Carlo Ancelotti is determined to help get the best out of Chelsea's stars this season, by giving them all the respect they deserve. The Italian replaced interim coach Guus Hiddink in the Blues hot-seat at the beginning of July, and quickly signed three new players: Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City, Ross Turnbull from Middlesbrough and Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow.

Last season was littered with stories of player unrest under Luiz Felipe Scolari. Some senior members of the Chelsea squad were understood to be unhappy with the Brazilian's training methods, and he was eventually sacked in February with the team's UEFA Champions League place under threat.

Ancelotti is determined to ensure that, like Dutchman Hiddink, who replaced Scolari until the end of the 2008/09 season, he gets the best out of his talented squad. The former AC Milan midfielder and coach believes being a former player himself helps enormously.

The most difficult thing is choosing the team. If all the players work the same and are great players, then the choice is not easy.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti

"When I was a player I was not always quiet, on the field I was a fighter and I didn't want the opponent to come into my territory," said Ancelotti. "But in Milan I was a normal person and I wanted to have a good relationship with the players, because the player is the most important person in the team and I want to be in a relationship with a player."

But while Ancelotti is happy to show the players respect, he also expects it from them as well. "For me it is about the player having respect for my position. I am the coach, I have to make the decisions and at the same time I have respect for the players," he said.

"This is my system to bring forward a relationship. The most difficult thing is choosing the team, it is not easy. There is always a moment when you have to choose. It is very easy to choose if a player doesn't work or has a difficult private life, but if all the players work the same and are great players, then the choice is not easy.

"My message is to stay every day on the field. I like to stay on the field and now it is my passion to work with a player in training. To do the training, to work hard at training, that is my passion."

Ancelotti will rely heavily on his assistant, Ray Wilkins, in his first few months, as he attempts to build a new-look Chelsea with their own style and identity. "Ray is important because he was assistant before and he knows the players, for me that's important to support my work," explained the 50-year-old.

Chelsea already is one of the biggest teams in Europe. We want to improve the identity of the team. My vision is also to create a team.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti

"He speaks Italian and this is important as well, but I want to speak English with my players. We want to improve the identity of the team, to have an identity in the play, and keep the same identity or style against different teams.

"My vision is also to create a team. Football is a team game, with teamwork, and my vision is to create this teamwork, have players who can play well together and stay well together.

"Chelsea already is one of the biggest teams in Europe. When a team plays five Champions League semi-finals in six years it is one of the best teams in Europe."

But Ancelotti insists he has not been told he must focus solely on conquering Europe. "For Chelsea, it is important to win the Champions League but it is important to win the Premier League at the same time," he declared. "We have to do the maximum we can in all competitions."