After the reversal of the victory over Manchester City, Ancelotti led Real Madrid to the Champions League final, and is expected to become the first manager in history to win the Champions League four times. Yet even though he has become the first manager in history to win a title in all five leagues, Ancelotti is still an underrated manager.
After winning 4-3 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Guardiola once said, "Real Madrid have great strength, they don't rely on luck, they have a high level in all aspects. ”
After that, Real Madrid won la Liga and Ancelotti made history. After a double reversal at home to Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti is expected to become the first four Champions League-winning managers to overtake Pesley and Zidane.
After Ancelotti led the team to the Champions League final, The Whole Market conducted a survey of "who is the best Italian manager in modern times". In the match against Sacchi, Capello, Trapattoni and Lippi, Ancelotti (56.85% of the vote) won by an overwhelming margin.
However, whether it is Zidane or Ancelotti, whether it is leading the team to complete the Champions League three consecutive titles, or eliminating Paris, Chelsea and Manchester City to advance to the final, both are still questioned, and the Frenchman has also received the nickname "Qi Xuanzong".
Ancelotti was questioned by the media about the lack of tactical planning, often relying on the instant flashes of stars, or even relying only on luck. Former Real Madrid striker Cassano said: "Against Manchester City, Paris, Chelsea and many other teams, Ancelotti relies on luck. It's all on Benzema to solve problems, Winnisius to help, or Modric's miracle pass. You can't always gamble with your fame. Legendary coach Capello also said, "His good luck is notorious." ”
So, can the Italians keep winning by relying on luck or the inspiration of the players?
From master tactician to pragmatist
Let's first go back to a year ago, because due to the impact of the epidemic, the financial situation of Real Madrid and Barca is not ideal. Real Madrid may be in a better financial position than Barca, but their squad also needs to be updated.
However, they also lack the funds to bring in reinforcements. They have renovated the Bernabeu and are also preparing to sign Mbappe in the summer window of 2022, and Florentino believes that the French striker will become Real Madrid's standard-bearer for the next 10 years, and his joining will also become a new source of income for Real Madrid.
As a result, the team Ancelotti took over was made up of older stars and talented rising stars, lacking the most important Mesozoic players. According to the Football Observatory, Real Madrid's net transfer expenditure over the past 10 years is even lower than that of Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and other teams. In the previous two summer slots, Real Madrid had only spent money to sign one player, Kamawinga, who had transferred from Rennes for £28 million.
Given the squad side, Florentino faces limited options when looking for a replacement for Zidane in 2021. He needs a pragmatic manager who will give full play to the strength of the players who have emerged during the rebuilding of the club.
So Ancelotti got a second chance to coach Real Madrid. In his coaching career, the 62-year-old Italian has been good at making the most of people and is a master who will put players at the top of his plans. But that's not the way he's been coaching.
During his time as a player, Ancelotti's teacher was legendary coach Sacchi, and under this manager, Ancelotti learned the art and importance of the tactical system. Such a system is so important that he doesn't want players like Baggio and Zola in his team because they don't fit into it.
While coaching Juve, Zidane's presence allowed Ancelotti to gradually change his mind. He learned to adapt, and from then on he became a pragmatist who put his players in the most important position.
13 months to activate Real Madrid
Placing extra emphasis on the players means that Carlo Ancelotti will put them in the most ideal conditions to show them the best, let's take Benzema and Vinicius as examples.
During the 2020-21 Champions League match against Borussia Monchengladbach, the camera captured Benzema telling Mendy not to pass the ball to Vinicius because "he was playing against us". At the time, many people noticed that once under pressure, brazilian wingers could not make the right decisions.
In December 2020, Marca organized experts to analyze why Real Madrid played uselessly, especially in the front. Famous journalist Del Campo analyzed, "We lack a shooter who can make a final decision at a critical moment. Cristiano Ronaldo's departure was more decisive than many people thought. ”
By January 2022, the media had changed its tune, "So far, the Real Madrid striker benzema and Vinicius have scored more goals than the entire Barca, scoring a total of 36 goals, while Barca have only scored 35 goals." ”
Did Ancelotti just hug them and make them feel better? In fact, Ancelotti tried to give advice to the players as little as possible, but he collected and studied a lot of data in such a way as to help Vinicius make better decisions and let him find a tacit understanding with Benzema.
Ballon d'Or winner and legendary defender Cannavaro once explained how Ancelotti helped him grow, "What impressed me most about Ancelotti was the study area. I was used to staring at people, but after he coached, I learned the correct movements and postures. ”
As for Benzema, when he conceded a penalty in January 2022, Ancelotti not only failed to criticize the French striker, but told everyone that it was his own fault, not Benzema's.
"The best strategist"
It's one thing to make players shine, but Carlo Ancelotti is also one of the managers who are best at reading the game. During the game, he has been adjusting and changing tactics to make mistakes for his opponents while putting his players in a better position. In the second leg against Manchester City, he bravely replaced the ceremonial three midfielder at a critical moment, and substitute Rodrigo scored two goals in 91 seconds, dwarfing Guardiola.
In the semifinals against the quarter-finals, Real Madrid fell behind 3-0 at home. Their defence was forced to retreat constantly, but Ancelotti constantly made substitutions in midfield to keep the midfielders physically fit and to maintain the offensive threat.
Ancelotti's idea was to bring Modric closer to the opponent's penalty area and allow him to create more opportunities. The replacement of Casemiro with Rodrigo was to make him a threat on the flanks and send out a good pass. Just two minutes after Rodrigo came off the bench, Real Madrid scored.
Facing Tuchel, who is also known for his pragmatism, Ancelotti's adjustment and substitution became the key to his promotion. Of course, there may be some luck.
In an interview, French defender Digne said: "Ancelotti is the best strategist, his analysis of the opponent is very good, his interpretation of the game is very good. In every game, he tries to adapt to the players he has. He can change his tactical system at the snap of a finger. ”
We should not forget the physical manager Pintus, who is also very important for this Real Madrid team. Otherwise, it will be difficult for real Madrid's old players to continue to perform so well. The two have a clear division of labor, with Ancelotti responsible for appeasing the players' mentality, while Pintus ensures they have perfect physical condition.
There is no doubt that Real Madrid deserves la Liga champions and Champions League final tickets, not only because of luck, but also because of clever tactics, attention to detail and the ability to play the full strength and characteristics of the players.