Carletto's Way: The future is Ancelottismo
Big weekend in soccer with the Champions League Final, Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, and the CONCACAF Cup final, Columbus Crew vs. Pachuca. We find the best soccer stories so you don't have to.
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“You see, there is no style for me. No Ancelotti style. My style is not recognised, because I change”.
Those were the words of the Real Madrid coach this week in an excellent interview with Martin Samuels of The Times $
Indeed, among all the young managers touting their talents to clubs across Europe this summer, there are unlikely to be any describing themselves as believers in the ‘Ancelotti method’ or ‘Carletto’s Way’.
In contrast, there will certainly be plenty dropping hints that they are disciples of Pep Guardiola, especially if, like Enzo Maresca or Vincent Kompany, they can claim some direct lineage from the ‘Pep school’. Club owners seem very receptive to anything, or anyone, that can be viewed as Guardiola adjacent. It’s progressive, avant-garde and somehow sexy. But claiming to be influenced by the calm, pragmatism of Carlo Ancelotti? That’s a tougher sell.
Which, when you consider the Italian’s record is absurd. Ancelotti has won more Champions League titles than Guardiola or any other coach — if his Real team beat Dortmund on Saturday, it will be his fifth such triumph (two with AC Milan). He’s also won league titles in Serie A, the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga and the Bundesliga.
In the last three years, Ancelotti’s Real have twice eliminated Guardiola’s City and yet still, the ambitious young coach promising to risk conceding a goal by playing short passes in his own penalty area, will earn more points with a club’s director of football, than the one who says, as Ancelotti once did: “There is no winning system. You have to be like a tailor — you make a suit with the quality of the material that you have.”
That is not to say that Ancelotti has no tactical ideas (or ‘idea’ if you insist), he has innovated with different formations but always in the pursuit of finding the most appropriate way to get the best out of his given squad of players.
“The quality of the players is the most important thing. You have to build a system where the players are comfortable and where they are convinced to play that way. I can’t give the players a way to play if they are not convinced of it because they will go on the pitch and they will not be comfortable. This is my style.”
Essentially the difference between Guardiola, his acolytes and Ancelotti comes down to one of ideology v pragmatism, and this is why Ancelotti - and not Guardiola - really should be the role model for the future of the game.
A good director of football should be asking his future coach not, what is your ‘philosophy’? but rather, how will you get the best out of this group of players that we have?
Then there is no need to get rid of that perfectly decent goalkeeper, who isn’t an Ederson-Lite with his feet. No need to drop that full-back who can’t invert nor any cause for not playing with the strike pairing that has worked well together. Recruitment can be based, as it once was, on bringing in better players and improving the team, not finding pieces to slot into a complex puzzle. That benefits the clubs by saving millions in reducing turnover of players and it benefits the rest of us by ensuring a broad range of styles in the game.
But before the Pepniks get too agitated, let’s be clear, appreciating the benefits of Ancelotti’s approach does not mean there is no value in the Guardiola method - it has worked brilliantly at the very elite level of course, even if it has been noticeably less successful outside of the very best.
But Ancelottismo can be, in terms of core principles, applied at any level of the game - you just need your own Ancelotti, someone who is not just a coach but a manager, someone who can get the best out of his individuals, has a feel for the game, knowing when to press, when not to press, when to stick or twist. Much of which comes with that other undervalued aspect of coaching a football team - experience.
“The style takes into consideration the preparation of the players. Against Manchester City we played low block, strong defence. We have played that way this season one or two times, no more. We don’t play like that, we are more attacking. But I saw that as the way to compete and to win that game,” the Italian told The Times.
Contrast that thinking with the boasts from some young coaches that they won’t ever change their ‘idea’.
It’s tempting to make broader points about the value of pragmatism over ideology in politics and many other areas of life, but the beauty of football is that the game makes the point for you.
So on Saturday, light a cigar, sit back on the sofa, and enjoy Carletto’s way.
Your Champions League Final Round-up
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FACT OF THE DAY: This has been the first Champions League season since 2002-03 without Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi involved.
And while you let that sink in, it would be remiss, if not downright criminal, not to highlight the other coach in Saturday’s match-up, Edin Terzic. His rise from season ticket holder to leading out his beloved Borussia Dortmund in a Champions League Final is proper Roy von den Rovers stuff. (Matt Ford, BBC)
It’s probably prudent not to go overboard when mentioning Jude Bellingham in case he has a stinker on Saturday, but if Real Madrid (well a bunch of journalists who watch Real Madrid) are asking if he’s better than Zidane, then who are we to argue? At still only twenty, his evolution as a player is something else. (Ryan Baldi, BBC)
Jadon Sancho has a chance of redemption, suggests Andy Brassel in the Guardian. Translation: Jadon Sancho has a chance to stick it to Erik ten Hag.
How comeback king Joselu became Madrid's unlikely savior. (ESPN)
Liverpool center half turned pundit Jamie Carragher, who once shipped three goals in the first twenty minutes of the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan before his team mates bailed him out, says: “CBS was worried whether or not the US audience would understand me.” Trust us, Jamie, nobody does. (Interview with Greg Wakeman, Guardian)
If you haven’t seen him and the rest of CBS comedy crew, here’s your chance:
Date: Saturday, June 1, 2024
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Game: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Channel: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+
For everything else Champions League, head over to the UEFA site.
Your Daily Soccer Round-up….
Today’s Top Transfers:
Manchester United interested in Chelsea defender Trevor Chalobah (Independent)
Eleven players are in the shop window at Tottenham including Richarlison and Emerson Royal (Standard)
Managerial Mayhem:
Fenerbahce appoint the Special One, Jose Mourinho, on a two-year-deal (SkySports)
British Round-up
Swansea’s player liaison officer, Huw Lake, a former player himself in the 80’s, has been suspended from all football activity for 12 months after betting on Swansea to lose 130 times in a five year period. Although a small fraction of the 2,794 bets placed, he managed to lose nearly £8,000 having staked £92,000 overall. Ah, the good old reverse psychology bet. (Yahoo Sports) (GamCare - Gambling Support)
Scottish Premiership bans artificial pitches from 2026. Rest of the world in shock as everyone else banned them 40 years ago - allegedly. (BBC)
European Round-up
In case you were wondering who had the highest points per game across Europe’s top leagues:
Tomori’s reaction to a lone fan singing “We love you Tomori, F*ck Southgate,” is more wholesome than you’d expect. Not sure if it scans, though. (r/soccer)
Gerard Piqué to be investigated over Super Cup’s Saudi Arabia switch (Guardian)
USA Round-up
Lest we forget, there’s also the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final on Saturday, where Columbus Crew take on FC Pachuca in their own backyard; and Thierry Henry, for one, isn’t surprised at the success of the Crew under Wilfried Nancy having worked with him at Montreal. (Athletic $)
Current MLS Power Rankings (Guardian)
FC Cincinnati
Inter Miami
Columbus Crew
Real Salt lake
LAFC
International Round-up
On noes - FIFA have been warned that players could down boots and go on strike. Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango on players excessive workloads: "Some of them said: 'I’m not having it, we may as well strike.' Some said: 'what’s the point? Yes I’m a millionaire but I don’t even have time to spend the money'. We’d like to know what the layer of problem above first world is. (Nick Mashiter, BBC)
– They just don’t want to play the FIFA Club World Cup (SUN)
It’s worth remembering that the same people moaning and making threats about playing in a Club World Cup in the USA next year are the ones who happily jet off to the USA and Asia for post-season and pre-season, money-spinning friendlies, as Paul Williams notes with just a hint of sarcasm.
Well, that escalated quickly: NEYMAR SLASHES TIRES ON TEAMMATE'S CAR After Shoe Prank (TMZ)
FIFA updates maternity protocols (BBC)
The Daily Soccer Quote of the Day
"Is there anyone who works in football who wasn't once a fan?"
"Whether journalist, steward or press officer, we all fell in love with football as fans and we all had a team which we loved and supported. My path as a fan led to me becoming head coach of Borussia Dortmund. I'm very happy about that. And very proud." - Eden Terzic, Borussia Dortmund Head Coach. He’s right, y’know.
We’ll be back on Monday with more.
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