An already painful week turned excruciating for Carlo Ancelotti. After being dumped out of the Champions League midweek by former hero Jose Mourinho, Chelsea failed to rebound and dropped two valuable points at Blackburn. Manchester United edged Liverpool and now control the Premier League race.

A forlorn figure on the touchline, Carlo Ancelotti could yet be on the hot seat after all.

Following a premature exit from the Champions League in midweek, Chelsea would have been expected to bounce back from such a heartbreaking defeat with a statement match against a Blackburn that struggles against the so-called Big Four. But this is not Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. This is Carlo Ancelotti’s version, a team that has been whittled down to fearing the big stage rather than triumphing on it.

As mentioned in prior posts, this Chelsea lack that cutthroat streak required of a championship squad. They heard the PA announcements by kickoff which stated that Manchester United had beaten Liverpool 2-1, and had thus taken a five-point lead atop the table having played two more matches. Ancelotti needed this win to retain control of the Premier League conversation, yet his team failed to capitalize on their dominating start with a second goal that would have killed a game they should never have lost.

After a rare Blackburn venture deep into Chelsea territory, the Blues went on the counter in the sixth minute. A nice exchange of passes between Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic cleared the danger, and Lampard found Anelka with a release pass down the right wing. The Frenchman, in a barren spell goals-wise yet still always working industriously to create chances, took on two Blackburn defenders and beat them both. Steamrolling to the byline, he cut it back to the onrushing Drogba who one-timed it into the back of the net. An early score, just what Chelsea needed to dictate the tempo of the match and strangle the always-tenacious Rovers.

And indeed, Chelsea controlled the opening half and should have been two up were it not for a couple of Solomon Kalou misses. But as the half drew to a close, Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn amped up their physical style of play, plunging into tackles and engaging Chelsea in the type of match that their starting XI was not equipped to play. A formation which saw Florent Malouda and Kalou accompanying Lampard and John Obi Mikel in a diamond proved weak against an Allardyce side, which always play looking for contact.

In the second half, Chelsea lacked the imagination that came with their bright start to the first, and the game drifted into a dangerous situation where a Blackburn goal could spell trouble. And of course, on 70 minutes El-Hadji Diouf obliged. The only form of attack Blackburn showed all game was from set-pieces, and those in the form of long throws into the box. From nothing, Blackburn decided to take a short throw for a change. Former Real Madrid star Michel Salgado quickly launched a well-placed cross to the far post. Paolo Ferriera, not the most physical of defenders, was completely dominated in the air by Diouf who slammed his header into the back of the net. At 1-1 with 20 minutes remaining and their season in the balance, how would Chelsea respond?

First, why Ancelotti chose to subsitute Deco after the Blackburn goal has to be questioned. The need for a playmaking passer in that claustrophobic midfield was needed well before the goal, and if it was in Ancelotti’s plan to put him in, why wait until the opposing team has equalized? Deco’s vision and passing skills should have been put on the pitch about ten minutes into the second half when it looked like the experiment of having Kalou play in the hole behind Drogba and Anelka had failed. Deco could have unclogged the midfield by spreading the ball around and would have reestablished the tempo of play Chelsea utilized in the first half. As it stood, Blackburn had forced Chelsea into a physicality which they once took head on, but now appear intimidated by. Ancelotti should be blamed for mistiming Deco’s entrance, another of his substitution blunders. Throughout the season, whether it is preferring Daniel Sturridge to Joe Cole, Ancelotti’s use of his substitutions has been puzzling and frustrating, and he needs to shoulder the blame.

All said and done, this Chelsea failed on a big stage today. Blackburn away is a tough match, but with so much riding on it, the team has to be well-prepared and take the game by the scruff of the neck and perform. Ancelotti’s decision to field a team lacking power and strength (why sit Ballack?) and his obscure substitution packages are cause for concern down the stretch. On another note, the form of Frank Lampard has been alarming. Of late, he just looks lost in matches and is suffering from both a lack of supply and a lack of confidence. The Frank Lampard that was the linchpin of the Chelsea attack has been missing for months now, and Florent Malouda is fast becoming the go-to man in attack. Lampard had one shot in the entire match, and precious few in two legs against Internazionale. He is mistiming his runs and is not in sync with his teammates whatsoever. Chelsea’s former talisman needs to rediscover his best if the Blues are to claim any silverware this season.

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With their 2-1 defeat of Liverpool, Manchester United now control the Premier League race. Looking ahead, Chelsea still have Aston Villa to play at home, plus Tottenham and Liverpool away, while Manchester United have the Manchester derby and a home date with Tottenham as the major threats remaining on their schedule. After leading the title race for most of the season, Chelsea find themselves in an absolute must-win against relegated Portsmouth on Wednesday. If they win that game in hand, they will be one point back of Manchester United and will retake second place from Arsenal, with all three having played the same amount of games. That means the Chelsea-United clash on April 3 could still be a title-decider, and if the Blues win out they will be crowned champs. But with their nosedive at Blackburn today, they look nothing close to becoming champions.