You can make a strong case for Carlo Ancelotti as the most fantastic football manager ever. Moreover, he has the statistics to back this up. Not only has he amassed more Champions Leagues than any other manager in the game’s history, but with league titles in England, Italy, Spain, and Germany, footballing managerial excellence doesn’t come closer to perfection than the iconic ones talian.
As he heads into another campaign managing defending champions Real Madrid, they are facing a Chelsea squad in freefall and will be hoping to cruise into another semi-final stage. Carlo knows how to win this competition in different eras with different teams. However, it seems like, realistically speaking, Manchester City are the main challenge. However, having knocked them out of last year’s competition, Ancelotti will be confident his team full of serial winners will be able to do it again. Ancelotti is already clear of other footballing managerial legends like Bob Paisley and Sir Alex Ferguson. No other manager in the game has ever won four European Cups. The fact that we are talking about him going for his fifth shows the caliber of his ability.
Carlo’s Second Stint at Real Madrid
Ancelotti has an undisputed natural talent that helps him to guide Real Madrid towards domestic and European honors. Sometimes he reminds me of an enthusiastic player at Ignition online casino who can sense success and navigate toward it. Football is about strong legs, but you must also have an excellent inner voice.
Everton hasn’t won a trophy for over 25 years, and it didn’t look like a natural fit for a born winner like Ancelotti. With tremendous odds offered by the bookmakers, the move looked highly improbable.
However, the bookmaker’s odds soon shortened, and Ancelotti was unveiled as manager of Everton towards the end of 2019. This brief and unassuming tenure ended abruptly in 2021 when Carlo called up his old club in Madrid to ask if they had any players for sale. Ten minutes later, he had talked himself back into contention to manage Europe’s biggest club. Having run away with the La Liga title in 2021 and bringing Real Madrid further European glory in 2022 following an iconic win against Liverpool, it looked like a stroke of genius and luck had culminated in Ancelotti becoming the only manager in history to win four European Cups.
However, while their domestic form has slid somewhat this season, their European form remains scintillating. They faced their fellow finalists from last year in the knockout stages, dismantling them 6-2 across two legs.
Can Ancelotti Stop Man City Again?
Pep Guardiola is one of the top managers of his era, and the only thing missing from his collection as Man City boss is the coveted UEFA Champions League – the biggest club trophy of them all. But, considering Arsenal look like they’re about to smash the duopoly that Man City and Liverpool have had over English football for the last few years, his sights may be more focused on the Champions League now than ever.
Manchester City winning another Premier League is not out of the question. However, by the time they have reached the semi-final stages of the Champions League, the Premier League might be out of their sights. Guardiola could put all his eggs in the Champions League basket and try and defeat his legendary Italian adversary in the dugout once more.
If you look at the two teams on paper and watched last year’s game, Manchester City was incredibly unlucky not to end up in the final. They could have won each leg 3 or 4-1, and the same could be said in the final when Liverpool did everything but score. Of course, if they met again this season, City would be too much for Madrid, but that’s something that almost every pundit said going into last year’s semi-final between the two as well.
To Sum It Up
Ancelotti hasn’t talked about retiring anytime soon. Instead, he has proven he is a manager who can adapt to a game developing quicker than ever and stay ahead of younger, fresher managers using his wisdom and guile.
For this reason, we would expect to see Ancelotti win a fifth Champions League at some stage. Of course, it could be with another club in a few years, but Madrid isn’t out of the question this season. Having destroyed Liverpool and facing a Chelsea empire crumbling at its foundations, they’re confirmed for another semi-final appearance.
We’re likely faced with a scenario where just three games separate Ancelotti from his fifth European Cup. However, whatever happens for the rest of his career, when he decides to call it a day once and for all, there’s not much doubt that he will go down as the most outstanding club manager in the history of football.
