Carlo Ancelotti is a man with an enviable trophy cabinet, both as a player and as a manager. He’s not a footballer philosopher like Pep Guardiola neither is he a pragmatic winner like Jose Mourinho, but a genial manager who is loved by all his players. He has top-level experience having managed big sides throughout his career and has won 3 Champions league titles so far.
Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli after a bad run and a rift in the club between the players and the management. The biggest story in Naples was the 'mutiny' of the players and not the bad run. The differences between Ancelotti and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis reached tipping point after the mutiny by players regarding an enforced training retreat. His players knew that he would be sacked and at the end of the game a few of them hugged the manager.
Regardless, he remains an elite candidate for other clubs. Clubs in the the Premier League like Everton and Arsenal are looking at him. Both clubs are struggling this season and Arsenal are languishing in 9th place. With a win against West Ham, Arsenal stopped a run of 9 games without a single win. Arsenal are also looking at other names like Mikel Arteta and Patrick Viera, but Ancelotti's impressive CV trumps theirs. The Premier League is already home to the best managers in the world, with accomplished names like Jurgen Klopp, Guardiola and Mourinho. If Ancelotti were to join Arsenal, he would add to the list and make the Premier League ultra-competitive.
A versatile tactician
At Napoli he has lately favoured a 4-4-2 to get the best out of Insigne, Mertens, Lozano and Callejon. He has always been versatile and flexible with his tactical systems and Arsenal fans would love to see him repeat that with Arsenal while also playing fluid football. Ancelotti is renowned for his ability to get the best out of his players. With such a 4-4-2, Ancelotti would be able to accomadate both Lacazette and Aubameyang, with Pepe and Ozil as wide men, Torreira and Guendouzi could slot into the center.
Ancelotti’s teams usually are solid at the back and play attractive football. One can expect him to enforce defensive solidity and get the best out of the brilliant attackers they have. While Emery was confused at best, Ancelotti is flexible and does not force a system on the team. He is loved by all his players for being very understanding and accommodative. He finds a system which best fits the players available to him. Though he preferred Ronaldo as a striker, on Ronaldo’s insistence he played him on the left. With such a flexible manager, Arsenal fans can rest assured that Ancelotti would neither be stubborn nor confused.
With his reputation as the ‘diva whisperer’ one can certainly expect Ancelotti to extract the best from the squad. He has no problems managing big egos and motivating players having managed star-studded teams like AC Milan, Real Madrid and PSG. He’s already proven in the Premier League and Arsenal can expect to make an earnest challenge for the top 4 with him. Arsenal has not had a major trophy in the last 16 years, with such an impressive CV, Arsenal can expect that to change.
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