Carlo Ancelotti: The Godfather of football takes Real Madrid on the precipice of a record 15th Champions League title

In the final minutes of Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal remontada against Bayern Munich, as the magnitude of their achievement dawned upon the players, the broadcast cameras captured a contrasting figure in the foreground. Manager Carlo Ancelotti — unfazed, ungiving to the emotion of a stunning comeback — gestured to his players: ‘calm down’. The simplest of messages relayed in the most subtle of ways. As it had been ahead of the game.

When asked what would be required from his team to win the contest, Ancelotti resorted to two words: heart and soul. It’s what those in Madrid have come to expect of their Don Carlo.

In an era when managers flexing their tactical nous has reached its apex, Ancelotti remains the old-school coach, who likes to keep his cards to himself. A quiet, strong presence in the dugout, who at heart is a player’s manager. But before we get to the man management finesse of his, it’s crucial to understand what makes Ancelotti such a strong figure in the dressing despite being a man of few words.
The Italian sums it up in one line in his book Quiet Leadership, and how? “When you watch Vito Corleone in The Godfather, do you see a weak, quiet man or do you see a calm, powerful man in charge of his situation?”

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It’s that demeanor of Ancelotti that’s made him a favorite among his players, even the most divisive ones. Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been notoriously outspoken personalities in the dressing room, and have had their fair share of arguments with players, and even managers. When it comes to Ancelotti though, both only sing praises. Ronaldo famously called him a ‘big bear’ and a ‘cute guy’, whose personality surprised him. Ibrahimovic named him as the manager he most got along with other than Jose Mourinho.

It all boils down to the fact that for Ancelotti, man management is not a chore but a way of living. Ronaldo, John Terry, and Jude Bellingham, three players who’ve played under Ancelotti in three different decades attest to a habit. “He talks to us every day.” Ancelotti peels into it in his book.

“Relationships form the foundation of everything I do as a leader,” he says. “Working with the athletes and helping them develop and grow, building trust and loyalty, sharing our successes and bouncing back together from disappointment, this is the heart of my job.”

It all boils down to the fact that for Ancelotti, man management is not a chore but a way of living. (Reuters)

The man who made Diamond midfield popular

It’s not as if Ancelotti couldn’t have become a tactics preacher. We are talking about the man who made diamond midfield fashionable in Italy with Juventus and later, Milan. His move to Chelsea had invited skeptics. Could he succeed with a way of coaching that didn’t suit English football? Ancelotti, however, surprised everyone including the players. In a chat with The Coaches’ Voice, former Chelsea captain John Terry would concede as much.

“He adapted very quickly, when speaking to me, Frank [Lampard], Didier [Drogba], he wanted to pick our brains: ‘Is this too much of tactics for the players to do? Are we doing too much of this? I want to get the right balance.’ I’ve never had a manager actually, in probably all my career, that asked the players and gave them a bit of responsibility,” Terry said.

In a new league, Ancelotti didn’t force his methods upon the players – no matter how successful they’d been elsewhere – but rather worked with them to develop a new system. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to then make sense of his longevity. Over the years, the Italian has seamlessly transitioned to different teams in different leagues as per the individuals at hand.

Following his stint at Chelsea, in PSG, he went with a 4-3-3 formation, the same tactic that he has employed with his current Real Madrid team, which is a far cry from the 4-2-3-1 he used in his first stint in the Spanish capital that brought La Decima. Before returning to Real in 2021, Ancelotti had made a detour to Everton. A tenure that saw him getting reunited with the 4-4-2 formation, where he built the attack from the back three.

Currently at Real, the formation also shifts into 4-5-1 or 3-5-2 in the middle of the match if the need arises. It’s arguably the most flexible Ancelotti has had to be in his managerial career, and for good measure. This has been a vastly different side than any of the Madrid teams in the 21st century. A team in transition, largely consisting of excellent scout picks that have been elevated into generational superstars, in line to take over from some of the most successful players the club has ever had.

It’s here that Ancelotti’s masterful man-management tactics have helped the youngsters like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and most recently Jude Bellingham, to rise to the occasion. Bellingham, who has made an instant impact in his freshman year in Madrid, elaborated on it after a tense quarter-final win against Manchester City.

“He is our biggest strength. He finds a way to let a lot of boys play with freedom. We’re so off the cuffs…. he fills you with calmness and confidence,” Bellingham told TNT Sports in the aftermath of a penalty shootout win. Only minutes ago, he was panting on the field, supporting his defenders as City deployed wave after wave of attacking play. It was during this particular low point in the game for Madrid that Ancelotti caught Bellingham’s attention. “I caught him yawning and he said to go out and excite him.” The simplest of messages relayed in the most subtle of ways, as only Don Carlo could.

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