailed the man who played such a prominent role as his team claimed a 3-1 first leg lead over Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final, the second leg of which is played at Stamford Bridge this evening.

Carvalho's fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic, in many ways a surprise selection for the first leg, was certainly a surprise goalscorer when he appeared in the Reds' box on two occasions to help fire them in to pole position for a semi-final berth.

"It is important when the game is away to always score a goal and at Anfield we conceded first but after that we controlled all the game and we deserved to win," the Portuguese told Chelsea's official website.

"It was unbelievable. He [Ivanovic] played right-back and he played so good and in the corners he was so strong in the air. It has been a difficult season for him but he deserves this because he works a lot and he deserves to play."