LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Todd Boehly, the owner of Chelsea, called Blues legend Frank Lampard less than two weeks ago, asking him to return and try to right the ship for the team, which was in shambles.
Maybe Carlo Ancelotti was talking to the American in a different universe.
However, Ancelotti will be playing for Real Madrid in Tuesday’s second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge, so his comeback will be exclusively as an adversary.
Just after Zinedine Zidane resigned in 2021, Madrid president Florentino Perez was the one who appointed the Italian to a second term as manager.
Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio gave Ancelotti’s Madrid a 2-0 victory in the opening game, and they could have scored more goals as they had total control of the game.
Though, the opposite end saw crucial stops and blocks from former Chelsea teammates Thibaut Courtois and Antonio Rudiger, leaving Lampard’s team without a goal.
As Ancelotti’s return to Chelsea brought back happy memories of one of the best Premier League teams ever, which he led to the club’s first-ever league and FA Cup double in 2010, golden days in sharp contrast to the Blues’ current collapse.
Didier Drogba, John Terry, Michael Ballack, and Frank Lampard all played for the Italian’s Chelsea team, which also included other notable players. They cruised to domestic success at the Bridge by winning 7-0, 7-1, and 8-0.
The defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu last week severely exposed Chelsea’s current mishmash of players’ lack of both the leadership and talent of that group.
“I am sad, yes,” said Ancelotti before that clash. “I have a fantastic memory of this club, of the people that are still working there.
“I’m a supporter of Chelsea, of course, because I spent two really nice years there.
“I think and I hope Lampard will be able to do a fantastic job with them.”
Ancelotti used a kind phrase, but the Italian will be hoping his coach is not quite as kind on Tuesday in front of lights in London.
His brief but spectacular two-season tenure as manager came to an end in 2011 when he was fired by then-owner Roman Abramovich.
