Gritty performance, the right result, but rightfully Ancelotti isn't impressed

Can't say I blame him. I mean being a Chelsea fan I'm obviously pleased with the result on Wednesday away to Apoel Nicosia, but performance was close to shambolic. I would have thought that after our embarrassement at the DW Stadium in Wigan last weekend we would have shown more of passion to repay the fans, but I saw none of this.

I agree with what Dominic Fifield of The Guardian had to say, "This was a nervy and, at times, lacklustre performance". Chelsea looked disjointed, and possibly threatened by a below-par Apoel, who had former Blues player Nuno Morais starting in a defensive midfield role. I'm not too fond of criticism towards Chelsea from anybody and quite frankly I do become annoyed, however I can always admit when the team deserve to get criticised and on Wednesday night, they were in all honesty, appalling.

Ancelotti has experienced his first Premier League defeat.
For all Chelsea fans it would seem a repeat of Phil Scolari's reign last year, dropping his first points after about five or six games in. Ancelotti's side have responded well with a win in Cyprus, however his main worry has to be a disappointing display, especially with the crunch game against Liverpool coming up Sunday. The Italian manager, won three Scudettos and two Champions' League titles with his former club AC Milan, adds a wealth (no pun) of experience to the Chelsea staff. Yet, he is another foreign manager who has yet to be tested against the intense velocity of the English game. Do I believe in him? I want to, but he needs a true test. The community shield counted for nothing as both teams had players missing, but a match against one of England's alleged "Top Four" is, in my opinion, vital to how will progress in this country.

One thing I do greatly admire of Ancelotti is the relationship he formed with Milan club captain Paolo Maldini in his time in the Italian capital.

Whilst browsing the internet I found this link :

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=651778&cc=5739

Maldini was questioned about Ancelotti just after his move to Stamford Bridge, and the former Milan captain exclaims that to see the big Italian holding a Chelsea shirt "left its mark on him". One sign of the blossoming captain-manager relationship is plain to see on the web page but also throughout the many years of success at the San Siro.
It will interest me throughout the course of the season as to whether a similar relationship can be formed with John Terry, the early signs are good. They show confidence, trust and above all, respect for one another. But I wonder how long it will take before something cracks and the real test for Ancelotti will be if he has the mental stability to control it, whilst at the same time producing the results highly expected from the club's fans and the hierarchy.