Real Madrid defended their lead in the Spanish Primera División with a 3-1 home win against FC Sevilla on Saturday. Chaser FC Barcelona can still make up ground on Sunday (9 p.m.), but not dethrone the royals. More impressive than the form of the Madrilenians, however, is a statement made by coach Carlo Ancelotti after his team’s success.
He simply “likes” to train the stars who are currently shining under him at Real Madrid, according to the Italian. “This is a team that doesn’t give me any problems and is very respectful of my decisions. I think it’s one of the best squads I’ve ever had, if not the best,” said Ancelotti at the press conference after the game, how important the current squad is in his CV.
And the CV of the 63-year-old has it all. Since his debut as head coach in 1995, Ancelotti has been with the top teams Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern. SSC Napoli and Real Madrid on the bench. He won titles galore, including leading his teams to four Champions League titles in three different decades.
Not afraid of FC Bayern and Co.?
During this time, Ancelotti had the who’s who of world football under his wing, coaching Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Sergio Ramos, Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Andriy Shevchenko, Alessandro Nesta, Cafu, Zinédine Zidane, Frank Lampard, Clarenco Seedorf, among others , Manuel Neuer, Michael Ballack, Robert Lewandowski or Alessandro Del Piero, Italian legends like Fabio Cannavaro or Gianluigi Buffon made their Champions League debuts under him.
The fact that the current squad at Real Madrid is supposed to be the best of his career should certainly scare the competition. Above all, Ancelotti should aim to defend the title in the premier class. The qualification for the round of 16 can no longer be taken away from the Madrilenians after four group match days.
Ancelotti’s words do not suggest that one fears the well-known competition for Manchester City, FC Liverpool, FC Bayern or PSG in the knockout rounds. If he actually trains the best squad of his career, there is no way around Real anyway.