Few managers could appoint their son without some suspicion of nepotism. However Carlo Ancelotti has been working with Davide Ancelotti for several years now and has no doubt won the trust of the players.
While Ancelotti senior oversees matters, Davide is often charged with set pieces, tactical ideas and perhaps a more intense approach than that of his father. Earlier in the season, he was even directly responsible for their first La Liga win this season.
Speaking to RAI, Carlo Ancelotti explained that working with his son allowed him a more honest assistant.
“My relationship with my son Davide? You have an advantage over other staff assistants. He says things that others do not dare to say out of respect or fear of me. And as a coach, I need honesty.”
“I always listen because I’ve always preferred listening to talking.”
Sport picked up the comments and as Ancelotti has remarked before, he is perhaps not the cool character many of us imagine.
“I’m still stressed before games, even if I have already sat on ‘1,200 benches’ in my career. I have physical discomfort, my heart beats faster and I sweat a little. Then negative thoughts arise. But it all passes when the match begins.”
In spite of what he says, it almost does not matter. The composed persona is transmitted through the club and he gives off an air of being in control, regardless of what is going on. It has allowed the Real Madrid squad a good working environment that is often bogged down in political spats and a tense battle of egos.
