Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that the club's poor form is down to the age of the current squad.

The Blues have lost five of their last nine games in all competitions, including Tuesday's Carling Cup quarter-final defeat to Liverpool.

However, while many are blaming manager Andre Villas-Boas for the team's misfortune, Ancelotti has claimed that it is the lack of youth within the side.

"Villas-Boas cannot work miracles. This is an old team now," he said.

"It is exactly the same team as the one I left, with the exception of Juan Mata and Raul Meireles.

"The problem is not Villas-Boas, it is with the team that he has."

Chelsea travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Written by
Jack Prescott