Fabio Cannavaro believes Real Madrid will have the edge over Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals and opened up about his goals in his coaching career.
Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw by the Citizens in the first leg of their European semi-final at the Santiago Bernabéu, a thrilling and tense game that leaves everything on the table for the second leg.
Whilst Real Madrid are hungry to repeat their European exploits and pick up their 14th title in the competition, Manchester City are desperate to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy for the first time.
Speaking to AS, Cannavaro first reflected on the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
“With City it was a great game, well played by both teams and with a very balanced final result that leaves everything open for the Etihad.”
He refuted the suggestion that Pep Guardiola’s side were the favourites, explaining why he believes that Los Blancos have an edge.
“I don’t see it that way. Knowing Real Madrid, I’m convinced they will go to Manchester to win, always with weapons. For the type of football they play with Ancelotti even away from home, I see Real as favourites for the return leg.
“I hope they can qualify for another Champions League final. They have a coach who quietly always ends up getting somewhere. Carlo is a phenomenon in this sense and, therefore, Real Madrid always end up scaring their rivals in the semi-finals.”
The 2006 World Cup winner touched on the difficulty of facing Italian teams in Europe.
“It is not easy to play against Italian teams, this is a well-known thing in football. But right now, Real Madrid’s players are superior in everything, more quality, more experience… and in a Champions League semi-final or final these two qualities are very important.”
Finally, Cannavaro opened up about his goals for the future in his coaching career.
“You always aspire to coach big teams. As a player I had the enormous luck to play for many of the best teams in the world, like Real Madrid. I’m working on it, and I know it’s not easy. The life of a coach often depends on the players and not just the coach. So, let’s see.
“I was lucky enough to start coaching in Asia. For many people it seems that Asia is not football, but the experience I gained was useful. As a coach I want to improve and be able to coach top teams. And Napoli are one of them. It’s a pride to think I can coach them one day.”