Ancelotti not ruling out Chelsea return but backing Mourinho

Carlo Ancelotti would be open to a second spell at Chelsea but insists Jose Mourinho will remain in charge of the ailing Premier League champions.

Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Stoke City was Chelsea’s seventh in 12 league outings this season, increasing the pressure on Mourinho in the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

The only one of Chelsea’s four Premier League crowns not won by the Portuguese was collected by Ancelotti in 2010, although he was dismissed by owner Roman Abramovich after finishing as runners-up to Manchester United 12 months later.

Despite this, Ancelotti – currently without a club after parting ways with Real Madrid at the end of last season – would not be put off by a return to the London club, although he believes they are doing the right thing in standing by Mourinho.

“I would have no problem with Chelsea,” the three-time Champions League-winning coach told the Daily Mail. “They already choose to keep him, and I think they made a good choice.

“I didn’t get a chance to speak with Jose but we get on well. When we won the Decima [Real’s 10th Champions League crown in 2013] at Madrid, he sent me a message of congratulations. And he knows better than anyone what is going on at Chelsea.”

Ancelotti’s assessment is that members of the Chelsea squad lack the motivation to repeat last season’s triumphs.

The Italian predicts a long and arduous task for Mourinho if he is to revive the team’s fortunes, but pinpointed the continued backing he enjoys from the Stamford Bridge faithful as a major plus.

“I look from a distance at Chelsea and I think they won the title easily last year and I don’t think they are so motivated this year,” Ancelotti added.

“It’s true that the manager has to be able to motivate players but the manager cannot motivate a player if the player is not self-motivated. It’s impossible. They have lost something and it’s difficult to change like a switch. You have to work slowly to change.

“But Mourinho is one of the best managers in the world, no doubt. I look at his body language and he’s okay. He is not so worried.

“He has confidence. During the Dynamo Kiev game the supporters were singing his name. He’ll sort it out.”