AssessingAncelotti
EverybodyagreesCarloAncelotti
isoneofthe most likeablemenin
football. Histouchline demeanour
iscalm,his pressconferencesfeel
relaxedand hisplayersclearlylove
him,asthevariousphotographs
thatemergedofhimonRealMadrid
players’socialmediaaccounts after
thisseason’s leaguetitlewas
confirmeddemonstrated.Heisthe
onlymanagertowina championship
ineachofEurope’stopfiveleagues
andheisthe onlymanagereverto
reach five ChampionsLeaguefinals.
Anindication,then,thatniceguys
canwin?Itmightnotbequiteso
simpleasthat.
Inthe wake of RealMadrid’s league
title thisseason,therewasa widely
expressedviewthatAncelottiperhaps
doesn’tgetthecredithedeserves.
Tosucceedinfivedifferent leagues,
fivedifferent footballenvironments,
suggestshisadaptability, theflexibility
andpragmatismofhisfootballbrain.
Andyetthatisperhapsalsowhy
heisundervalued.Ancelottihasnot
changedfootball.Heisnota man
fora revolution. He is notsome
wild-eyed visionarydesperately
pursuingthe onetruedoctrine.
Helikeshisfoodandhe likeshis
wineandopenlyacknowledgesthat
footballisone of theunimportant
thingsinlife.Heisgoodatdealing
witheliteplayers,andheisgoodat
dealingwith oftenvolatileowners,
withSilvioBerlusconi,Roman
Abramovich,NasserAlKhelaifi
andFlorentinoPerez.
Hecomesin,he’spopular,hewins
butheleaves barelya trace.He’snot
somebodywhocraftsa teaminhis
image.There’s no sense,asthere is
whena PepGuardiolasidemeets a
JurgenKloppside,thatthere is some
partof hissouloutthere on thepitch
beingtested. He wrotehisdissertation
atCovercianoontheChristmastree
formation,buthehasusedthatonly
occasionallythroughhiscareer; it’s
veryhardtosay whatanAncelotti
sidelookslike.Stripawaythe
signifiersanda Guardiolasideor
Kloppside,evenaJoseMourinho
side,wouldstillbe identifiable;an
Ancelottiteamwouldjustlooklike
a teamplayinggoodfootball.Or, at
times,just a teamthatiswinning.
Certainlywith RealMadridthis
season,therehasbeena sensethat
Ancelotti’scalmwas exactlywhatthe
teamneeded.WhenManchester
Citywent2-0upagainst themearly
onattheEtihadinthefirstlegof
theChampionsLeague semi-final,
Ancelottiremainedpassivelyseated
THEWORLD THISMONTH
whileGuardiolabetrayedhistension
onthe touchline.Inasmuchas
Madrid’s progresswasexplicable
atall,the innerbeliefheprojected
wasas importantasthefinishingof
KarimBenzema,ViniciusJuniorand
Rodrygo.Forallthe data andthe
patternsandthe shapesandthe
organisationofthemoderngame,
psychologyremainsimportant.
Andyet...there is anotherway
tolookatAncelotti’s career, which
isthatin 16 completedseasons
managingthe biggest clubsacross
16 WORLDSOCCER
LaLigachampion...
CarloAncelotti
Tosucceedinfivedifferentleagues,fivedifferent
footballenvironments,suggestshisadaptability,
theflexibilityandpragmatismofhisfootballbrain.
Andyetthatisperhapsalsowhyheisundervalued
TECHNICALLYSPEAKING
Jonathan
WILSON
