Real Madrid fans should desperately hope there is truth in reports that club president Florentino Perez is set to offer a new contract to manager Carlo Ancelotti, because over the past 18 months the affable Italian has proven himself to be the perfect man to lead the club.
When Ancelotti arrived at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013 he inherited an absolute mess in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s combustible reign, which succeeded in winning few trophies but utterly dividing the club.
Mourinho’s alienation of star players, his insistence upon a rugged but dour style of play, his aggressive approach to the eternal rivalry with Barcelona and his negative relationship with the media ensured that Ancelotti walked into a dysfunctional environment.
The fact that he ended up his first season in charge by lifting the Champions League trophy, ending Madrid’s long, painful wait for their tenth crown, was remarkable.
And when you consider that Ancelotti had also succeeded in achieving something almost unheard of by Real Madrid managers – making himself respected and popular with fans, players, directors and media alike – it’s clear that this is the right man in the right job.
Even this summer, Perez was not content to leave his manager alone to continue his work. He pursued his Galacticos policy by signing James Rodriguez and effectively forcing out Angel Di Maria, one of last season’s best players and a big favourite of Ancelotti’s.
At that time, many managers of Ancelotti’s calibre would have thrown their arms in the air in exasperation and decided it was far easier to just walk away. But Ancelotti accepted the challenge as part and parcel of life at Real Madrid.
Inevitably, there were early struggles as Ancelotti and his players stumbled towards an effective playing system, with early season defeats against Atletico and Real Sociedad making it clear that solutions were needed.
Less than three months later, however, Ancelotti has once again succeeded in moulding his richly gifted group of players into something far more meaningful.
The results have been impressive, with Los Blancos winning 13 consecutive games and scoring 49 goals in the process to regain top spot in La Liga and march into the Champions League knockout stage with two games to spare.
The keys to Ancelotti’s success at Madrid, and his perfect suitability for the club, are his flexibility and lack of ego. Unlike many modern managers who have a fixed way of playing and determinedly pursue their signature style’s implementation under any conditions, Ancelotti is more pragmatic, happy to adapt his approach according to the resources at his disposal.
Whereas Pep Guardiola ‘inven-ted’ tiki-taka and Mourinho is the master of the counter-attack, there is no one single Ancelotti ‘style’.
Instead, he calmly works out which formation and tactics would best suit his players, and allows the strategy to evolve naturally. And crucially, Ancelotti is prepared to quietly undertake his work in the background, maintaining cordial relationships with the outside world – including the media – but allowing his superstar players to bask in the glow of the spotlight.
Experienced, flexible, intelligent, mentally mature and modest coaches aren’t easy to find. Now Real Madrid have one, they must make sure they keep him.
