Chelsea: Arrigo Sacchi, Carlo Ancelotti and the legacy of man-management
Chelsea only enjoyed Carlo Ancelotti for two years, enough to get a taste of what Ancelotti learned from one of football’s great mentors, Arrigo Sacchi.
When many remember Arrigo Sacchi, they remember AC Milan. They remember attacking free flowing football. They remember Italian finesse. They remember trophies. All those things make up Sacchi’s legacy, but perhaps his most prominent work was what he did with the people he coached.
Sacchi had so much influence on his players, it is no surprise that many of his players went on to become coaches, and some of them would become very influential managers, indeed.
One such player is Italian icon, Carlo Ancelotti. Ancelotti spent four seasons under Sacchi and made 142 appearances, with nine goals and three assists. Ancelotti was a playmaker – he did most of his business from the middle of the park. He was highly regarded as a player, winning 14 trophies including two European Cups, three Serie A titles, four Italian Cups and two UEFA Super Cups.
The only thing more impressive about this record is his own record as a manager.
Ancelotti’s intelligence as a player was reflected in the way he played the game, and it was recognized by all.
This intelligence also came through in his managerial style. Ancelotti is an excellent man-manager: calm, calculated and intentional. He had his ups and downs as a manager, but don’t let that divert you from his impressive trophy cabinet.
Ancelotti as a manager has won 19 trophies including three Champions League titles, one Premier League, one Serie A, one Ligue 1, one Bundesliga title and three UEFA Super Cups. Ancelotti is one of only six managers to win the Champions League as a player and as a manager.
Ancelotti did this while playing some of the most entertaining football those clubs – Chelsea included – have ever played.
Ancelotti, like, Sacchi also played a significant role in molding the next generation of coaches.
Another manager to have won the UEFA Champions league as a player and as a manager is Ancelotti’s protégé, Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane was one of the best midfielders of his time and perhaps of all time. Zidane made 90 appearances as an attacking midfielder under Ancelotti and racked up 11 goals and 16 assists for Juventus in that time. In his senior career, he gathered more than 12 major trophies including one Champions League, two Serie A, one La Liga and one FIFA World Cup.
Zidane became Real Madrid’s manager in 2016 and made the biggest managerial statement by winning the UEFA Champions League three times in a row.
Zidane and Ancelotti are the only two managers to have won the Champions League three times. Student and Teacher.
Top managers are defined by how they are able to manage big characters and talents. Arrigho Sacchi was a man who had one of the most self-sufficient dressing rooms in football history. His AC Milan included Franco Baresi, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard, Paolo Maldini, Ruud Gullitt, Marco Van Basten. That he was able to guide those players says it all.
Carlo Ancelotti similarly managed some of the biggest teams in the world, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and AC Milan. Ancelotti managed Zinedine Zidane, Filippo Inzaghi, Edwin van der Sar and even Chelsea’s own Antonio Conte, though he (Ancelotti) didn’t win anything with Juventus. He managed players like Thiago, Xabi Alonso, Frank Lampard and John Terry.
Man-management can be and is often the difference between good managers and world-class managers. It’s the difference between merely winning many games and winning multiple trophies.
Raise an eyebrow to honor Carlo Ancelotti. light. Related Story
At Real Madrid, Zidane managed Cristiano Ronaldo, who was a key figure in his success at Real Madrid. Sometimes man-management involves leaving players to do what they know. Excellent man-management comes in different forms.
Some managers prefer the route of personal one-to-one motivation, some prefer to create the motivation in other ways.
An example is Pep Guardiola’s robust squad at Manchester City. Guardiola does not need to tell a player to give his best on the pitch because his players know that players that are equally, if not more, talented players are waiting on the bench ready to give the manager a selection headache.
Next. Fabregas and Cahill need little prompting to praise Antonio Conte. dark
Most of the world’s greatest football managers have been excellent man-managers, and the Sacchi family tree is ongoing proof.