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Carlo keeps faith in Dida for now

Fri 04 Jan, 11:30 AM


AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has affirmed his faith in under-fire goalkeeper Dida - but warned the player he is on shaky ground.A mistake in the Milan derby just before Christmas, which helped Inter seal a 2-1 win, has revived calls for the custodian to be dropped.

Ancelotti is standing by the Brazilian, though, and has confirmed he will keep goal for their next Serie A game against Napoli on January 13.

He could not, however, guarantee that Dida would remain his number one for the rest of the season.

"Dida has my complete faith," he said at a press conference from Milan's winter training camp in Dubai. "But he knows that he plays only if he deserves to play and it is obvious that a series of mistakes would reduce my level of faith in him.

"His problems with his shoulder and knee affected his fitness because he could not train with continuity.

"After the derby, I defended him because I never liked to make one single player a scapegoat for a defeat."

Ancelotti also revealed he does not have any intention of buying a new goalkeeper this winter and will employ back-up Zeljko Kalac if and when required.

He said: "Zeljko is trustworthy. Whenever he has played, he has always done well. Despite his height, he is reactive on low shots too."

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