Ancelotti may seek truce in Milan with Mourinho

Carlo Ancelotti yesterday shrugged off Jose Mourinho's latest barbed comments about Chelsea and suggested he would be willing to use the coming Champions League meeting with Internazionale to rebuild bridges with the Portuguese.

Mourinho this week accused Chelsea of failing to build on his legacy of success, claiming owner Roman Abramovich handled his succession poorly. He also claimed credit for bringing together the group of players currently managed by Ancelotti.

Avram Grant replaced Mourinho and led the team to the Champions League final – a feat Mourinho failed to achieve – only to lose to Manchester United. Luiz Felipe Scolari then replaced Grant but was deemed a failure before Guus Hiddink took over for the second half of last season, leading the club to the FA Cup.

The fractious rivalry between Ancelotti and Mourinho dates back to when they fell out as cross-city rivals in Serie A with Milan and Inter, and Ancelotti now appears willing to drink to a truce. "I've never said he is my friend," Ancelotti said. "We didn't go to eat together or drink wine together. Usually, when you go to eat and drink and drink one, two, three glasses of wine, usually you say the truth. You can have a good relationship about this. But we didn't.

"In Italy, we don't usually have a glass of wine after games. Maybe this [the Champions League game] could be a good moment to improve our 'friendship', no?"

Chelsea meet Inter in Milan on Wednesday in the first Champions League knockout round. It will be the first time Mourinho has met Chelsea since he left the club.