Ancelotti: I'm not in control of Chelsea

CARLO ANCELOTTI'S future at Chelsea is on the brink of ending after he admitted: I am not in control of my team.

The 6m-a-year Italian dropped the bombshell after his sides shock 1-0 defeat at Birmingham.

The sacking of trusted assistant Ray Wilkins behind his back and the appointment of Michael Emenalo without consultation has wounded Ancelotti.

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And when pressed on the mystery surrounding Wilkins departure and the fact that former boss Jose Mourinho or arch-rival Sir Alex Ferguson would not have allowed it to happen, the Chelsea chief snapped.

He said: You have to compare me with Ferguson. It is a different position because Ferguson has total control of the team. I am just technical director. Full stop.

Last night there were rumours that Ancelotti had already quit which a Chelsea spokesman described as, Total nonsense.

But leading bookies William Hill suspended betting on the next Premier League manager to go with spokesman Joe Crilly saying: We have heard rumours he has resigned and have decided to err on the side of caution and suspend betting until more information was revealed.

But the admission that he has become a virtual puppet in the vice-like grip of restless billio! naire ow ner Roman Abramovich could well spell a parting of the ways.

That could come sooner rather than later after his men slumped to their third defeat in four games to surrender their big advantage at the top of the table.

But Ancelotti was quick to point out that the absence of Wilkins was not the key factor in their sudden slump.

He added: This was not my decision. This is not the reason we lost games.

We have lost because in four games we scored only one goal.

Will I be blamed? Obviously this can happen when the team dont win.

People put more responsibility on the coach. I am prepared for criticism."

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