Carlo Ancelotti: The profile
The 2021 – 2022 season was a historic one for Carlo Ancelotti. He remind the whole world that he is still a winner. Ancelotti coached some of the biggest clubs in European Football with great success. He became the first-ever manager who has managed to win a title in all 5 big leagues.
- Spain – Real Madrid (2012 – 2013 & 2021 – 2022)
- Italy (AC Milan 2003 – 2004)
- England (Chelsea 2009 – 2010)
- France (Paris Saint-Germain 2012 – 2013)
- Germany (Bayern Munich 2016 – 2017)
We will not mention any other local titles. His achievements are endless. But we have to add to our conversation the 4 Champions League he has managed to win. Two with AC Milan and two with Real Madrid. Just by reading these, all the football fans must admit (whether we like or not his style of play) that Carlo Ancelotti is considered one of the greatest managers ever. His name appears next to Sir Alex Ferguson, Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and others..
His story starts with his first managerial job at Italy’s Reggiana at the age of 36 in 1995, where he led the team to its promotion to Serie A. The 62-year-old has coached 10 clubs, including Parma, Chelsea, AC Milan, PSG, Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
In his first season back at Real Madrid has managed to win almost everything. He secured the championship with 13 points ahead of Barcelona and won the Champions League without being the most qualitative team in the tournament. Real Madrid qualified from the last 3 knockout rounds by huge comebacks. It was a fairytale with a happy ending. The victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final in May 2022 secured the biggest prize in club football. It was the fourth time the Italian has won the competition in his managerial career. This is more than any other manager in the history of the European Cup.
After one mixed success period with Everton, many had wondered if he would ever return to an elite club. The two trophies he won in his first full season back at Real Madrid came as something of a surprise. If there was anyone who was in doubt, his status as one of the football’s true legends is now absolutely accepted without question.
Managerial Philosophy
Some of Ancelotti’s quotes:
“I like to treat not only the players, but the all people who work with me at the Club, as a person”
“It’s funny, if you ask a player, ‘Who are you?’, They say, ‘I am a football player’. No, you are a man that plays football.”
“If they ask me, I am a person but one who does the job of a manager.”
“It is a little different, but it is a really important difference.”
“You have to work with people, you have to treat the people as a person.”
With the above words anyone can understand his managerial style. Carlo Ancelotti is a true leader who emphasizes a lot to establishing good relationships with his players, staff, and all the people of the club. His belief believes in people and the high value he puts for the individuals is something that characterize him. He does not feel complex when he asks for the opinion of his staff or even from his players.
What separates Carlo Ancelotti from the others
A shining example is a conversation he had with his player Marcelo and Kroos asking for their opinion on the game and what they suggested to do. In the 68th minute, the Real Madrid boss leaned on the wisdom of the senior players beside him.
Toni Kroos explained what happened in that moment:
“We have all seen a few football games ourselves. That allows you to exchange ideas a bit.”
“That describes him (Ancelotti) really well and why things always work well with the team. It’s outstanding. In the end, he decides, but of course, he’s interested in our opinion.”
This is not new for him. Carlo Ancelotti followed the same approach in specific games in PSG and Bayern Munich. He knows how to receive valuable information that will help him win and evolve his team from every member of his team and staff. He is a huge personality who has nothing to prove so he has nothing to be afraid or feel vulnerable of.
Toni Kroos explained what happened in that moment:
“We have all seen a few football games ourselves. That allows you to exchange ideas a bit.”
“That describes him (Ancelotti) really well and why things always work well with the team. It’s outstanding. In the end, he decides, but of course, he’s interested in our opinion.”
This is not new for him. The same approach appeared in specific games in PSG and Bayern Munich. He knows how to receive valuable information that will help him win and evolve his team from every member of his team and staff. He is a huge personality who has nothing to prove so he has nothing to be afraid or feel vulnerable of.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Playing style
The first years
One of his biggest advantages is that he is very adaptable. He has not one favorite style of play but he prefers to use tactics, formation, and style of play based on his players. For this reason he has managed to succeed in different teams, countries, cultures, and quality of squat. Wherever he has gone, Ancelotti has shown an impressive ability to adapt.
AC Milan with a flexible 4 – 4 – 2 diamond in the midfield (4 – 3 – 1 – 2 or 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 depending on Kaka’s position on the pitch)
During his time at PSG he mainly used a 4-3-3 with narrow or wide wingers depending on their individual skills.
In his first period at Real Madrid he used a 4-2-3-1 that converted into a 4-4-2 with Ronaldo or Bale cut inside to become 2nd strikers.
The difficult seasons
Then, at Napoli, he had succeeded Maurizio Sarri who implemented a very fluid possession-based 4 – 3 – 3. Ancelotti changed that to a more organized but still attacking 4-4-2.
In Everton, for the first time in his career, he used a lot of formation with 3 at the back.
Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics – Real Madrid 2021 – 2022
Attacking Phase
Since his return to Real, Carlo Ancelotti has favored an in-possession 4-3-3. The objective was to take advantage of the wide forwards’ dribbling ability. Vinícius Junior has become particularly influential. He has increased his numbers and contribution in goals and assists spectacularly. Specifically, for the season 2021 – 2022 he had the outrageous number of 22 goals and 16 assists. This is a 280% increase in productivity compared to 2020 – 2021.
Asensio was also an important member of the squat. He loved to cut inside from the right side with his left foot. He could create goalscoring opportunities either with shots or key passes. Besides the use of Asensio as a reverse-foot right-winger, the right-footed Rodrygo has also played there. His role was more traditional keeping a wide position to stretch the opponents and also make crosses in the box.
Mendy and Carvajal had the freedom to push up at the same time. The two center backs and Casemiro with Kroos kept a deep position offering defensive balance in case of loss of possession to deal with the counterattacks. Carvajal was alternating his runs sometimes by pushing towards the outside channel and other times by cutting inside. Due to his technical abilities, he was capable of overloading the central spaces whenever needed. Mendy has a more traditional full-back role by making outside overlaps when the left-winger was cutting inside.
The important role of Benzema, Modric and Kroos
Karim Benzema has shown signs of improvement after Ronaldo departed from Bernabeu. The increase in numbers, assists, and chances created was impressive. But the area that was further improved was not technically or tactically, it was his general appearance on the pitch, mentioning his teammates, and being a true leader.
This year he came up front when his team most needed him and these are signs of a top player. He is a mobile player who loves to move out of his position, mostly moving on the left channel to change positions his the right-winger or to create overloads over there. Due to his skills on the ball, he feels very comfortable dropping back to the center of the pitch to collect the ball and act like a playmaker.
Toni Kroos had a slightly different role than Modric. His position was usually deeper to help with the ball circulation while Modric occupied more advanced positions like a pure attacking midfielder. Modric is more capable to drive the ball and dribbling, skills that are more useful in the final third while Kroos’s passing skills are more significant in the middle third zone.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Real looked to constantly overload the left side with Mendy, Vinicius, Benzema and Kroos shifting. One option was for Benzema and Vinicius to receive in the half-spaces and with an individual action to try to find the opportunity for a shot or assist. If the opponents close the spaces by shifting to the side, a switch of play to Modric who is located in a more central position with time and space in front of him is the alternative.
Real Madrid during the build-up phase preferred to drop back a midfielder next to Casemiro creating a double pivot. In highly extreme cases where they faced high aggressive teams who used a high pressing style causing Real Madrid troubles during the build-up, both Modric and Kroos – two of the best ball-playing midfielders in Europe – dropped back together. This is more effective when Ancelotti used wingers who feel comfortable playing inside (false wingers) occupying the spaces left by Modric and Kroos.
Defensive Phase
Real Madrid had very few domestic games where they had less possession on the ball than their opponents. But in the games they had to defend, it seemed that they don’t press high very often at all compared with the rest of the teams in La Liga. Real Madrid often used a mid-block in 2021/22. Low blocks also deployed in spells in some matches in European competition against strong teams. They only really make aggressive attempts to win the ball once the opposition advance into the middle third of the pitch in central areas. Otherwise, they are largely happy to let the opposition have the ball where they can’t cause much damage or threaten the Real goal.
When the ball is in the opposition’s half, they remain in their 4-3-3 shape. But when the opponents reach the halfway line, they drop back into 4-1-4-1 or a 4 – 4 – 2 with Modric pushing up next to Benzema. This is to press more effectively the center backs and avoid easy ball circulation. When Real transitions to defense, it is easiest for them to move to this shape quickly, with Kroos normally deeper than Modric at the point of a turnover.
On some occasions, against very attacking teams who had the ability to keep the ball in the attacking half or they used to push very high up the full-backs and created an attacking line of 4 or 5 players, Ancelotti asked one of his wingers, mainly the right winger, to drop back in a full back’s position and transformed the formation into a 5 – 3 – 2. Vinicius was kept up high for the transition to attack moments.
Conclusion
Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed success just about wherever he has gone, but few could have predicted the glorious days with the 2021 – 2022 Real Madrid side. He is one of a kind in his management style at the top level but his methods work brilliantly. He is one of the best ever coached the game. A serial winner who can complete at any level with almost any squat his has in his hands. There is now little left for him to achieve. Probably the last thing to achieve is to manage a national team and win a trophy.
