Him and Sir Alex are the GOATs
Where does Ancelotti rank among all time great managers?
- Thread starter sullydnl
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One manager I seriously wished we had signed after SAF. Not saying he would have done madrid esque wonders for us but a really likable figure and a brilliant man manager. The fact that we had Ole and he was at Everton was funny. I think he would have done a similar job if not much better trophy wise than Ole.
Won all five major European leagues + 4 CLs and many other cups as a manager. Won 3 Series A's + 2 European Cups and many other cups and a 3rd place World Cup finish. He might be the most accomplished football person ever.
Is he better than Pep? Pep would’ve played the occasion tonight at Anfield and probably not won. Ancelotti is the better manager imo.
He was pretty average at Everton.
For me, yes.
He's never been a manager that leaves a permanent imprint on the team's he managed. And never was a long term solution. That's the only thing that prevents him from making it to the very top echelons of all time greats.
Surely no one has been as adaptable as him though? He has managed such a broad range of teams and squads and still managed to consistently get the best out of them and win trophies.
Probably the only manager in my lifetime that you could comfortably say he can manage anyone. Safest pair of hands there is for a top club.
Surely no one has been as adaptable as him though? He has managed such a broad range of teams and squads and still managed to consistently get the best out of them and win trophies.
Probably the only manager in my lifetime that you could comfortably say he can manage anyone. Safest pair of hands there is for a top club.
You're only as good as your last game.
He's obviously the best manager to have walked this earth.
He's obviously the best manager to have walked this earth.
Yes, it’s a strange one with Carlo. He doesn’t seem to do anything massively transformative, but his presence on its own seems to work a kind of alchemy on teams. He’s like a zen manager. The Tao of football. I love the guy.
A rich man's Ole
Nah
Ancelotti is one of the greats of the European Cup / CL. As a manager of football teams - building, rebuilding, transforming , creating something new - he’s nothing special.
Pep would have played his attacking mid’s at FB to try and cheese a result with some weird chaotic approach to thinking. Carlo goes about his business in a quiet and unspectacular fashion, complete with cigar in hand and a raised eye brow.
It’s hard to say who is the better manager because Pep has strictly managed the top teams in every league. Carlo has put himself about a little but is just as accomplished.
You seem to underrate his work at Milan quite a bit
It is obviously difficult and a historic feat. But the other good manager handing the same set of players won it three times in three years as a rookie so we have to consider the team, clubs historical pedigree in the competition etc too.
a specialist in cup competition. He doesn't have the longevity for league titles ?
cos its totally different.
How about Everton ?
He's won Serie A, the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga as a manager.
He’s never won back to back league titles I believe. Look, he’s a great manager but he’s also managed all the best clubs in the world - Dominant Bayern, PSG (lol), Madrid always top 2 in Spain, a great Chelsea team usually in the top 2 (Jose implosion aside) and while it’s an achievement to win in many countries he’s not exactly the manager to build teams like Klopp or SAF, or dominate elite leagues like Pep or SAF would with 5/7 or 4/5 titles.
He's won Serie A, the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga as a manager.
He’s pretty good in the league and amazing in Europe. That’s why I see him as a special manager in cups but week in week out building a football team, he’s not the man you want. For example Klopp / Pep or him post Moyes or SAF is an easy one for me (rival connection aside of course).
You can't blame him to be honest
Berlusconi didn't care about Serie A's. Plus he hit title winning form for at least 10 games every season
Perez didn't care about La Ligas
Abramovich didn't care about PL titles
He figured he'd get no credit for winning back to back league titles in Bundesliga/Ligue 1, so why bother?
Smart and accomplished man.
Few things are permanent in football, but as far as semi-permanent things goes, one could easily argue that he is what started this era of RM doing what they do in Europe over the past 9 years.
Some will say Mourinho, but as much as he improved us, we weren't great under pressure, Ancelotti seemed to fix that.
Did well to keep them mid-table. They've been in a relegation battle ever since he left. More to do with how they've been run though than anything else.
I think his stint at Milan as a manager is the best example of how he never made his managerial mark on a team or left a legacy. He was there for years but couldn't do it. Still won them a couple of CL titles though because that's what he does.
One thing to keep in mind when discussing his record in domestic football is he coached for many years in Italy when Juventus were buying the league, and somehow, coached juventus in the 2 years in which outside pressure to let the Rome clubs win meant Moggi had to take a step back and allow it. With juventus he lost a title with 71 and 73 points - the two highest points tally for 2nd ever in serie A in the 3 points / 18 teams era. The final game against Perugia in 2000 is still remembered and probably always will, and in 2001 they finished on 73 points - which would have seen them win the league half the time. Then with Milan they got frankly robbed of the title in 2005 and 2006, something which Milan was actually fine with because they only really cared about CL back then
With us, in his first season we finished with 87 points, 3 points off Atletico and ultimately lost the league because injuries and fatigue forced us to make a choice between league and CL. Second season, 2nd place with 92 points
Point is, his domestic record isn't great mostly because of external factors, more than anything. Now, nowadays, it's also a tactical issue, the teams that win leagues tend to be the extremely drilled, organized sides because that's what works best in the league and his teams lag behind in that
With us, in his first season we finished with 87 points, 3 points off Atletico and ultimately lost the league because injuries and fatigue forced us to make a choice between league and CL. Second season, 2nd place with 92 points
Point is, his domestic record isn't great mostly because of external factors, more than anything. Now, nowadays, it's also a tactical issue, the teams that win leagues tend to be the extremely drilled, organized sides because that's what works best in the league and his teams lag behind in that
No way. He was very underwhelming at Bayern. Not only regarding to silverware (he only won the championship) but his football was often dull.
Even Kovac won more.
Gone were the Pep and Heynckes years Bayern played dominant football with a clear philosophy. The team often looked disjointed and unfit even against poor Bundesliga opposition. Carlo got fired after the Paris debacle (0:3 at PSG in CL) as he lost dressing room.
Luckily Heynckes was available and turned our season around.
You mean the Everton who were in the European spots and basically became relegation scrappers once he left? The one for whom he had Calvert-Lewin looking like a world class striker?
It's mad that we were in the top 4 at the end of 2020 and since then we have been on a run that finished 10th that season and fighting relegation since.
Great call. Completely different characters but both brilliant.
And where is Calvert-Lewin now?
I think so. Pep may have won more, but Ancelotti's journey is more impressive.
He's also way cooler and more charismatic
Fergie is the GOAT. No weaknesses. End of discussion.
Ancelotti is the king of kings. Perfectly suited for the big teams and big moments. Cool as cool can be.
Pep is the weird nerd who inexplicably gets laid and does a lot of coke. Micro-managing flat-track bully.
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The nerds with their XG spreadsheets hate him, but was the best manager in the world last season and also the CL title put him up with the all time greats.
To be fair, DCL is permanently crocked, which isn't really a reflection of his ability.
For good reason, some managers can only land at the biggest teams in the world.
SAF has weaknesses of course. His CL record could have been a little better
Nobody talks about his tactical approach.
He strikes me a person that gets a team with good players and coasts in a lucky spell but I am sure I am wrong.
Like yesterday against Liverpool. Did he make any tactical changes after down 2 goals?
He strikes me a person that gets a team with good players and coasts in a lucky spell but I am sure I am wrong.
Like yesterday against Liverpool. Did he make any tactical changes after down 2 goals?
Some strange takes in this thread.
He's undoubtedly in the top tier of managers in the last 20/30 years. I'd probably only have him behind SAF, with Pep probably third. His only weakness is in a league campaign (winning the league with Real last season was only the 5th time he's won a league despite managing the best of the best in European clubs)...almost like he's the inverse SAF.
He's undoubtedly in the top tier of managers in the last 20/30 years. I'd probably only have him behind SAF, with Pep probably third. His only weakness is in a league campaign (winning the league with Real last season was only the 5th time he's won a league despite managing the best of the best in European clubs)...almost like he's the inverse SAF.
"I'd love to see him take a job where he doesn't have the best players and see how he does"
Well he did that at Everton, didn't he? Not too well I heard...
Well he did that at Everton, didn't he? Not too well I heard...