Ancelotti says he's lucky not to have been fired

LONDON (AP): Carlo Ancelotti says he is lucky to still be Chelsea manager following the team's poor run.

The Premier League champions have taken just 10 points from their last 10 matches and slipped from top to fifth in two months.

"I am a lucky man," Ancelotti was quoted as telling British media Tuesday. "I understand that a lot of coaches are sacked with results like these."

Ancelotti won the league and FA Cup in May at the end of his first season. But after Chelsea conceded a late equalizer to Aston Villa on Sunday, the team goes to Wolverhampton on Wednesday nine points behind leader Manchester United.

The Italian wants to be judged at the end of the season by owner Roman Abramovich. "When you go to a restaurant, you have to pay the bill when finish your meal," he said. "It's the same here. We have to pay the bill at the end of the season. At the end the club can judge me.

"The best food would be the Champions League. I've tasted it sometimes and it's good ... when the Champions League comes back, we need to have a squad without injuries."

Ancelotti has won the Champions League twice as a coach with AC Milan, and twice as a player with the same club in the European Cup format.