Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Kalou fails to give backing to Ancelotti

 

Sam Wallace
Thursday 19 May 2011 00:00 BST
Comments
The Ivorian was notably muted in celebrating his winning goal against Tottenham last month
The Ivorian was notably muted in celebrating his winning goal against Tottenham last month

Salomon Kalou has become the first Chelsea player to hint at a public dissatisfaction with Carlo Ancelotti as the club's Italian manager waits to hear his fate at the end of the season.

Kalou, 25, has started 16 Premier League games this season and since January has often been the player overlooked in order to accommodate Fernando Torres. Questioned about the future of Ancelotti this week, the striker, who joined the club in 2006, conspicuously chose not to back his manager.

Asked whether Ancelotti had the backing of the Chelsea, Kalou was reported to have laughed before saying: "We don't make the decision. We're here to play for the club. We're happy to work with anyone. That's for the board to decide. The players are going to give their best on the pitch and that's the most important thing."

The Ivorian was notably muted in celebrating his winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge last month – a game in which he came on as a second half substitute after Torres had again been preferred to him in the starting line-up.

Talking of his future, Kalou said: "It doesn't matter. For me, the most important thing is to stay as a team. Last year, we won the double and it was all the team. This year, if we don't win any competition, it'll be the same. I'm not looking for an excuse. It doesn't matter which players or who is the manager, the players have to be together and give a better performance."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in