Ancelotti has been sacked more than Mourinho but never loses his cool unlike rivals… he’s the greatest of them all
HOW can somebody so good have been sacked so often?
Ice-cool Carlo Ancelotti has suffered a manager’s ultimate fate more times than fireball Jose Mourinho.
The Italian leads six to five, give or take the odd ‘mutual consent’ — which of course can mean whatever you want it to.
Yet there is not a silver-fox hair out of place, the dashing blue overcoat fits like a glove and even at 65, he puts many of his younger peers to shame with his elegance and eloquence.
That was on crystal clear display as Real Madrid dismantled Manchester City’s Champions League aspirations on their own turf three days ago.
Coming from behind to beat the pride of English football with a last-gasp winner against the team Ancelotti describes as his own ‘great rivals’ — yet not even a twitch in the pulse rate in the Spanish technical area.
That unique characteristic among coaches sets Ancelotti apart. No head scratching, no bottle kicking, no digital a**e probing.
Precious few examples of super calm Carlo losing the plot with the officials or opponents.
Which when you consider he has also managed Europe’s titans in Chelsea, Juventus, AC Milan and Bayern Munich, to stay in control takes some doing.
Ancelotti has shared rooms with shadowy Russian oligarchs, endured penalty shootouts in Champions League finals and managed Everton — it’s debatable which is most scary.
Yet while Pep Guardiola flicks phlegm through pursed lips by way of a nervous tick, spindly Thomas Tuchel leaps and gestures and Joachim Low reaches for his backside in stressful moments, Ancelotti is having none of it.
And for that alone he should be considered the greatest of them all.
Five Champions League titles does help.
But to reach such heights and still not break sweat dealing with the egos and the snipes at such a high level in the game is the ultimate accolade.
As he assembles the latest troupe of Galacticos at the Bernabeu with the expected summer addition of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, that trait stands him in good stead.
The nice guy nature has been his undoing but Ancelotti has learned from that. He managed Chelsea on a peer-to-peer level, treating his players as equals, hoping they would do the same.
Some took advantage of that in his second season at Stamford Bridge.
That contributed to him being sacked in the away dressing room at Everton in May 2011 — having won the Double the previous season.
Yet despite the relentless pressure of working for ruthless Roman Abramovich, Ancelotti did not desert his humanity and never will.
After trips back home to Italy, he would return bearing salamis made by a friend for one staff member’s son who was obsessed with Peperami sticks at the time.
He fought hard behind the scenes for staff members who struggled to cope with life. And the guard never drops.
Carlo Ancelotti managerial honours
Juventus – UEFA Intertoto Cup
AC Milan – Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, Champions League x2, UEFA Super Cup x2, Club World Cup
Chelsea – Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield
PSG – Ligue 1
Real Madrid – LaLiga x2, Copa del Rey x2, Supercopa de Espana x2, Champions League x3, UEFA Super Cup x3, Club World Cup x2, Intercontinnental Cup
Bayern Munich – Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup
During his short and surprising stint in charge of a troubled Everton team at the height of Covid, he secured an injury-time 5-4 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup fifth round.
As the 97th-minute goal crashes in, Ancelotti stops to blow steam from the top of his piping hot cup of tea, then takes a sip while his coaching staff lose it around him.
Everton fans with half a brain have accepted him walking out to rejoin Real Madrid where he is now furthering his already stellar reputation.
Those with a fully functioning noddle are still shocked why he chose their underperforming, underwhelming club in the first place.
When you deal at the top table you need to keep your cards close to your chest.
And Ancelotti is smart enough to know never to say anything in a press conference that could be considered genuinely interesting.
The arch-diplomat, he plays the game straight, takes his severance money and doesn’t burn bridges.
Ancelotti’s only complaint about life in England was the poor standard of coffee. And he has a point. The washed-out Espresso being his main bone of contention.
And it’s probably why he won’t ever come back to manage here again. Shame.
Don’t sit ‘n take it
TOTTENHAM fans plotting a protest against club chairman Daniel Levy on Sunday should rethink their strategy.
Planning a sit-in demo after the home game against Manchester United is the wrong way to go about things in this time of turmoil.
With the team playing so badly and the whole matchday experience being one big letdown, why prolong the agony?
Surely a walkout as soon as possible after kick-off would be far more appealing?
That way the aggrieved supporters make their point and get to p*** off home early and do something far more enjoyable instead.
It means sweet FA
APPARENTLY Arne Slot will be kicking himself at Liverpool’s embarrassing exit from the FA Cup at the hands of second-tier Plymouth Argyle.
Uh-huh.
Sadly, with a Premier League title to chase down, genuine aspirations of winning the Champions League and a place in next month’s Carabao Cup Final in the bag, something has to give.
Unfortunately, in this case, it’s our national cup competition.
As exciting and unpredictable as the FA Cup is, I imagine it was fourth in line on Slot’s list of priorities — and he has probably forgotten where Plymouth is already.
Vini kicks City in tifo
IT’S SAFE to assume that Manchester City gave the nod to the most tactless tifo in football with the giant banner poking fun at Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid.
In which case it’s going to be fun waiting to see whether the Spaniards hit back on Wednesday when they stage the second leg of their Champions League last-16 play-off.
The poster featuring the Etihad midfielder Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or trophy along with the caption ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ was successful only in winding up ungracious loser Vinicius Jr.
Would love to know where it is now?
PITY the poor sods who are working in the Manchester United public relations department.
On the very day Red Devils legend Denis Law was laid to rest on Tuesday, hard-pressed staff in the communications team were dealing with questions that between 100 and 200 club workers are to be axed in the latest round of redundancies.
Not easy that.