Arrigo Sacchi hails ‘world-class’ Carlo Ancelotti for out-foxing Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola in the Champions League by showing a ‘quality too few coaches possess.’
The Merengues allowed long periods of possession to Manchester City at the Etihad for a 1-1 draw after the frenetic 3-3 first leg result at the Bernabeu.
They eventually secured qualification to the semi-final following a penalty shoot-out, eliminating the reigning Champions of Europe.
It wasn’t pretty and certainly was not in the traditional Real Madrid spirit, but his former boss at Milan stood up for this approach.
“Ancelotti is such a good coach and so convincing that he managed to get the Spanish public – particularly demanding when it comes to entertainment – to accept a largely defensive performance,” wrote Sacchi in his Gazzetta dello Sport column.
“I don’t know if he is the best coach in the world, but he’s certainly up there. He knows everything about football, managing with experience and wisdom, never letting himself be found unprepared.
“He knew that it was not possible to fight it out openly with Manchester City, especially because he had so many absentees in defence, so he focused on containment. It’s not his usual approach, as he loves to dominate the field, but he did it with dignity and showing notable intelligence.”
Sacchi is famous for always criticising defensive styles of football, having been largely responsible for transforming the game when he took the Grande Milan side of the late 1980s to the top of the world.
He also rails against the Italian concept of ‘furbizia’ – which can be translated as being sneaky, street smarts, winning by any means necessary rather than by making sure you deserve it.
However, Sacchi assures Ancelotti’s Real Madrid did not fit that bill against Manchester City.
“Carletto studied the opponents, designed how to block or at least limit their strengths, and was not just trying to defend in the hope that someone upfront would resolve the problem for him.
“Ancelotti decided what to do based on the resources at his disposal, and that too is a quality that too few coaches possess.”
As well as his man-management skills at the biggest clubs in the world, becoming the only man to win all five European top titles, Ancelotti is also a tactical chameleon who has never been too bogged down by specific shapes.
Sacchi believes this is what makes him such a remarkable coach who finds a way to win most times.
“The basis for his work is his humanity, his sensibility, the dialogue he has with his players. If you don’t get into the minds of the players, you cannot expect them to work themselves to death the way they did in Manchester.
“Another important aspect is that none of the champions who worked with Carletto speak badly of him. That has to mean something, right? Too often the human factor is ignored in favour of systems, modules and tactical issues.
“Instead, Ancelotti is authentically world class in dealing with the human factor, proving with his career that this aspect of coaching can make the difference. He won in the top five European leagues, always with a precise style of football and never going against his nature. He remained the same simple, reliable and amusing lad I met in the summer of 1987 and never changed.
“Too often, success goes to people’s heads and changes them, but Carletto’s values are solid, indestructible.”
Ancelotti already has the record as the only coach to win the Champions League four times, twice at Milan and twice at Real Madrid, so is hoping to extend that dominance with a fifth.
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the semi-final, while Paris Saint-Germain are against Borussia Dortmund.