Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid manager

Controversial but I'm not a big fan. Great in cup football, especially Champions League. His league record is very poor considering the teams he's managed.
 
Please come back to everton. Never realised we had it so good.

Edit: just seen the brazil news. Brazil or everton? Tough choice that...

On another point, it's embarrassing that brazil, of all countries, have a foreign boss. And yes, it's also a complete embarrassment that england have one.
 
Controversial but I'm not a big fan. Great in cup football, especially Champions League. His league record is very poor considering the teams he's managed.

What a bizarre thing to say about the only coach in the world who has won the title in each of the top 5 leagues...
 
It's mostly poor in Serie A. Outside of that it's been pretty good.

And it's not actually poor in the Serie A because Milan generally didn't have the best teams and it's not as if he wasn't facing other great managers. Even without the calciopoli Juventus generally clearly had the best squad and after that it was close between Milan, Inter, Lazio and Roma. His record could be slightly better but realistically we are only talking about a couple of titles.
 
I think his La Liga win last season was impressive. Never retaining a league title is the only blemish in his career, but it's not a big one.
The entire last season was impressive... They won the UCL undefeated and only lost 2 games througout the season. He did so despite having many important players out to injuries for long spells and with Benzema being replaced by Joselu...
 
And it's not actually poor in the Serie A because Milan generally didn't have the best teams and it's not as if he wasn't facing other great managers. Even without the calciopoli Juventus generally clearly had the best squad and after that it was close between Milan, Inter, Lazio and Roma. His record could be slightly better but realistically we are only talking about a couple of titles.
What about losing a title to Montpellier? They were top when Kombouaré was sacked.
 
What about losing a title to Montpellier? They were top when Kombouaré was sacked.
Half a season with players he didn't know much about... Sounds more like a pre-season than something to judge a manager on.

Kombouaré was a dead man walking since that 3-0 defeat in Marseille. Also getting knocked out of EL group stage.
 
I still think he underachieved only winning one Serie A title at Milan. I think they were a weaker side during the end of his tenure, but he was there for 8 or 9 seasons and only won the league once with the likes of Maldini, Nesta, Costacurta, Stam, Gattuso, Pirlo, Cafu, Shevchenko, Kaka, Seedorf, Rui Costa, Inzaghi (and brief stints from other tops players like Rivaldo, Beckham, Zambrotta, Ronaldinho, Crespo etc).
 
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I still think he underachieved only winning one Serie A title at Milan. I think they were a weaker side during the end of his tenure, but he was there for 8 or 9 seasons and only won the league once with the likes of Maldini, Nesta, Costacurta, Stam, Gattuso, Pirlo, Cafu, Shevchenko, Kaka, Seedorf, Rui Costa, Inzaghi (and brief stints from other tops players like Rivaldo, Beckham, Zambrotta, Crespo etc).
Calciopoli may have had a lot to do with it. That said, consider that there were 11 juventus players starting in the 2006 world cup final. Their competition was great, and built to win the league in a way Milan weren't - starting with the club giving the league priority in a way Milan simply didn't. When your bosses are always talking about "european dna" and generally making it clear the competition the club cares about is the CL - that the league is seen as a nice consolation prize at best - keeping up the focus and intensity day by day, week by week may not be the easiest thing

Even if you look past calciopoli, they lost a title because they got to the end of the season low on energy and gave CL the priority, and then another because they spent half a season still reeling from Istanbul(and Juventus finished above 90 points at that)

After calciopoli they never had the team to compete in the league
 
Calciopoli may have had a lot to do with it. That said, consider that there were 11 juventus players starting in the 2006 world cup final. Their competition was great, and built to win the league in a way Milan weren't - starting with the club giving the league priority in a way Milan simply didn't. When your bosses are always talking about "european dna" and generally making it clear the competition the club cares about is the CL - that the league is seen as a nice consolation prize at best - keeping up the focus and intensity day by day, week by week may not be the easiest thing

Even if you look past calciopoli, they lost a title because they got to the end of the season low on energy and gave CL the priority, and then another because they spent half a season still reeling from Istanbul(and Juventus finished above 90 points at that)

After calciopoli they never had the team to compete in the league
Interesting perspective and makes sense, thanks. Ancelotti has long seemed the kind of manager whose best when he adds a bit of gloss to an already great, functioning squad, hence his success more in cup competitions with already formidable teams.

I still think Milan had more talented players than the others in his ten years there and one league win in that time with those players might've been unacceptable at other clubs at other times. Looking at the respective 2003 Champions League final, I'd give the edge to Milan's team over Juve (I know they were missing Nedved). Maybe Juventus' lack of success in the CL during that time makes me underestimate them a bit, looking back. I remember United brushed aside Juve easily in those years in the group stage, and looked way off it against Ancelotti's Milan a couple of years later.

However, you're probably right, Juventus were formidable themselves and perhaps a machine more built for league success.
 
What about losing a title to Montpellier? They were top when Kombouaré was sacked.

You have to understand that he gets a lot of defense compared to his peers because of those lovely eyebrows of his

Imagine if Mou or Pep lost the Ligue 1 title to Montpellier. Or remember the flack Poch got while at PSG for losing the title despite joining midway in the season.
 
You have to understand that he gets a lot of defense compared to his peers because of those lovely eyebrows of his

Imagine if Mou or Pep lost the Ligue 1 title to Montpellier. Or remember the flack Poch got while at PSG for losing the title despite joining midway in the season.

Now go on and check the squads of PSG in 2011/12 vs 2020/21...
 
Poch got flack because he had a reputation as a serial loser. Ancelotti didn't.

Very logical to be fair

Now go on and check the squads of PSG in 2011/12 vs 2020/21...

I'd expect a manager of Ancelotti's caliber to rally that squad to win the league, or not get fired by Bayern because the players didn't know what the feck was going on at training, or win more than 1 Serie A at Milan

I know I know... each has extenuating circumstances. Again, it would be nice if all managers on here were provided this level of defense and understanding
 
I know I know... each has extenuating circumstances. Again, it would be nice if all managers on here were provided this level of defense and understanding

Good managers do/did get this level of defense and understanding for their shortcomings. Serial losers like Poch don't.
 
I think Ancelotti wasn't criticized too harshly for not winning with PSG because the project had just begun. QSI took over in June 2011. I have here an old interview with Nasser from July 2011 where he says:
Our aim is to qualify for the Champions League every year as of 2012. Then, from 2015, we want to play a major role in the French championship. [...] Obviously, everyone dreams of winning the league, but our priority, right from next season in the Champions League and that means finishing in the top three.
Even though they had invested a lot of money, it's still a lot to expect to win the title at first try.
 
I still think Milan had more talented players than the others in his ten years there and one league win in that time with those players might've been unacceptable at other clubs at other times. Looking at the respective 2003 Champions League final, I'd give the edge to Milan's team over Juve (I know they were missing Nedved). Maybe Juventus' lack of success in the CL during that time makes me underestimate them a bit, looking back. I remember United brushed aside Juve easily in those years in the group stage, and looked way off it against Ancelotti's Milan a couple of years later.
Between 2002 and 2006 Juventus won 2 matches against Milan. One in early 02/03 while Milan were still gelling as a team, and another in '05, 3 days after Milan had barely survived in Eindhoven. The rest of the matches Milan either won, or dominated, with the exceptions of the CL final, where both teams were too scared of losing to play well, and the title decider in late '06, were Juventus parked a jumbo jet that would have made Mourinho proud to make sure they'd get a 0-0 draw(they got it). In 02/03 I think Juventus were still better, but between 2003 and 2006 Milan were WAY better at their best. They just didn't have Juventus regularity in the league, in part because after winning in 03/04, they were basically satisfied as far as league title went and were hyperfocused on the CL, and in part because in Serie A physicality and intensity are the key aspects to beat the weaker sides, especially so back in the day. That's why Milan were so much better in europe than Juventus - the latter were built on physicality and could struggle against teams capable of matching that due to a lack of clearly superior quality. Milan were the opposite. They simply couldn't or more likely wouldn't bring the intensity week to week to consistently beat the likes of Catania, Chievo or Livorno, but in big games, such as CL, they came in locked in, played at high intensity and their incredible quality made the difference

Past 2006 the team had a swansong in CL in '07, but after that they just weakened significantly due to a lack of investment and motivation. Ancelotti probably should have left after winning the CL in '07, his cycle there was over
 
I think Ancelotti wasn't criticized too harshly for not winning with PSG because the project had just begun. QSI took over in June 2011. I have here an old interview with Nasser from July 2011 where he says:

Even though they had invested a lot of money, it's still a lot to expect to win the title at first try.
Never heard him criticised for that before I must say. Didn't he join after Christmas?
He was there one full season and won the league, then asked to be allowed to go Real.
 
He transformed Calwert-Lewin into one of the best strikers in the PL, he is the GOAT
 
Calciopoli may have had a lot to do with it. That said, consider that there were 11 juventus players starting in the 2006 world cup final. Their competition was great, and built to win the league in a way Milan weren't - starting with the club giving the league priority in a way Milan simply didn't. When your bosses are always talking about "european dna" and generally making it clear the competition the club cares about is the CL - that the league is seen as a nice consolation prize at best - keeping up the focus and intensity day by day, week by week may not be the easiest thing

Even if you look past calciopoli, they lost a title because they got to the end of the season low on energy and gave CL the priority, and then another because they spent half a season still reeling from Istanbul(and Juventus finished above 90 points at that)

After calciopoli they never had the team to compete in the league

11 juventus players starting in the 2006 WC final?

If you stretch it to include 4 guys who had technically already left, in Thuram, Vieria, Zambrotta and Cannavaro, you're left with:

Camoranesi, Buffon.

Who are the other 5? It's 2 players who were still at Juve and 4 if you include those who spent the last season with Juve.

Anyway -


------------Dida--------
Cafu - Nesta - Stam - Maldini
Gattuso - Pirlo - Ambrosini
Kaka ------Seedorf
Shevchenko

With Inzaghi, Gilardino, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Simic, Rui Costa, Vieri on the bench, is a pretty insane team.

Should have won more league titles.
 
And it's not actually poor in the Serie A because Milan generally didn't have the best teams and it's not as if he wasn't facing other great managers. Even without the calciopoli Juventus generally clearly had the best squad and after that it was close between Milan, Inter, Lazio and Roma. His record could be slightly better but realistically we are only talking about a couple of titles.
I think regardless of the quality of the teams Serie A was/is bent as feck so trying to work out whether he had a good record there is pointless when other factors were deciding league titles.
 
It's very modern football if he goes from what would be a really cool move, trying to get a tune out of a struggling elite nation and win the World Cup with Brazil to taking over some non-descript job in Saudi Arabia and disappearing from view because of money.