Considering the number of titles won and in a number of different leagues, there is no one like Carlo Ancelotti. He is the best coach in football ever. Pep Guardiola is just behind him and probably will be better, but not just yet. The Italian showed time and time again what a genius he really is. Everywhere he went, he made a difference, and all for the better. Even when he took an average team like Everton, he improved it, not to mention AC Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid…in his second tenure with the Royal club, he already won one Champions League and is on the verge of winning the second. Real is surely a big favourite against Borussia Dortmund in the finals (Saturday, June 1st, 22h Nairobi time).🗣️ Carlo Ancelotti: “When I started, I wasn’t like this.””I had one system that I learnt at AC Milan from Arrigo Sacchi. It was 4-4-2. And for this I refused to have Roberto Baggio at Parma because he wanted to play #10 role.””I said, ‘No, I don’t play #10.’ He was one of the… pic.twitter.com/wgkZxggba2— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) May 28, 2024 Ahead of the game, Ancelotti gave a big interview for The Times, and among other things, revealed his three most interesting characteristics. Whenever you see the Italian at work, you notice three things: he is always calm, his squad harmony is perfect, and he doesn’t have a particular style of play or formation, like for example Pep Guardiola, or Antonio Conte. Let’s start with the formation and style. If you fail to recognize Don Carlo’s style, it’s because he has none. “You see, for me there is no style. No style. My style is not recognized, because I change. The style takes into account the preparation of the players. Against Manchester City we played with a low block and a strong defense. We have played like this this season once or twice, no more. We don’t play like that, we are more offensive. But I saw that as the way to compete and win that game. This season we lost Karim Benzema, but Bellingham arrived. We had two fantastic forwards, Vinícius and Rodrygo, but they play on the wings. So we started playing against Vinícius and Rodyrgo with Bellingham behind, number 10: 4-3-1-2″ explained the Italian.Ancelotti: ‘Coaching Italy would be amazing’He also recognizes that he has such good players that he can only help with the advices here and there. He is more into defence and other details. “In a game against Atlético de Madrid, they scored three goals with crosses because the right side was not covered. So we switched and put Bellingham in to help defensively on the inside. We adapt without making the players uncomfortable. Vinicius doesn’t want to play inside, so I won’t force him to play inside. There he doesn’t show his best quality, so I have to give him freedom. I spend a lot of time on defense, working with my team, working together. Offensively I give some information, but not too much. What can I tell you? Vinicius was always fantastic one-on-one, but I have helped him be more effective on the field, not just on the sides. He’s fast, he’s very talented, but he has to beat two people from afar to be able to shoot” he revealed.This guy’s definitely of a different ilk: “I couldn’t see myself playing there, much less living”Ancelotti always had perfect squad harmony. One of the reasons for it is that he listened to the locker room and the Italian gave away an anecdote from the time he was in Juventus. “There was a moment at Juventus when Zidane arrived late and we were on the bus waiting to leave. I told the driver: ‘No more, let’s go’, but he was afraid and didn’t move, and then Paolo Montero got off the bus to talk to me. I said, ‘Let’s go and then we’ll talk.’ But he said, ‘You don’t understand. “Without Zizou we won’t get anywhere.” That’s when you think, ‘Okay, I need to hear this.’ So we wait. Do you think they listen to you more if you shout? No. The more you shout, the less they listen to you” he reveals. Pep Guardiola vs Carlo Ancelottipic.twitter.com/yoYolGmbxu— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) May 9, 2023 And what about his famous calmness? Well, that’s just one big myth….kind of. “The key point is that I have a lot of passion, but I’m not obsessed. I’m not obsessed with my work. I liked it a lot, as a player, as a coach, but I’m not crazy about it. I’m calm. It’s strange because before the game I’m usually very nervous. The previous two or three hours I really didn’t feel well. My heart is racing and I’m starting to have bad thoughts, ‘They’re going to mark me, what are we going to do?’ And when I am alone in the preparation, I try to sleep, but I can’t do it. Immediately when the referee blows his whistle, calm down. The game finally begins and I’m no longer afraid. Fear is before and when it begins: optimistic. Everything will be fine. Quite strange. And my heartbeat goes from 120 to 90. Whether the game is going well or badly, I am in control of myself. At the press conference, under control. And that’s because I’m not obsessed” explains Ancelotti. What would Carlo Ancelotti do if someone from Saudi Arabia offered him half a billion? Nothing!The Italian also gives what he thinks to be a crucial reason for his team’s success over the years. “At Borussia they work very hard. It will not be easy. But my players also work hard. And they are humble. Being humble is the key point of this template. We won the league this season because there is no ego here. Vinícius, without ego. Bellingham, no ego. Rodrygo, without ego. And older players are like that. Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Luka Modric. I don’t know what will happen in the future but now there is no jealousy among young people. Humility is important. You must have that” he says. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8130310##
