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Despite Drogbas misfire, coach happy with teams effort in 1-1 draw LONDON - Carlo Ancelotti insists Chelsea is back on track even though the champion squandered a golden opportunity to end its dismal run in a dramatic 1-1 draw against Tottenham. Denarius Moore Replica Jersey . After a series of abject displays during a sequence of just two wins from eight games, perhaps it wasnt surprising Ancelotti tried to accentuate the positives after Chelsea battled back to secure a point at White Hart Lane on Sunday. But it could have been so much better if Didier Drogba had converted a stoppage time penalty. Drogba came off the bench to cancel out Roman Pavlyuchenkos opener, but the Cote dIvoire striker saw his spot-kick saved by Heurelho Gomes and Chelsea has now gone five league games without a win. The Blues finished the weekend down in fourth place and they could be four points off the top if Arsenal win at Manchester United on Monday. It is an uncomfortable situation for Ancelotti, who has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks. But the former AC Milan coach took heart from the way his players kept their composure and eventually hit back after Pavlyuchenkos early goal. We deserved to win. We were close to winning but missed a penalty. It doesnt matter. We played well. I think our bad moment is behind us, Ancelotti said. We didnt lose confidence after the first half. It was a good reaction. This was a tough game and it was a good opportunity to show our qualities. For this reason I am happy. Ancelottis decision to drop Drogba to the bench after one goal in eight league games was a brave move in the circumstances, but the striker gave a more imposing display when he came on at halftime before missing the crucial penalty. The Blues boss played down any talk of a rift with Drogba and also claimed Frank Lampard, Chelseas regular penalty taker, wasnt in the right frame of mind to take the spot-kick as he had only just come on for his first appearance in three months. Drogba worked very hard. He was dangerous in the box. He was not happy (to be left out) obviously, but he showed a good reaction in the second half. He was ready to play, Ancelotti said. The first player to take the penalties is Lampard. After that it is Drogba. Lampard was not able to take it because he did not have a lot of confidence. He had been out a long time. Ancelottis faith in his players will be sternly tested over the next two weeks as they host United and then travel to Arsenal, but the Blues boss is confident his team will remain in the title race. It is an important week, he said. We have to recover our condition, train well and prepare for the Manchester United game. It will be a very good test. It is not good to be fourth but it is a long race. This year will be a Premier League with a lot of balance because a lot of teams are involved in the title race. I think Chelsea will be involved until the end of the season. It doesnt matter that we are fourth. It will only be a problem if we are fourth at the end of the season. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was happy enough to escape with a point after Drogbas penalty miss. He believe Spurs must be considered as title contenders, especially because the standard of the top teams is not so high this season. Redknapp, who could be without midfielder Wilson Palacios for several weeks after a second-half injury, said: I think it is wide open. I saw Manchester City at West Ham and they are strong. They have the players to be right there. Obviously, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea will all be there and Tottenham as well. It has tightened up a lot this year. There are a lot of games that are tougher to win. Maybe, in all honesty, the top teams arent as good as they were a year or two ago. Agence France-Presse Vernon Davis Jersey Womens White . Despite the additions of Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers up front -- along with Ian White on the blue line -- Calgary recorded only 18 shots on goal in a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The four players were acquired on Sunday from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie. Ben Roethlisberger Jersey Womens . The first-tier cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have long been the first choice among enthusiastic young people, but a new online survey indicates that more than half of white-collar workers are eyeing other cities where life is more comfortable and has less pressure. Rolando McClain Jersey . The defending 500 champion and three-time race winner wrapped up a wild qualification day by topping 228 miles per hour on two of his four laps, averaging 227. Bart Scott Jersey . U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeanne Graham ruled Monday that the NFL must answer by June 6. The league had asked for a July 6 deadline to answer a lawsuit filed by current players but since amended to included complaints from retirees led by former Hall of Famer Carl Eller. Hakeem Nicks Replica Jersey . Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Jeremy Hellickson won for the third time in as many tries in his short time in the majors, tossing six innings of one-run ball to give Tampa Bay a series win over the rising Orioles via a 3-2 decision at Tropicana Field. Jahvid Best Premier Jersey .com Correspondent Rob Blake turns 40 this year, but the San Jose Sharks defenseman doesnt see himself retiring anytime soon. Denver Broncos Dumervil Jersey . After the teams championship hopes had been written off because of doubts about the reliability of its cars, Red Bull answered in the best possible way -- Vettel leading a 1-2 finish ahead of teammate Mark Webber. Vettel led in Bahrain and Australia before his car let him down mid-race, but there was no easing up Sunday, with the German passing pole-sitter Webber in the run to the first corner at Sepang circuit and leading throughout as the rain in the forecast stayed away. Ahmad Bradshaw Jersey Kid . Team boss Martin Whitmarsh and Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug admit there is a "performance shortfall" which they are working to resolve before they get to Melbourne on March 29. "It seems like a daunting task, but it wont really be any more of a challenge than weve faced in the past. In previous seasons when weve had 15 games on one night, those games were all grouped together. This year, the bulk of the work will feature nine games (eight at 7 p.m. and one at 8) grouped together since well have three early games and three late games." -- NHL Senior Vice-President Mike Murphy The "war room" in downtown Toronto will be humming on Saturday as the NHL kicks off the opening weekend of the 2009-10 season with 15 games featuring all 30 teams. "Its an exciting day and itll absolutely fly by, but our focus is not just on the games in general, but the issues within the games, the video reviews and how these games are being managed," NHL Senior Vice-President Mike Murphy told NHL.com. While it certainly wont be the first time Murphy and his staff, consisting of former players, officials and current scouts, will be thrown into the fire, this years version of Face-Off Saturday offers a European twist. "Itll be interesting this year because weve never had a Super Saturday where games were held overseas," Murphy said. The Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge puts a wrinkle into the travel plans for some of those usual war room aficionados. 2009 NHL Face-Off begins at noon ET when the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers face off in Helsinki. There, Murphy has Kris King, senior director of hockey operations, and John Sedgewick, the hockey operations video room detail connoisseur, running the show. In Stockholm, where the Detroit Red Wings are scheduled to battle the St. Louis Blues at 3 p.m. ET, hockey operations vets Kay Whitmore and Damian Echevarrieta will work closely in relaying information back to Murphy in the control center at NHL offices in Toronto. 2009 NHL FACE-OFF Experts weigh in on upcoming season Dave Lozo - NHL.com Staff Writer Who is this seasons "it" team? Analysts from CBC and TSN see a number of teams vying for that role in a parity-packed NHL. READ MORE ›   NHL worldwide and around the clock Saturday NHL gets ready for its longest day of hockey BLOG: Face-Off Saturday ALL 2009 NHL FACE-OFF STORIES › "It seems like a daunting task, but it wont really be any more of a challenge than weve faced in the past," Murphy said. "In previous seasons when weve had 15 games on one night, those games were all grouped together. This year, the bulk of the work will feature nine games (eight at 7 p.m. and one at 8) grouped together since well have three early games and three late games." The final game on the docket at Staples Center in Los Angeles will feature the Kings playing host to the Phoenix Coyotes at 10:30 p.m. ET "The big test will be how my guys in Europe can relay infformation back to me after working with the European tech people, the video goal judge and those officials there," Murphy added. Pittsburgh Steelers Rashard Mendenhall Jersey. . Murphy is confident war room operations will run smoothly in Toronto, where hell be joined by, among others, Senior Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell; coordinator of video hockey ops Tim Campbell and director of hockey operations and NHL Central Scouting director E.J. McGuire. It wont be the first time this season where all 30 clubs will be in action either as the hockey operations department will reload and do it all over again on Oct. 24 -- minus four round-trip tickets overseas of course. In 2005-06, the season-opening 15-game slate on a Wednesday featured seven one-goal games, one shootout and one shutout. There were also three games scheduled the following day -- something Hatze-Petros was cognizant about last season when he declared Sunday an off day following a full slate of games on Oct. 25. Last season, three games were decided by shootout, two went to overtime and 10 contests were decided by one goal -- pretty dramatic stuff. Similar to 2008-09, Sunday will be an off-day for all 30 clubs once again this season. "There might be a little bit of bedlam," Murphy said. "If we begin having review upon review, that could make it tough. During that process, I often require the guys working (in the war room) to offer their opinion. That means theyll be watching less of their game at that time in order to help out on the review, but we always solve it. The biggest problem is if you ever have two reviews going on at the same time because then it takes everyone away from what theyre doing for a short period and thats when something could be missed. But we also rely heavily on the video goal judges, making sure theyre doing their part in watching the game and the play around the net." "The biggest problem is if you ever have two reviews going on at the same time because then it takes everyone away from what theyre doing for a short period and thats when something could be missed. But we also rely heavily on the video goal judges, making sure theyre doing their part in watching the game and the play around the net." - NHL Senior Vice-President Mike Murphy What most fans dont realize is every goal scored in the NHL this season will be reviewed inside the war room. Only those questionable goals, such as those coming off a high stick or a skate, would require an additional video review. "Everyone will be alert, attentive and sharp," Murphy said. "We want everybody to pay attention to every detail happening in their game. Theres a need to focus on your game because theres not a lot of mobility for someone to help you out with the number of games on tap. Were confident and looking forward to it." Contact Mike Morreale at mmorreale@nhl.com ' ' '