Ancelotti laughs off Scolari comparison

Carlo Ancelotti has laughed off Frank Lampard's claim the current atmosphere at Chelsea is like the final days under Luiz Felipe Scolari and revealed he had spoken to Roman Abramovich about the club's miserable run.

Lampard compared the confidence of the squad at present to that during the end of Scolari's doomed reign just under two years ago.

The Blues are on an even poorer run than they were at that time - indeed, their worst in the league for almost 15 years - and have all but surrendered their title.

Despite this, Ancelotti continues to enjoy the backing of the club's billionaire benefactor, who he spoke to over the telephone this week and who may attend Saturday's game against Blackburn.

Ancelotti admitted Abramovich was "not happy" with recent results but that their exchange had been "positive", giving him confidence to shrug off Lampard's outburst.

"This is not good news!" he joked when asked about his vice-captain's concerns.

"I think the players, the team, lost some confidence in their football, the football that we played very well last year.

"But I think we are able to come back and play the same."

Ancelotti, whose side have slumped to fifth, added: "I don't know the feeling with Scolari, but the feeling here with the players is very good.

"Maybe it's the same atmosphere, but we have the capacity to move on.

"We are very close. I support the players at this moment, and the players support me.

"I think it's not a big problem if the players are not happy, no?

"I think the only reason they are not happy sometimes is that we didn't get the right results. This is the only reason."