Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti was put through the wringer by the local media over Ashley Cole's shooting controversy yesterday. Ancelotti tried to stay calm during the pre-match media conference for tonight's clash with Manchester United.
But when he declared Cole was an excellent professional and a good man; the listening reporters pounced.
The Daily Mail says he was asked how he could he say that about a player who brings a gun into the training ground and smuggles a girl into the team hotel during a pre-season tour, one who then lies to club officials about the girl when he discovers he has been rumbled by a journalist.
"To say he's a professional, I judge the players on the training pitch," said Ancelotti. "I can say, without problem, that he's one of the best professionals I've met. Outside, he made a mistake last week. Two years ago, he made a mistake. This is true. But when I talk about professionals, I'm talking about things on the training pitch."
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