Carlo Ancelotti believes part of success in football is chance – ‘I’d already found an agreement with Parma when Milan called…’
The Napoli boss is one of the most successful Coaches in world football, but he admits he has a happy habit of being in the right place at the right time.
“I’ve always been especially lucky,” Ancelotti confessed in his interview with France Football.
Carlo Ancelotti believes part of success in football is chance – ‘I’d already found an agreement with Parma when Milan called…’
The Napoli boss is one of the most successful Coaches in world football, but he admits he has a happy habit of being in the right place at the right time.
“I’ve always been especially lucky,” Ancelotti confessed in his interview with France Football.
“After Juve I had already found an agreement with Parma. The same day, Milan lost a crucial match and contacted me. They were playing 10 minutes beforehand.
“Maybe my history could have been different. Chance counts for a lot in football.
“I don’t know about my competence, but my experience definitely helps. I’ve been in football for 40 years.
“If someone tells me that I don’t know football then I can accept it, but if someone tells me I don’t have the experience then that annoys me. The rest is up for discussion!
“I live for great evenings like against Liverpool, and the one we’ll have against Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m not mainly driven by the will to win, but to live great moments. Of course, experiencing great moments are even more enriched when you can put some trophies in your cabinet. Of course, I like to win. But the emotions mean more.
“I’m at a club that agrees with my philosophy, the journey is just as important as the destination.
“Just 14 years ago Napoli were in Serie C. They’ve progressed step-by-step, little-by-little, until they were vice-champions in Italy and among the best 16 teams in Europe.
“In that period, Napoli won two Coppe Italia and a Supercoppa. That’s it. However, all the Coaches who have come through here – [Edy] Reja, [Walter] Mazzarri, [Rafa] Benitez, [Maurizio] Sarri – left an excellent legacy.
“To me that signifies that you don’t play simply for results. I want to continue that progression, and maybe we can win something important, who knows?
“I really think it’s possible. Liverpool was an important victory in a key match, and we proved even to ourselves that we can compete with the best.
“Facing a team like Liverpool, we had the right spirit, plenty of chances and we put them in difficulty, and we always believes we could win.
“Against PSG it’s possible that we could lose, but we know that if we’re very good we could win.
“The source of that is that win over Liverpool, we proved that we can be competitive. Suddenly, everyone will be wary of us.”
Read parts one and two of Ancelotti's interview here