Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has often been belittled as a mere man manager compared to some of his more neurotic peers. Yet insider and journalist Guillem Balague has asserted that he does very little coaching in terms of tactics for Los Blancos.
Balague was actually in the process of praising Ancelotti, calling his work this season ‘on another level’ and expressing his admiration. He did reveal how Ancelotti works during the week though, speaking to the Euro Leagues podcast.
“I know for a fact that he doesn’t really get involved that much [with tactics]. Davide [Ancelotti, his assistant manager] is doing a lot of work during the week. And what Ancelotti says to Davide is ‘Saturday, Rodrygo, Bellingham and Vinicius up front’. Or ‘Kroos, Valverde, two in the middle’, so then Davide goes ‘OK’, and puts it all together. And every decision he’s made, and the XI is Carlo, has been outstanding.”
Certainly Davide Ancelotti is well-respected at Valdebebas and there has been suggestions in the past that he has been the brains behind some of their strategy in recent seasons. Once his father retires, he is set to pursue a career on his own in management.
Nevertheless, this is no method of removing credit from Carlo Ancelotti. The majority of successful eras involve a strong coaching staff behind a manager, as has been illustrated with Sir Alex Ferguson, Tito Vilanova under Pep Guardiola and Henk ten Cate under Frank Rijkaard. Assistants do not always make the best managers in their own right, but having the ability to spot what the coaching staff needs, and having a different angle from the manager, often makes their input essential.
