Ancelotti – no rotation for crucial Tottenham match

The Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has indicated he will be playing his best side against Tottenham, knowing how important it is for the Chelsea fans against their arch rivals.

‘I know how important this match is for our fans and we have to pay attention to this,’ Ancelotti said after training on Friday afternoon.

‘We want to do a good job, we want to win and we want to give enjoyment to our fans in this match.

‘We have had five days to rest between Porto and Spurs and it is not necessary to rest some players,’ he continued. ‘They’ve had a very good recovery and they can play a very strong match.’

He understands that Harry Redknapp has assembled a great strike force, but he is not too worried.

“They cannot all play together on the pitch, they can only put two strikers on which we have to control,’ said Ancelotti. ‘We know very well the quality of Crouch, Defoe and Lennon who is a very quick player. Their attack can be dangerous so we mustn’t leave to possibility of counter attack against us.

‘I saw Tottenham’s last games and they started very well the season. They played very well against Liverpool and also against Manchester United but they lost that game.

‘But now Chelsea are also in a very good condition. This is an important match because it is a very important month in the season and it has started very well.’

Chelsea have had a brilliant start to the season, and a game against Tottenham will be a good test of how good they really are. Can they make it six in a row?