In the second part of his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Alex Del Piero shared his view on Italian coaches in the Champions League, including his former coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
Conte and Del Piero played together at Juventus for many years before the ex-midfielder became coach, leading the Old Lady to its first Scudetto after the Calciopoli era.
Del Piero lifted the trophy in his final game at the Allianz Stadium in 2012, leaving the club as a free agent at the end of his contract in June.
Conte makes his Champions League debut with Tottenham against Marseille tomorrow.
“There are superior teams [to Tottenham], but Antonio is doing a great job with a quality team. This team he prepared for the season with the group,” said Del Piero.
The 2006 Italy World Cup winner sees Pep Guardiola’s Man City and Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid among the favourite to lift the cup with the big ears and sees a similarity between the two coaches.
“Guardiola makes new things year by year, also during the season. While you try to imitate him, he is already a step ahead,” he said.
What’s Ancelotti’s secret?
“To a certain extent, it’s the same as Guardiola. He is always ahead of the others and makes his players feel at ease. He treats you as an adult, but at the same time, he is a sort of father.
“You must respect him and understand that he is always by your side. He is a nice person, which is not easy to find in this world.”
Ancelotti had coached Del Piero at Juventus between 1999 and 2001 and last season he became the first coach to win the Champions League four times.