Ancelotti versus Abramovich, Inter court Capello, Juve eye Manchester United striker & Liverpool chase Lilles dynamic duo
Quote of the day: These rumours are totally untrue. I dont know why they came out in the papers. I have my contract until 2012. I didnt call the LMA. They called me last night when I was relaxing at home, just to find out what was going on. Ive said a lot of times that Id like to stay here. I love not just this club, but these players. I have a lot of confidence in these players, in this squad, so theres no reason to change my ideas. Carlo Ancelotti.
Runner-up: Benitez has my faith but we must try to get a good result because it is rather important. The coach and the squad must understand that Wednesdays game is very important. Tired or otherwise, the game absolutely needs to be played with anger because otherwise we will not get anywhere. In situations like this, the most important thing is patience. Everything cannot always go well. We just have to hope we start to get a bit of luck. I am pleased to have the feeling that the team and the club have certainly not shown a lack of confidence in [Benitez]. Massimo Moratti.
Todays overview: Chelsea remain front and centre news this Tuesday as speculation over Ancelottis Stamford Bridge future spills over. A swath of hacks (Williamson, Custis & Wright) all needle the supposed breakdown between Carlo and the Chelsea hierarchy, while Mark Fleming and Martin Samuel provide football reasons to the football problems in west London.
Danny Welbeck is praised after his double against Everton, while John Cross claims that Wenger has axed one of his forwards in protest to their below-par contribution to Arsenal.
The gossip kicks off with whispers that Inter Milan could ditch Rafa Benitez for Don Fabio. Thats followed by the usual raft of unbelievable transfer stories, with Liverp! ool, Ast on Villa and Manchester City and United all linked with some questionable business deals.
Ciao Carlo: The rumour mill continues to spin in overdrive as gossip over the tenure of Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea spreads.
For Dominic Fifield Carlo may walk the plank but he wont jump voluntarily. Carlo Ancelotti insists he will not tender his resignation as Chelseas manager in the wake of the dismissal of his assistant Ray Wilkins, although the Italian concedes he is in danger of being sacked himself if results do not improve.
Always ones to ratchet up the hype, the Daily Mails Laura Williamson tries to convince readers of a brutal control battle between Ancelotti and Abramovich. Ancelotti feels he is being undermined by the clubs owner, Roman Abramovich. He denied he was close to resigning, but Sportsmail understands the Double-winning manager is demanding to be shown more respect for the work he has carried out at Stamford Bridge. The sacking of his friend Ray Wilkins as his assistant and the growing pressure on another ally, Frank Arnesen, is causing him dismay.
Also looking to stoke the fire was the hyperbolic Shaun Custis. Chelseas stars fear for the future of boss Carlo Ancelotti Club owner Roman Abramovich has told the team to buck up and wants Ancelotti to belt up and get on with the job. The feeling is Ancelotti can only be humiliated for so long before deciding he cannot take any more. It is also understood he was left in the dark about the signing of Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Benfica in the summer. And he has been told there is unlikely to be any money available for signings in January.
Joining the sh*t-stirrers was loudmouth Ian Wright. There is something big happening at Chelsea, I have no doubt about that. I cant even remember the last time I saw them lose two Premier League games on the spin. Somethings gone wrong somewhere along the line and they need to sort it out. Now. But, make no mistake, Ancelotti is his own man. In 
the next couple of weeks and especially if hes still there come the summer well see what hes really made of. I dont know the full story but Id be looking to get out if the problems are not resolved. How can you manage a team when they sack your No 2, bring in someone without your say and then tell you to like it or lump it?
Barney Roney spends his time explaining how Ancelottis rogue eyebrow apparently gives us an insight into how the Italian really feels. What today did provide was a welcome draught of Ancelottis own wonderfully moreish charm. For the neutral he has been a disarming presence at the heart of the Chelsea project, maintaining throughout his early successes an air of something jarringly wry and sceptical within the corporate labyrinth of the clubs managerial superstructure. Admittedly this is almost entirely down to his rogue eyebrow, that arching salt and pepper caterpillar, perpetually humpbacked with what appears to be a sense of portable deadpan irony. The Ancelotti eyebrow seems to speak to us directly, offering its own subtitled counter-commentary on whatever conciliatory patter might be emerging from the Ancelotti mouth. It is a quality the English have warmed to. We understand eyebrow speak. The unspoken, the taciturn and the repressed: this kind of talk is our kind of talk.
Turning for footballing answers to footballing problems, Mark Fleming pinpoints Lampards absence as a reason for Chelseas current woes. The champions goal drought has been the most startling aspect of their current loss of form, especially given that the attack is the one area of the team that has not been struck by injuries The loss of Lampards goals from midfield he scored 27 last season tells just part of the story. He also created more goals than anyone else, and without him Chelsea are looking toothless. They began the season on fire, wi! th 21 go als from their first five games. But Lampard has been out since late August and the side has suffered as a result.
Martin Samuel also looks at footballing reasons for the Blues blues. It is not the fault of John Terry that Chelsea decided to go into this season with two central defenders, one of whom was injured. Considering the direction in which the club is headed it may not be the fault of Carlo Ancelotti, either. When a manager is no longer able to select his right-hand man, who knows what other decisions have been taken from him? Seeking to retain supremacy in the most physically challenging major league in Europe and to win the Champions League for the first time, Chelsea have gambled massively in a crucial position.
Silver-lining searcher Kevin McCarra reaches an optimistic conclusion over how Chelseas recent Premier League toils could work in their favour. It would be ironic if trouble in coping with a relentless domestic programme lets Chelsea fix their attention on another prize. Perhaps several fading and careworn footballers who could not bring Abramovich the Champions League at their peak will do so now.
Sunderland-Everton: Louise Taylor saluted Danny Welback after his brace on Monday night at the Stadium of Light. The fast maturing young striker emphasised his rich potential with not just two goals but a pacy, intuitive performance which, at times, frightened the life out of Phil Jagielka and company. Admittedly Welbecks passing is not all it might be but Everton looked relieved to secure a point courtesy of Mikel Artetas late, heavily deflected, equaliser.
Getty slight giddy in November (i.e there is plenty of time for things to go belly up), Rob Stewart talks up Sunderland chances of qualifying for the Europa League. Steve Bruces team might not have held on for the victory that would have propelled the club to sixth in the Premier League and raise hopes of Europa League qualification, but Sunderland played well enough to s! uggest t hat they are ready to mount a challenge for European football as only an unlucky break denied the hosts long-overdue victory over Everton.
Robin Un-Reliant: The Mirrors John Cross talks up a fall out between Arsene Wenger and Robin van Persie. Arsene Wenger has axed Robin van Persie after Arsenals derby humiliation and put him under strict orders to improve his match fitness Van Persie was a substitute against Tottenham on Saturday and also played for Holland last week but Wenger is clearly annoyed that he is not getting the best out of his Dutch striker.
The Daily Mail also sniff out the story, with Alex Kay scribbling Inter Milan are considering a move for Fabio Capello to replace under- fire manager Rafael Benitez Capello who Inter tried to prise from the FA before the World Cup is said to top that list, with Leonardo, Diego Simeone and Zenit St Petersburg coach Luciano Spalletti also being considered.
Blighty 2018: As the voting day to decide wholl host the 2018 World Cup inches closer, so the war of words with Fifa over alleged problems in the voting system continue to grow.
Paul Kelso highlights the issue which could torpedo Englands winning chances; the forthcoming BBC Panorama TV show. Key Fifa powerbroker Jack Warner has claimed the BBCs Panorama programme is deliberately undermining Englands bid for the 2018 World Cup by rehashing allegations against him and the world governing body England 2018 have accused the BBC of being unpatriotic by airing the programme so close to the vote, but the corporation sai! d on Mon day night that it believed it had a substantive programme and would proceed with the broadcast.
Owen Gibson investigate why England should win the bid. The fundamentals of Englandsthe bid remain strong, as emphasised by the technical reports published last week by Fifa. Passionate fans, impressive and already built stadiums, a promised record commercial return, a home from home for competing teams and the promise of a legacy for world football. The drive to ensure that the bid was not hobbled by the sense of arrogance and entitlement that tripped up the last attempt to secure the World Cup has been largely successful, even if it has sometimes led to a curious timidity.
The Mail continue to churn out suspicious rumours including that Aston Villa want Juninho Pernambucano on a short-term loan as Athletic Bilbao plan to land John Carew, while Fulham are monitoring red-hot Freiburg striker Papiss Demba Cisse.
According to the Mirror Juventus are ready to test Sir Alex Fergusons resolve over Dimitar Berbatov, and Everton want Yannick Djalo from Sporting.
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