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Ancelotti to stick by three-man strikeforce

Carlo Ancelotti enjoys a laugh next to David Luiz © Getty Images

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Carlo Ancelotti says he will continue to field Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and British record signing Fernando Torres in a three-man attack.

Chelsea's first attempt to utilise all three forwards last weekend was unconvincing as Torres made his debut in a 1-0 defeat to former club Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard played alongside Drogba, with Anelka in a more withdrawn role behind the front two.

The defeat led to plenty of debate as to whether the new shape Chelsea have adopted to accommodate their attacking riches will prove a successful one, but Ancelotti is committed to playing all three men, when circumstances allow.

"We have to use the time we have [to help them gel]," Ancelotti said. "We will try again this week because we have some time. Step by step we will try to find the right solution to put them together. I think my aim as a coach is to try and find a better solution with the players we have in the squad. They are fantastic strikers and we have to do everything we can to make them play.

"Sometimes I will choose one player or the other because in the future we will have important games. I think rotation of the players will be important and I want to use rotation in the next few games. We have important aims to reach in the future, some players will need to rest and recover.

"We found Torres in good condition. He doesn't have a problem. Last week was obviously a busy week for him and this week he has had an international match, but he doesn't have a problem showing his quality."

The defeat to Liverpool was also notable for the debut of £21.7 million defender David Luiz, who appeared as a second-half substitute at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti is expecting big things from the Brazil international, and says Luiz's technical capabilities are greater than those of former Chelsea star Ricardo Carvalho.

"David is a very good defender and he has the ability to play all the positions in the back four," Ancelotti said. "He is Brazilian so obviously he has a very good technique. He can help us build and play better from the back. He will be one of the best defenders in the world in the future.

"It is difficult to compare him to [Ricardo] Carvalho, they are different players. Carvalho is fantastic man to man but David has more ability with the ball. With him we have more opportunity to play football from the defence."

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