“There are two types of managers: those that do nothing and those that do a lot of damage,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said last week. “The game belongs to the players.”
With his typical modesty and wit, the Italian addressed the media ahead of his team’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich—a club where his coaching credentials have often been scrutinized.
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Unravelling Carlo Ancelotti: Balancing Legacy and Perceptions
By certain measures, Ancelotti is arguably the most successful football manager in history. He stands alone in having guided teams to league titles in Italy, England, France, Spain, and Germany. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the only manager to claim the European Cup/Champions League trophy four times. Yesterday (Thursday), he will further solidify his legacy by overseeing his team for a record 203rd time in Europe’s premier club competition, surpassing Sir Alex Ferguson’s previous mark of 202.
However, despite his remarkable achievements and enduring presence at the pinnacle of the sport, there persists an notion that the 64-year-old isn’t truly among the elite coaches. Some argue that he lacks the tactical acumen of his contemporaries like Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, or Thomas Tuchel of Bayern Munich.
This sentiment resurfaced recently when Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham commented following their elimination of Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals last month.
“Our biggest strength is that he finds a way to let a lot of the boys play with freedom,” the Englishman said of his manager. “That we’re so kind of off the cuff. As a man as well, he fills you with calmness and confidence.”
While unintended by Bellingham, his remarks align with a prevailing narrative that has shadowed Ancelotti throughout his nearly three decades among coaching elites—that his primary strength lies not in imposing intricate tactical instructions on top players.
Those who have been closest to Ancelotti throughout his career find the prevailing narrative frustrating, although the man himself, known affectionately as “Don Carlo,” maintains his characteristic gentlemanly demeanor and refrains from expressing any public annoyance.
However, last week’s match in Munich once again highlighted Ancelotti’s managerial prowess. His strategic substitutions and tactical adjustments engineered a comeback against Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern, resulting in a crucial 2-2 draw that positioned Madrid as favorites to advance to the final. And indeed, they did just that, thanks in part to Ancelotti’s astute substitutions once again in yesterday’s return leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Despite trailing by a goal, Madrid rallied to secure a 2-1 victory, with both goals scored by Ancelotti’s substitute, Joselu.
“There was the legend that Carlo only man-managed great players,” remarks an individual familiar with Ancelotti, who opted to remain anonymous to safeguard their relationship. “This second stage at Madrid is really good to understand what he is really like as a coach.” (Ancelotti previously managed Real Madrid for two seasons from 2013-2015 before returning in the summer of 2021.)
Ancelotti’s Journey: From Player to Tactician, Triumphs and Setbacks
As a player, Ancelotti didn’t rely on sheer strength or speed, but rather on his astute reading of the game from midfield, notably as a part of Arrigo Sacchi’s legendary AC Milan team, which clinched consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990.
Following his stint as Sacchi’s assistant with Italy’s national team from 1992 to 1995, Ancelotti embarked on his own coaching journey, starting at his hometown club Reggiana, where he initially adhered to his mentor’s rigid 4-4-2 system. However, he swiftly began adapting to the strengths of his players, showcasing versatility in formations and tactics over the years.
At Juventus, he accommodated the fluid playmaking abilities of Zinedine Zidane. Upon returning to Milan, Ancelotti deployed Andrea Pirlo as a deep-lying playmaker within a 4-3-2-1 setup, a tactical approach that contributed to securing his first two Champions League titles as a coach in 2003 and 2007.
Upon his arrival at Chelsea in 2009, Ancelotti shifted to a 4-3-3 formation, which allowed dynamic midfielder Frank Lampard to flourish in front of goal. During his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain, he tailored the team’s style to revolve around the prolific striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Upon his arrival in Madrid in the summer of 2013, Ancelotti made a strategic decision to balance the star-studded front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo, known as the ‘BBC’. He achieved this by deploying winger Angel Di Maria in a box-to-box midfield role. Di Maria’s impactful performances in this position were evident when Ancelotti guided Real Madrid to clinch ‘La Decima’—the club’s long-awaited 10th European Cup/Champions League trophy—at the conclusion of his first season in charge.
Nevertheless, despite his success, debates regarding Ancelotti’s tactical prowess persisted, particularly during an era dominated by the concept of the ‘superstar coach’, where tactical systems held significant importance. Many observers believed that Ancelotti’s primary strength lay in his relaxed approach within the dressing room, which provided a sense of freedom to a team of superstars who had previously experienced the intense micro-management of Jose Mourinho during his tenure at Madrid.
However, after a disappointing conclusion to his second season at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti was dismissed from his position. Some critics argued that he failed to sufficiently push his players to their limits.
“Our desire for constant improvement means there is no room for resting on our laurels,” remarked Madrid president Florentino Perez a few months after appointing Rafa Benitez as his (albeit short-lived) replacement.
Following his departure from Real Madrid, Ancelotti passed on an opportunity to engage with Liverpool, who ultimately appointed Jurgen Klopp in October of that same year. Instead, Ancelotti opted to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016, succeeding Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola had steered Bayern to three Bundesliga titles and two German Cup triumphs in his three-year tenure. However, the team consistently fell short in the Champions League, including a notable 5-0 aggregate defeat to Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the 2013-14 semi-finals.
During his first season at Bayern, Ancelotti guided the team to yet another Bundesliga title, finishing with a comfortable 15-point lead over second-placed RB Leipzig and an impressive goal difference of 67. However, their Champions League campaign ended in disappointment as they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, with the ties marred by controversial decisions, including two red cards for Bayern players and two goals from Madrid that appeared to be offside.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti’s approach failed to resonate with the players in Munich. Senior members of the squad believed that his training sessions and tactical strategies did not measure up to those implemented by Guardiola. Additionally, certain individuals within the club hierarchy harbored reservations, perceiving Ancelotti as less technically adept compared to younger German coaches such as Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann. Consequently, Ancelotti was dismissed from his position just a few weeks into his second season at Bayern Munich.
Ancelotti’s Managerial Odyssey: Ups, Downs, and Triumphs
Ancelotti’s tenure at Bayern appeared to mark a downturn in his managerial trajectory.
His subsequent roles took him to clubs of relatively lower stature. Joining Napoli in the summer of 2018, Ancelotti believed the squad had the potential to compete for the Serie A title. Their second-place finish in his debut season marked the team’s highest position since their last championship victory with Diego Maradona in 1990.
However, tensions between Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and most of the squad led to a rift, with Ancelotti siding with the players. He was dismissed in December 2019, despite having secured qualification for the Champions League’s last 16.
In a surprising turn of events, Ancelotti swiftly found himself at Everton just two weeks later. Although the team was languishing in 15th place in the Premier League, owner Farhad Moshiri pledged resources to bolster the squad’s competitiveness against England’s top six.
A notable highlight during his tenure at Everton was a historic 2-0 victory at Liverpool in February 2021—the club’s first win at Anfield in the 21st century. Despite early hopes of Champions League qualification, the squad’s imbalance ultimately led to a 10th-place finish, marking Ancelotti’s lowest league position since the 1995-96 season with Reggiana in Serie B.
The perception that Ancelotti was no longer at the cutting edge of football management, if he ever had been, was also echoed by many observers in the Spanish capital.
When Zinedine Zidane resigned as the coach of Real Madrid in May 2021, several names were considered to fill the vacancy, including Massimiliano Allegri, Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, and Raul. However, for various reasons, none of these options materialized. It wasn’t until over two weeks later that Ancelotti received a call, but it took him only moments to accept the offer.
Upon his return to the Bernabeu, Ancelotti quickly realized that the job was markedly different from when he last held it six years prior.
Ancelotti’s emphasis on “intensity” posed challenges for veteran players like Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, and Isco, who were in the latter stages of their careers. The tactical shift towards sitting deeper also meant reduced running for midfield stalwarts Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, while providing more opportunities for young talent like Vinicius Junior to exploit space. Ancelotti found balance by deploying midfielder Federico Valverde on the right wing—a move that proved fruitful when Valverde assisted Vinicius Junior’s winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The title, clinched through remarkable ‘remontada’ victories against Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, was widely attributed to Real Madrid’s storied legacy in the competition—the electrifying atmosphere at the Bernabeu buoying their players while unsettling their opponents. However, Ancelotti’s strategic decisions played a significant role in these comebacks, such as substituting Toni Kroos with 19-year-old Eduardo Camavinga at pivotal moments.
Those familiar with Ancelotti assert that these decisions were not impulsive but deliberate choices aligned with his vision of modern football—that while energy and physicality were crucial, a player’s talent ultimately determined success on the pitch and in trophy cabinets.
Reinventing Madrid: Ancelotti’s Tactical Ingenuity and Family Dynamics
Last summer, when Karim Benzema departed to play in Saudi Arabia and Real Madrid failed to secure a new top center-forward as a replacement, Ancelotti responded by once again reshaping the team.
New arrival Jude Bellingham was positioned as a withdrawn central attacker—a role he had not previously filled at either Borussia Dortmund or with the England national team. Through extensive training sessions, Ancelotti crafted a new flexible formation, with Bellingham starting on the left side of midfield without possession, then given the freedom to surge forward and connect with a front duo comprising Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo.
The results have been nothing short of spectacular.
Real Madrid recently clinched yet another Spanish title, and Bellingham has notched an impressive tally of 22 goals in all competitions, including crucial late winners in the season’s pivotal Clasico encounters against Barcelona.
Nevertheless, the notion persists that Ancelotti may not be tactically superior. The matter was even broached with Pep Guardiola at the Bernabeu before Manchester City’s visit in the Champions League quarter-finals in early April.
“If Carlo was a bad coach from a tactical point of view, he wouldn’t have used Pirlo as a midfielder,” Guardiola replied. “He would use Kroos in a different position, he would not have adapted to Bellingham so he could explode.”
“Sometimes people try to put him down in this way, but we know he is a very good coach and a very good manager.”
Ancelotti’s tactical acumen and adaptability were evident in the tie against Manchester City, drawing on lessons learned from the previous season’s defeat by the same opponent. In the first leg, a surprising tactical setup saw Bellingham positioned deeper, with Vinicius Jr playing a more central role and Rodrygo and Valverde deployed on the wings. This unconventional approach yielded results, with both wide players finding the net in a thrilling 3-3 draw. In the return leg in Manchester, Madrid showcased balance and intensity in a gritty defensive performance before ultimately triumphing in a penalty shootout.
In the first leg against Bayern Munich last week, Vinicius Jr’s pace in a central position led to the opening goal. However, Ancelotti expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s approach in the initial hour of the game. Following their 2-1 deficit, he made strategic changes, substituting club captain Nacho and deploying midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in defense. Additionally, he opted to bring on the more experienced Modric in place of Bellingham. These alterations proved pivotal, as the game’s momentum shifted, resulting in Vinicius Jr’s equalizer and ultimately a 2-2 draw, drastically altering the tie’s complexion.
Interestingly, these changes were prompted by a discussion between Ancelotti and his assistant coach—his son Davide. While father-son coaching duos are uncommon in top-level sports, Ancelotti senior was confident from the outset in his son’s capabilities.
Sources reveal that Davide, aged 34, is deeply passionate about football, diligently studying the latest tactical and physical preparation trends, which he actively contributes to discussions with his father. Another valued assistant coach is Francesco Mauri, aged 35, who is also the son of Giovanni Mauri, Ancelotti’s former fitness coach during his initial spell with Madrid and at Bayern Munich.
“We have an elite coaching staff, with young fitness guys who bring real enthusiasm,” Ancelotti said recently. “When I’m lacking a little bit of enthusiasm due to my age, it’s hugely important to have young guys around the place who are always looking to improve and to do new things.”
While some of Ancelotti’s contemporaries have struggled to adapt to changing circumstances and have either faded away or are finding it challenging to secure top-level positions, Ancelotti himself continues to thrive.
Rafael Benitez, who is of the same age as Ancelotti, has managed clubs like Napoli and Everton but was recently dismissed by La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo. Jose Mourinho, three years younger than Ancelotti, has not been considered among the elite coaches for over a decade.
Despite suggestions from some quarters at the Bernabeu to bring in a younger coach with fresh tactical ideas, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has opted to extend Ancelotti’s contract until 2026.
Ancelotti exudes confidence in his abilities, remaining unfazed by surrounding narratives or ideas. While he values input and listens closely to advice, he is resolute in making the final decisions himself. Unlike many of his peers, Ancelotti does not feel compelled to publicly boast about his achievements, preferring to let his work speak for itself.
“The game belongs to the players,” Ancelotti said last week. “You can tell them a strategy to follow, but they have to be convinced they can do it.”
“What a coach can do is ensure the players understand well what the team has to do. All (top-level) teams have quality players, the difference is how they use that quality.”
