Carlo Ancelotti takes a long drag on a cigarette as he considers his response to a question he clearly finds amusing.
Having
reminded him that he has the opportunity to join Bob Paisley in
becoming one of only two managers to have lifted the European Cup three
times, I suggest he would be perfectly entitled to flaunt his success
rather more than he does.
Why,
for instance, does he not follow Louis van Gaal’s lead in occasionally
referring to himself in the third person? Or perhaps remind the media
that he too is a bit ‘special’? This, after all, will be Ancelotti’s
seventh European Cup final as a player and a manager. Pretty damn
special by anyone’s standards.
The manager of Real Madrid starts to laugh, and then shakes his head.
Date with destiny: Carlo Ancelotti can become the second manager to win the European Cup three times
The master: In nine years as manager, Bob Paisley led Liverpool to win twenty honours, including three European Cups
'I wasn't a Manchester United target before Moyes'
‘No,
no,’ he says. ‘I don’t like people who say “I, I, I.” It’s
embarrassing. It’s not me, to speak about me. I know Bob Paisley won it
three times, in ’77, ’78 and ’81, no? So it would be an honour to join
him, of course, but it is not my motivation.’
So
what is his motivation as he prepares for what promises to be a
difficult encounter with Atletico Madrid, his neighbours and the new
champions of Spain?
‘The great motivation is to be part of the history of this club,’ he says.
‘To
be part of that is bigger than any personal achievement. That is the
most important thing. The Champions League has given me a lot already. I
have won four, as a player and a manager. But this is about the Decima;
the 10th title.
‘From
the first day I arrived here it was about the Decima, because for Real
Madrid this cup is special. I wouldn’t call it an obsession. Just a
motivation.’
May the fourth be with you: Ancelotti hurls the European Cup into the air after beating Liverpool in 2007
Major obstacle: Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa
hit the only goal as Atletico beat Real at the Bernabeu in September...
but will he be fit for Lisbon?
If the
pressure on this softly-spoken Italian is intense, and the sheer number
of journalists from television, radio and print in attendance at the
official Real Madrid media day would suggest that it is, he appears to
shoulder the burden with remarkable ease.
Now
sitting in his office at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground, away from
the phalanx of cameras and microphones, he is the perfect host, even
rustling up a round of espressos from his coffee machine.
Caffeine consumed, he returns to the subject of modesty, humility, and what seems a knack for engaging with an audience.
He
conducts himself with charm, his press conference is strikingly
different from the clashes Jose Mourinho would have with the media at
Valdebebas. For a start there was a great deal of laughter. ‘I suppose
this is my style,’ he says. ‘But, look, they will still kill me if we
lose in Lisbon. There is a lot of pressure here, of course.
‘You
have to pay attention to this. But you should realise there are a lot
of people who loved Jose here in Madrid. He made two groups. One with
him and one against him. But a lot of people liked him.
Popular support: Real Madrid fans thank Jose Mourinho for his efforts during his last match at the Bernabeu
Flying in: Ancelotti arrives in Lisbon with one thing on his mind...
‘He
won a league title with 100 points and more than 100 goals, in his
second year here. But this pressure, this is football. I know this
world.
‘You
win the Champions League but how long is the bonus? Three games next
season? Not more. It’s why I never think too much about the success we
have enjoyed.
‘Because
one day you are at the top and the next you can be at the bottom.’ He
is referring, presumably, to his time at Chelsea, where he was sacked by
Roman Abramovich for finishing second in the Barclays Premier League
only a year after securing a league and cup double at the first attempt.
‘I
see Roman has changed his idea about Jose so maybe he will change his
idea about me too,’ he says, now shaking with laughter. ‘You just have
to love this sport. You can’t be too tired to watch, or too tired to
learn, because you can change your idea about something every day.
‘Do
you know how many people work here at the training ground? 50. Two
teams. 25 players and 50 people, and I believe that the people have to
be involved too. Everyone can share their ideas with us. They don’t have
to be a soldier who simply follows orders.’
Right hand man: Paul Clement (left) sits alongside Ancelotti during the 6-0 thrashing of Schalke in the Champions League
'I was 16 before I had my first shower!'
This
is Ancelotti’s philosophy. His belief in the collective. It is how he
was raised in a rural corner of northern Italy and how he runs his
football clubs. Paul Clement, his trusted English assistant, says his
greatest quality is his ability to build ‘human relationships’.
‘He’s
brilliant at that,’ says Clement, who has joined Ancelotti for a
coffee. ‘He has such humility. He believes in everyone working at the
same level, that we are in this together, and that together we will be
more effective.’
Ancelotti
credits his ‘humble family’ for instilling the right values in him.
His father, Giuseppe, was a farmer who supported a family on 10 dairy
cows and a rented farm, producing Parmesan.
‘We
never had to go to the supermarket,’ he says proudly. ‘Everything we
produced at home. The bread, the milk, the cheese. We had chickens for
the eggs. You know I was 16 before I had my first shower. I remember
standing under it thinking, “what is this?”
‘But we were comfortable, my sister and I, living with my parents and my grandparents.’
Creating a dynasty: Ancelotti hoists the European Cup aloft following AC Milan's victory over Steaua Bucharest in 1989
Even
as a member of the all-conquering Milan team who remain the last to
successfully defend the European Cup — in 1990 — he never lost sight of
his roots and his principles. ‘I didn’t have a Ferrari or anything like
that,’ he says. ‘I drove an Opel.’
Today
he is in control of something rather more glamorous, of course: a Real
Madrid team boasting a forward line to rival any in the world.
He
adores Cristiano Ronaldo, and not just for his professionalism. He also
appreciates the way he has taken Gareth Bale under his wing. ‘Small
things,’ he says. ‘In the tunnel before the players come out; in the
huddle just before a game. It will be a quiet word, a squeeze of the
shoulder. And he and Bale and Benzema work for each other. Very
unselfish.
‘I
like Ronaldo a lot. Now if he’s professional and doesn’t score goals, I
don’t know if I like him the same. But he scores in almost every game —
51 goals in 50 games I think — so I like him very much! Gareth has been
a great signing for us. And I like him too. So humble. But I can also
see why Alex Ferguson said Ronaldo was “the best”.’
Making huge steps: Gareth Bale has reached a Champions League final in his first season in Spain
Master of his art: Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to add to his goal tally this season in his homeland
Man-manager: Ronaldo has encouraged and advised Bale throughout his debut season at the Bernabeu
'I like Ronaldo... 51 goals... I like him very much!'
The
best he has worked with? ‘Oh,’ he says, shaking his head again.
‘Impossible. I once tried to pick an 11 from the players I have worked
with. Not difficult — impossible.’
Encouraged
to go through them, he does his best. ‘OK,’ he says: ‘Goalkeepers:
Casillas, Diego Lopez, Cech, Buffon, Van der Sar. Unbelievable.
‘Left back. Maldini, Ashley Cole, Marcelo, Maxwell.
‘Central
backs. I have three great ones here but then there is Terry, Nesta,
Stam, Thuram, Cannavaro, Thiago Silva. The lists goes on.
‘Right
backs. Cafu, Ivanovic. Central midfielders. Pirlo, Lampard, Xabi
Alonso, he is fantastic. I had Deschamps, Gattuso. I’m telling you,
impossible. Look at the players I have here too.
‘Look
at the strikers. Shevchenko, Kaka, Inzaghi, Ibrahimovic, Del Piero,
Ronaldo. Both Ronaldos! Drogba, Anelka, Torres, Crespo, Zola.
‘Attacking midfielders. Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Rui Costa, Bale. I forgot Zidane!
‘He coaches here with me now. I forgot
so many. So many great players here too. I can’t remember. How can you
pick a team from them?’
Learning curve: Ancelotti coached Zinedine Zidane at Juventus and the French maestro is now on his coaching staff in Madrid
He
has a point, and agrees that he has had some high-profile employers
too. For many it is a list that would be the stuff of nightmares. As
well as Abramovich, Silvio Berlusconi and current president, Florentino
Perez.
‘Don’t forget Agnelli at Juventus,’ he says. ‘Mr Fiat. And Mr Parmalat at Parma. And the Emir of Qatar at Paris Saint-Germain.
‘But
if there is a difference between the president here, Berlusconi and the
others, it is that Perez and Berlusconi grew up supporters of their
clubs. They are more supportive.
‘With
Florentino I have a good relationship. He first tried to bring me here
in 2006, when I was in Milan. The second time I chose Chelsea, but that
was because when I spoke with Florentino at that time he was not the
president. So I chose England.’
Raised eyebrow: Ancelotti's sacking after his
second year at Chelsea was viewed with mysticism in after the Italian
(pictured in 2010) won a domestic Double in his first season
There
have been suggestions that Manchester United tried to lure him to Old
Trafford, that Ferguson approached him before opting for David Moyes
last year.
‘No, no,’ he says. ‘Not true. When I decided to leave PSG I had the opportunity to come here. I didn’t want to stay at PSG.
‘When
I went there it was supposed to be about creating something. But after
one year that had changed and it was just about the next result.
‘When we went out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, they started to complain. I decided it was time to go.’
It
has proved a good decision. A first La Liga title might have eluded
him, but Real won the Copa del Rey with some style and he now is
preparing for that seventh European Cup final. ‘The first one was in
’84,’ he says. ‘Roma versus Liverpool. I didn’t play because I was
injured but I prepared for the final with the team. I was 25. It was the
first final for Roma, and the final was in Rome. Grobbelaar…
Spaghetti legs: Bruce Grobbelaar unleashed his pivotal routine as Liverpool beat Roma on penalties
‘We had 15 days to prepare for that final and we went into the mountains in Italy, in the north, and we found terrible weather.
‘Cold,
rain, every day. For seven days! And when we came back, three days
before the final in Rome, it was so hot. And the players had a lot of
cramps.
‘It was the worst preparation for a final in history.
‘I
played the final in ’89 and ’90 with Milan and we won. Then as a
manager with Milan, in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The 2005 final (losing to
Liverpool on penalties after leading 3-0 at half-time) was the craziest.
That first half was among the best performances one of my teams has
produced.
‘Unbelievable.
Even in the second half, after it went to 3-3, we played really well. I
joke with Alonso sometimes. I say, “hey, you have a cup that’s mine”.’
The one that got away: Xabi Alonso (right) celebrates the equalising goal in Istanbul with Milan Baros
The
current campaign is most memorable for the demolition of Pep
Guardiola’s Bayern Munich. They were widely considered to be the finest
in Europe and had also won the Bundesliga at a stroll.
But Madrid beat them 5-0 on aggregate, four of those goals coming in an extraordinary second leg at the Allianz Arena.
‘Why?
I don’t know why,’ says Ancelotti modestly. ‘We had a fantastic
motivation. Tactics were good. The key was that we were able to defend
with Bale, with Ronaldo, with Di Maria, with Modric. Players with a lot
of quality, with a lot of skills.
‘We
also had the advantage of playing German teams in the previous two
rounds. In the last 16 against Schalke, in the quarter-finals against
Borussia Dortmund and then in the semis against Bayern.
‘That
said, Bayern are not playing German football. It is not the style of
German football. They play the style and philosophy of Guardiola, of
Barcelona. They are totally different from the style of last year under
Jupp Heynckes.
‘The style last year was more direct, more counter-attack.
Statement of intent: Ronaldo puts Real Madrid 4-0 up against holders Bayern Munich
‘They
won against Barcelona more or less playing that way, using
counter-attack, 4-0 and 3-0 in the semi-final. But that is not to say
it was easier for us this year. To win the ball you have to work very
hard.’
Ancelotti
knows Real will have to work hard to conquer Diego Simeone’s
brilliantly organised Atletico side. ‘They are very strong,’ he says.
‘We had problems against them in the league. We lost at home. We drew
there. But we don’t have to think too much about the opponent.
‘We know them very well. Sure, they know us too.’
Is
the likely absence of Diego Costa encouraging? ‘Costa is a good
player,’ he says. ‘Really dangerous. Costa, he goes to Chelsea, no? He’s
a very good player, and he would suit the Chelsea style, the
counter-attack. But we will see. It will be a good game. I am excited.’
He pauses to light another cigarette.
‘Right now, I don’t feel the pressure,’ he says. ‘I am calm.’
