Carlo Ancelotti - Looking Back And Looking Ahead

The European transfer market window has already seen someAi??pretty big surprises, and more are rumored to beAi??in the pipeline. The moves that made the headlines were all for the biggest stars: theAi??highly sought-afterAi??clinical strikers, the meanestAi??defenders, andAi??prolific mid-fielders.

But there were some changes in the managerial position as well. Sir Alex Ferguson, after a tenure that lastedAi??26 years, declared his retirement, while Pep Guardiola came back to coach Bavarians. Another two high-profile coaches changed their base location. Mourinho’s farewell was inevitable, after a disastrous trophy-less season, and he opted to return toAi??his favorite English club. As soon as PSG announced Laurent BlancAi??would be their new manager, Ancelotti took chargeAi??of the Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Here’s aAi??look backAi??at Carlo Ancelotti’s achievements as a manager till now. He has won a number of trophies during his stay in some of the top clubs of Europe: Milan, Juventus, Chelsea and PSG. His choice of players for the first eleven, his Plan BsAi??and his shuffling of players from their original position have often been criticized. But no one canAi??deny his success as a manager.

He started his career in ReggianaAi??in 1995. He was effective in promoting the team to Serie A. He left for Parma, where he coached some of upcoming Italian talents, Buffon and Cannavaro. In his two-year stay with the club, he helped hisAi?? club secure second and fifth positions and qualify for theAi??UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup consecutivelyAi??for two years. He then moved to Juventus to replace another Italian, Marcelo Lippi, but did so without much successAi??at the Turin club.

His career in Milan started in 2001, but the first year of his coaching career was less than glorious.Ai?? He was heavily criticized for adopting a defensive approach towards the game. But he answered his critics in the years to come. He won the UEFA Champions League the following year andAi??bagged theAi??Coppa Italia trophy. In his prolonged career atAi??Milan, he witnessed some of the most dramatic finishes and nail-biting encounters, andAi??arguably one of the best UEFA Champions League finals.

In theAi??2005 UEFA Champions League final at Istanbul, AC Milan wereAi??3-0 up before half-time against a sorry Liverpool outfit. But the match would turn on its head, and Liverpool produced one of the greatest comebacks ever in the second half. Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso scored in quick succession toAi??tie the score line. Milan, probably still in shock, found their usually reliable starsAi??Pirlo, Shevchenko and Serginho unableAi??to score from the spot in the tie-breaker. But Ancelotti and his boysAi??would exactAi??sweet revenge after two years in Athens, in another UEFA Champions League final. Inzaghi’s brace helped Milan beat their rivals in 2-1 score line.

Ancelotti is a member of an elite club of Johan Cruyff, Trapatonni, Frank Rijkaard, Miguel Menoz who have won the UEFA Champions League both as aAi??player and manager. Ancelotti won the UEFA Champions League twice for Milan in 1989 andAi??1990 as a player and in 2003 andAi??2007 as the manager of the team.

He left Milan and Italy in 2009, and joined Chelsea in a three-year contract, to replace intermin-managerAi??Guss Hiddink. HeAi??saw immediate success in his first season as ChelseaAi??became the EPL champions. He also gave the London Club, theirAi??Ai??FA Cup and FA Community Shield victories that year. The following year in Stamford Bridge was rather harsh for him. Despite a promising start to the season, they only managed toAi??end as runners-up. Roman Abramovich put an end to Ancelotti’s stay in London, before finishing his three-year term.

After London, it was Paris for Carlo. He joined PSG in the latter half of the season in 2011. Two consecutive defeatsAi??ensured his team finished second in French League. But the following year he came back strong, with players like Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, Motta andAi??Silva backing him, heAi??led PSG to a title-winning waltz asAi??champions of France. They managed to hold the mighty Catalans in theAi??UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (finishing 2-2 and 1-1 away and home respectively), butAi??lost out on aggregate.

With such a storied career, itAi??will be interesting to see how Ancelotti manages his squad in Madrid. The two big additions to the team till date, Isco and Illaramendi,Ai??will certainly addAi??more options to his game plan. But Madrid’s striker woes will leave his brow furrowed. The transfer saga has just started. There are speculations about some of the big names to be added and removed from the team list. Another weak-link for Madrid has been their wing position, after di Maria’s injury. Bale, the left winger from Spurs, has beenAi??on Madrid president Perez’s list for a long time.

Throughout his career, Ancelotti, has adopted a number of formations, and heAi??could rely onAi??any of those in Madrid. His predecessor in Madrid, ‘The Special One’Ai??employed aAi??4-2-3-1, with Alonso and Khedira operating as aAi??double pivot, and that came inAi??handy against the Catalans’ 4-3-3.Ai??This lone striker up ahead wasn’t enough to threaten other big names in Europe. Ancelotti himself used the 4-3-3Ai??while atAi??PSG, with Lavezzi and Nene being the two wingers,Ai??supportingAi??Ibrahimovic.

AncelottiAi??was neverAi??a fan of width, and in his Milan days, it was theAi??wing-backs, not the mid-fielders, who added this dimensionAi??to the game. But in Madrid, he’s been blessedAi??with Ronaldo, a winger with a penchant forAi??cutting inAi??to dismantle the opponent’s defenses. So if AncelottiAi??sticks with theAi??4-3-3, his first eleven will feature Casillas, Varane, Ramos, Carvajal, Marcelo, Modric, Alonso, Illaramendi, Ozil, Ronaldo and whoever plays as the striker. He will have the likes of Di Maria, Benzema, Pepe, Isco andAi??Coentrao on the bench to support this team. The back four have to be in top form, as Alonso would be theAi??only oneAi??playing theAi??CDM role. Ai??Illaramendi is still very young and new to this team, but his Sociedad and Spain U-21/23 exploits meanAi??he would probably be selected over a declining Khedira.

If Ancelotti chooses to go with the 4-2-3-1, here’s one option: Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal, Coentrao, Modric, Illaramendi, Ozil, Isco, Ronaldo and the strikerAi??of the day. He can use Modric and Illaramendi as the double pivotAi??ahead ofAi??the defensive line. Isco, another new recruit, might be the one responsible for distributing the ball. This, while not a very spectacular formation, has worked for Real Madrid earlier. The fata flaw?Ai??The team has to rely on the lone striker, and much of it willAi??depend on how Illaramendi fills Alonso’s shoes if he features in the first eleven. The width has to be provided by Conentrao, whoAi??works well with Ronaldo, and Carvajal.

Finally, Ancelotti would resort to theAi??old 4-4-2 and its variations. This gets the two strikers to support themselves and distributes the responsibilty of goal scoring. Another different variation, might see Ronaldo playing as a CF, behind the striker, and the vacant position of LW might be filled with Bale. RealAi??are keeping their fingers crossed andAi??have tucked awayAi??the No. 11 jersey for now.Ai??Could that indicate something?

Now Ancelotti and his team will be tested when they try to regain the La Liga, where they would face familiarAi??challenges from Barca, Athletico andAi??Villareal. It would be interesting to see how Ancelotti plansAi??to hold off theAi??Messi-Neymar duo. On European ground, teams like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus are unlikely to show much mercy to any gaping holes.

Madrid fans aren’t justAi??looking for victories. They’re looking for style. Ancelotti need only look at the fate of his predecessor, if he needs a reminder.

Carlo Ancelotti – Looking Back And Looking Ahead

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