By Ben James Oct 20, 2009, 11:28 GMT
London - The early-season struggles at Liverpool may have captured many of the headlines so far in England but they are not the only side battling for form.
In London, rumours of discontent have been stirring at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have lost twice on the road in the league - to Wigan and Aston Villa - and incredibly, new manager Carlo Ancelotti is already finding himself compared to Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was sacked after seven months.
It was around this time last year that the wheels began to fall off the Scolari regime after a superb start turned into a relatively poor season when they finished third behind Manchester United and Liverpool.
Scolari's tactical naivety, it was claimed, was the cause of his downfall and now after two away defeats this season, Ancelotti's expertise is being called into question.
That's despite a strong start to the league putting them second, one point behind United after nine games and a good beginning to their Champions League campaign, which they hope to boost on Wednesday by beating Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti is no stranger to criticism having spent eight years with AC Milan. 'I'm not surprised because in Italy it's the same,' he said recently.
'It's important that the atmosphere around us is a good one. It's important when things are not good to maintain control and look to resolve the problem. During a season, it can happen in one or two matches that the team are not good. It's impossible to play every match at the best. Impossible.
'In Italy there is much more pressure on the coach. In England, it's very easy to control it. In Italy, there's not only the press - the club put pressure, the fans put pressure. Here, it's different.
'It's not that I ignored it at Milan. A criticism is not bad if it's right. Sometimes criticism is good. You can improve, learn.'
Comparing Ancelotti's start to that of Scolari is particularly harsh on the Italian, who can hardly be blamed for the individual errors that cost his side goals at Wigan and Aston Villa.
The goals were conceded from set-pieces - highlighting potential frailty in that department - while the form of Frank Lampard has also been cause for concern.
Together with captain John Terry and striker Didier Drogba, who has been back to top form this season, Lampard has been a driving force in all Chelsea's success this decade.
Against Villa, he was played on the left side of his midfield while Deco started in the England man's preferred position in the centre.
The move misfired and more worryingly, he has not scored for Chelsea since August 18 - compared to his outstanding goal record of recent seasons when he has scored 20 or more goals in each of the past three campaigns.
Many have highlighted Ancelotti's tinkering with Lampard and the midfield as a reason for the losses, but the fact remains that Chelsea are second in the league, just one point behind the champions.
They beat Liverpool at home a fortnight ago and are still very much of a threat for the title.
But if they are to contend, then Ancelotti will have to find his first-choice starting XI and stick with it, if the criticism of his efforts is not to grow strength.
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