Over his two stints at Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti has endeared himself to almost every corner of the Merengue fanbase. Some fans might not agree with his tactical choices or the way his teams play football but there is no doubt that he remains one of the best coaches in the history of European football and one of the best managers to manage the biggest names.
Now at 65 years of age, there might not be many more years left for the Italian to coach the biggest teams. But this would be the best time to take as much knowledge from this experienced coach as one can.
Such an opportunity was provided by the Italian as he gave a talk at the Mexico Siglo XXI event organised by the Telmex Foundation, which is run by the Mexican tycoon, Carlos Slim. As MARCA has reported, the Real Madrid coach reviewed his career as a coach at the top level and the key to his success.
Talking about the beginning of his career as a coach, Ancelotti revealed that this was not something he had always thought about doing:
“I didn’t always think about becoming a coach. One day at Milan, Sacchi told me, ‘the day you stop playing, I would like you to be my assistant.’ He was a football genius. He changed the methodology and was a great teacher. He gave me a lot, just like Eriksson did.
What’s important is knowledge. When you start, you don’t have experience—you can’t buy it. Experience comes with time, but knowledge doesn’t. Passion and curiosity are important. There’s always something you can learn.”
Ancelotti also provided some insights on his methodology to manage the players:
“I encounter them every day. It’s a job with a lot of power and responsibility. I can choose what time we train and who I field, but ultimately it’s about relationships between people. That’s the most important aspect. Sometimes I ask the players, ‘who are you?’ and they say, ‘I’m a footballer.’ And I tell them, ‘no, you’re a person who plays football.’
I try to build relationships on a personal as well as a professional level because that way, you can get better performance from the professional. I try to do that. It’s not easy because every player wants to play. Eleven make it, but 15 watch from the sidelines. That’s the hardest part. But if you manage to establish a good personal relationship, it helps you work better.”
Further commenting on this topic, the Real Madrid gaffer said:
“You always have to stay positive on the bench because you need to communicate with the players. It’s not true that I’m always calm. I rarely get angry, but when I do, I go pretty crazy.
A horse has two ways to jump: with the whip or with the carrot. Either way, it jumps. You have to choose. If you use the whip, it might kick you from behind later, but if you give it the carrot, it helps you.”
There is much wisdom in Ancelotti’s words, and no one can argue against the fact that his methods have generally worked in keeping some of the most star-studded dressing rooms functional over his career as a coach. Young coaches and people from all walks of life can take notes from this talk, and enhance their people management skills.
